clinical trials

I am associated with the Program of Clinical Psychology as a core faculty. This accredited program provides doctoral level training in clinical psychology using a scientist - practitioner model. My research is focused on a number of aspects of addiction including understanding the process of recovery from gambling and substance abuse addictions. This line of research includes treatment research exploring the mechanisms underlying brief motivational treatments for gambling problems as well as applied research focusing on increasing treatment-seeking among affected individuals. In addition, I am interested in understanding the functional relationship between addiction and other mental health comorbidities (e.g., depression and alcohol disorders, behavioural addictions). Finally, I am involved in a large-scale provincial longitudinal project tracking individual and environmental factors that influence gambling and problem gambling.

During my training in Clinical Neuro-Oncology I became interested in clinical research, particularly in clinical trials design and protection of human subjects & ethics. After being actively involved in the development of locally designed and international multicentre clinical trials, I am currently participating in their design and implementation. We are specially interested in the inclusion of translational research in the form of correlative studies in clinical trials as a means to optimize the selection of effective/active drugs and improve our understanding of brain tumor biology.

Non-invasive identification of molecular markers constitutes another area of interest. I became part of a multidisciplinary group that analyzes imaging texture in patients with brain tumors and its correlation with prognostic and predictive molecular markers. We carry on optimizing the technique that would allow the accurate identification of molecular targets/markers non-invasively.

Participation in clinical trials in stroke. As part of the Acute Stroke team, patients are enrolled in acute and non-acute trails.

The most significant research contributions that I have made are:

• I have developed a translational research program with Dr. V. Wee Yong to take therapies from the bench to bedside in multiple sclerosis. The first therapy in development is minocycline in which we are now undertaking a phase III RCT trial to prove efficacy. Other therapies are under development including Beta Crystalline (in collaboration with Dr. Shalina Ousman). In collaboration with Dr. Fiona Costello, we are developing an optic nerve model to test therapies for potential neuroprotective and repair benefits in phase II trials.
• I have established a dynamic population-based outcome study of patients (over 1200) ever-treated with MS disease modifying therapy in Southern Alberta. Utilization, cost and both clinical and patient-based outcome data are being collected.
• I have established a population-based cohort of over 1700 people with MS, linked to a serum bank, that includes people on MS therapy (above) but also people never treated.
• I have been studying ways to improve the ways we use corticosteroids to treat MS.
• With Dr. SB Patten, I have contributed to our understanding of depressive disorders in people with MS, including their association with MS disease modifying therapy and their impact on discontinuation of these therapies.