Our Research

Social Determinants of Health and Lung Disease

  • Funded by CF Canada and Research Nova Scotia, this project combines two complementary analyses to investigate whether socio-economic status (SES) is associated with clinical outcomes in the Canadian CF population. A province-specific analysis (Nova Scotia) uses area-level measures of SES, while a national analysis uses individual-level measures of SES, and both use the Canadian Cystic Fibrosis Registry for clinical outcomes.

  • In partnership with Cystic Fibrosis Canada, this study examines how CFTR modulator therapies have transformed the socioeconomic burden of cystic fibrosis in Canada, comparing outcomes before and after their introduction across healthcare, societal, and patient perspectives. 

  • The objective of this study is to introduce a dynamic and updateable model to forecast the cystic fibrosis population in Canada. The framework incorporates disease progression and treatment heterogeneity, particularly differences between CFTR modulators and those ineligible for therapy to forecast the project to 2030. The results are visualized in an interactive web tool that allows model adaptation as new data emerge.

  • Newborn screening programs in Canada can vary in protocols and genetic variants tested, which may not perform equitably for all infants. The objective of this study was to summarize the Canadian CF NBS programs to understand if there are any gaps that may drive inequities.

    Read our paper here.

Lung Health Data Infrastructure

  • The shAIRe (Scientific and Health Data Assets in Respiratory Research) Network is a pan-Canadian academic initiative aimed at ensuring the long-term preservation, sustainability, and responsible secondary use of respiratory health research data. It addresses persistent challenges in the field, including dataset fragmentation, disease-specific silos, limited interoperability across studies, and the risk of data loss once primary research projects conclude. By supporting the development of high-quality, well-documented, and harmonizable datasets, shAIRe enables collaborative, reproducible, and ethically grounded respiratory research with lasting scientific and public value, while respecting participant autonomy, consent conditions, and applicable ethical and legal requirements.

  • The shAIRe Rising Stars is a network of trainees and early-career researchers working with respiratory health data in Canada. The network aims to provide new and emerging researchers with tools, training, and strategies to foster expertise in data generation, management, analysis, and dissemination for harmonized research in lung health.  

    For more information: https://data4lunghealth.ca/en/shaire-rising-stars-leadership-team-and-trainee-committee/  

    To join the network, email: shAIRe@dal.ca  

Novel Methods to Study Lung Health

  • COPD has a complex etiology, but its current diagnosis is often confirmed using only the FEV1/FVC ratio. This may result in over-diagnosis of older individuals and under-diagnosis of young adults.

    This project will use data from the Canadian Cohort of Obstructive Lung Disease (CanCOLD) to 1) describe the causal relationships between structural lung damage, biomarkers, and functional measures of lung function,  2) identify subgroups of obstructive lung disease using pathophysiological variables and analyze the functional manifestation of the endotypes, and 3) develop a predictive model using the endotype classification as the independent variables (features) and routinely available clinical variables as the predictors.

  • Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is the fourth leading cause of death in Canada. Spirometry is used to determine disease severity and guide management. It is assessed using percent predicted forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1%pred). However, FEV1%pred can misclassify disease severity, fail to capture existing lung pathology in adult smokers, and has limited utility for longitudinal assessment. There is a need for a more objective spirometry marker. FEV1Q is a physiologically meaningful measure of lung function, calculated as FEV1/lowest sex-specific percentile of survivable FEV1 [0.4 L for females and 0.5 L for males] derived from a population with advanced respiratory disease. This project aims to evaluate FEV1Q as an objective marker of disease severity and clinical risk stratification in individuals at risk for or living with COPD.

  • Climate change is leading to an increased frequency of extreme weather and temperature events, such as forest fires and droughts, which result in increases in air pollution. Poor air quality can cause respiratory problems in people of all ages and is associated with increased hospitalizations and mortality. Air quality monitoring by the Canadian government in the Maritimes is sparse, with only 23 government-operated air pollution monitors in Atlantic Canada, of which only 7 of those sensors are located in Nova Scotia. This study aims to investigate whether lowcost air quality monitors can effectively identify the risk of hospitalizations for respiratory causes in Nova Scotia.

  • The Global Lung Function Initiative (GLI) is a Clinical Research Collaboration (CRC), bringing together ​physiologists, respirologists, epidemiologists and statisticians to improve how lung function tests are ​interpreted. Established in 2008, the GLI Network aims to standardize how pulmonary function test results are interpreted around the world.

Access to Lung Function in the Community

Access to Lung Function in the Community

  • The Lung Wellness Clinic (LWC) is a community clinic in downtown Halifax that is designed to improve respiratory health outcomes for Nova Scotians and provide community placements for students in Dalhousie’s Respiratory Therapy (RT) program. It was made possible by investment from GSK Canada and collaboration with Nova Scotia Health’s INSPIRED COPD Outreach Program, the Nova Scotia Health Innovation Hub, and LungNSPEI.

  • Current technical standards for pulmonary function testing require three technically acceptable and repeatable efforts (trials), which are time-consuming and difficult for patients. This project aims to validate a simplified pulmonary function test procedure to test whether teting can be completed in less time while providing the same clinical information as a complete procedure.

  • Pharmacological management is paramount for treatment of COPD. The most recent (2023) guidelines from the Canadian Thoracic Society recommend single, dual, or triple pharmacotherapy treatment based on pulmonary function testing (spirometry) outcomes and symptom severity. Greater adherence to these guidelines is associated with better health outcomes, such as fewer exacerbations and fewer hospital admissions. The aim of this project is to describe the proportion of people with COPD followed in primary care in Nova Scotia who are receiving guideline-directed treatment.

Lung Health Epidemiology

  • Nearly 2 million Canadians over the age of 15 regularly use e-cigarettes (vapes), and use amongst young people continues to grow. There is a belief that vaping is safer than traditional cigarette smoking, yet there is little to no trustworthy information available about the long-term health effects of vaping.  

    In this study co-designed by people with lived and living experience and community partners, we aim to: 

    1) Quantify and compare the magnitude of lung damage with e-cigarette exposure (direct and secondary) with combustible cigarette use, dual use and no use; 

    2) Quantify the rate at which lung damage occurs with e-cigarette exposure over a 12-month period and compare this to combustible cigarette use and no use; 

    3) Investigate whether lung function improves after successful cessation of e-cigarette use.  

    Recruiting: TBD 2027  

Thank you to our generous funders: