About CanVECTOR

The Canadian Venous Thromboembolism Research Network (CanVECTOR) is a pan-Canadian, patient-oriented, Community Development Program centred on venous thromboembolism (VTE) related research, training, and knowledge translation.

Mission

To decrease the health, social and economic burden of VTE on affected individuals, their families, and on Canadians as a whole.

Vision

To create an enduring, pan-Canadian network of stakeholders, researchers, methodology experts, knowledge transfer experts, research trainees, clinical research professionals, industry partners, public agency partners, healthcare providers, and patient groups whose combined efforts to reduce VTE occurrence, improve VTE diagnosis and therapeutic management, improve the safety of anticoagulant delivery and enhance the quality of life of those impacted by VTE, both in Canada and globally.

Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion

CanVECTOR is committed to fostering a culture of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) within our network. Our mission, to decrease the health, social, and economic burden of VTE (Venous Thromboembolism) on affected individuals, their families, and on Canadians as a whole, underscores the importance of addressing EDI both within our network of dedicated researchers and among the patients who participate in thrombosis research studies. We believe that embracing EDI is not only ethically imperative but is also fundamental to achieving our mission by ensuring that our research is inclusive, relevant, and applicable to the diverse populations we aim to serve.

For our network members:

  1. Equity: We are committed to providing equitable opportunities for all members of the CanVECTOR network, irrespective of gender, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, disability, age, geography, religion, or any other dimension of diversity. We recognize that diverse perspectives contribute to the richness of our research endeavors and are dedicated to removing systemic barriers to inclusion.
  2. Diversity: CanVECTOR values and actively seeks diversity among our network members and leadership. We acknowledge that a diverse team fosters innovation, creativity, and a broader understanding of the complexities surrounding thrombosis. We strive to create an environment where individuals from all backgrounds feel welcome and valued.
  3. Inclusion: CanVECTOR is dedicated to creating an inclusive and supportive community where every member feels heard, respected, and included. We actively promote a culture that values open communication, collaboration, and the exchange of ideas among individuals with different experiences and perspectives.

For patients participating in thrombosis research studies:

  1. Equity: CanVECTOR is committed to ensuring that all patients, regardless of their background, have equitable access to participation in our research studies. We strive to eliminate barriers that may disproportionately affect certain groups, ensuring that the benefits and opportunities of research participation are accessible to everyone.
  2. Diversity: We recognize the importance of including diverse patient populations in our studies to ensure that our research findings are reflective of the broader Canadian population. By actively seeking diversity in our participant pool, we enhance the generalizability and relevance of our research outcomes.
  3. Inclusion: CanVECTOR is dedicated to creating a research environment that is inclusive and respectful of the unique experiences and perspectives of our patient participants. We actively seek ways to involve patients in the research process through our Patient Partners platform, ensuring that their voices are heard and valued.

CanVECTOR is committed to championing Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion both within our network and in the broader community of patients participating in thrombosis research studies. By embracing EDI principles, we aim to create a research landscape that is not only scientifically rigorous but also ethically sound, accessible, and applicable to the diverse Canadian population.

OBJECTIVES

  1. To build a critical mass of scientific expertise on a national scale by creating an enduring and sustainable network of partnerships, thus enriching Canada's continued international leadership in this field.

  2. To generate new knowledge by Canadian VTE researchers, with the input of patient partners, through clinical trials, translational research, and quality of care and effectiveness research. 

  3. To promote and facilitate the sharing of ideas, best practices, resources and platforms to build and sustain the infrastructure and transdisciplinary collaborations needed to more efficiently conduct high quality clinical trials that answer key questions impacting Canadians.

  4. To enhance our world-class VTE research capacity via a unique national research training, mentoring, and early career development program that will produce independent health researchers who lead patient-oriented and health services research in this field, and will recruit and train patient partners.

  5. To enhance our capacity for knowledge translation through a coordinated approach that will effectively translate research knowledge to maximize its impact on hospital and community-based practice, patients and their families, and patient-relevant health outcomes.

     

          

 

CanVECTOR is national in scope and has been developed in collaboration with academic, not-for-profit, and industry partners and stakeholders.

We are well-positioned to facilitate effective interactions and collaborations between the scientific community and various stakeholders (clinicians, decision-makers, industry, patients, and other knowledge users outside of the academic community). Led by co-Directors Dr. Susan Kahn and Dr. Grégoire Le Gal our membership includes leading senior, mid-level and early career clinical and basic science VTE researchers as well as experts in clinical trials, health services research, pharmacoepidemiology, biostatistics, health economics, biomarkers, systematic reviews, knowledge translation, nursing research, emergency department research, and patient engagement in research. Together, we have the necessary multidisciplinary expertise to meet our objectives.

Our work is organized into six platforms: three science platforms dedicated to VTE research (Clinical trials/shared research platforms; Translational/basic science; Quality of care and effectiveness research), and three foundational platforms for network activities that support all of our research (Training, mentoring, and early career development; Patient partners; Knowledge translation).

We are grateful to the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) for initiating this funding opportunity.

Mission & Vision