Dr Philip Awadalla, National Scientific Director of CanPath, explains how the population cohort works to facilitate health research with a vision that includes creating healthy environments, partnering with Indigenous communities, and fostering better data security practices.
The Canadian Partnership for Tomorrow’s Health (CanPath) has become a cornerstone of health research in Canada and, as it hits 15 years since its launch, the longitudinal population health cohort is in its prime. Representing one in every 100 Canadians between the ages of 30 and 74, CanPath is not just a platform – it is a reflection of our nation’s commitment to understanding and improving health for all Canadians.
With over 330,000 participants who have generously contributed their health and biological information, we have created an unparalleled resource for researchers. CanPath makes genomic, environmental, lifestyle, and electronic health-related data available to the scientific research community. This data is the foundation for long-term population health studies that delve into the intricate interplay between health, lifestyle, and risk factors.
As our participants age, some may encounter health challenges like cancer or heart disease. At these critical junctures, CanPath data becomes invaluable. Researchers can examine this wealth of information to identify factors contributing to disease onset.
Supporting environmental protection and Canadians’ right to a healthy environment
Over the years, CanPath data has illuminated the health risks of air pollutants and their connection to chronic disease and cancer through studies published in Nature Communications and Nature. This research supports the principles of Canadian parliamentary Bill S-5, which aims to strengthen environmental protection and acknowledges the right to a healthy environment. It’s a reminder of our surroundings’ impact on health and the importance of policy in safeguarding our air quality.
We are excited to take the impact of our data further. Our upcoming Diet & Physical Activity study will enhance our environmental exposure data and explore the influence of retail food environments (RFEs) on diet quality. This study, a first in Canada, will assess how access to various food sources like restaurants and grocery stores shapes dietary habits on a large scale. It will examine the effects of RFEs on diet quality, considering factors such as the built and social environment and individual-level chronic disease risk factors. This aligns with the 2019 Canada’s Food Guide and aims to provide insights across communities and provinces.
Our partnership with the Canadian Urban Environmental Health Research Consortium (CANUE) has enriched our datasets with walkability, greenness, and air quality measures. These variables are linked to CanPath data and are available to researchers. This collaboration is a stride towards a comprehensive understanding of how our environment impacts health, particularly in the context of climate change.
By leveraging our extensive resources and data, we are poised to deliver timely insights into the effects of climate change on Canadians’ health.
Honouring Indigenous voices in health research
At CanPath, we are ensuring our research reflects the respect and partnerships we value with Indigenous communities. Indigenous communities are diverse and span Canada, including First Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples. Over 7,000 CanPath participants have self-identified as Indigenous and shared their health and lifestyle information with us.
CanPath is committed to meeting the unique needs of Canada’s diverse communities through a transparent approach that upholds the principles of ownership, control, access, and possession (OCAP). To honour this commitment, CanPath is collaborating with Indigenous partners and scholars to develop appropriate processes for accessing and using Indigenous data and biosamples.
We approach this process with humility and dedication as we continue to learn from Indigenous scholars and partners. As we move forward, we’re dedicated to collaborating with Indigenous partners to ensure our research upholds the rights and values of First Nations, Inuit, and Métis Peoples.
By stepping back to listen and learn, we’re finding better paths forward, ensuring our research honours principles of Indigenous data governance and the spirit of collaboration and respect with Indigenous Peoples.
Advancing health research with secure data access
With our soon-to-be-launched trusted research environment, CanPath will provide researchers with a more secure and efficient way to access and analyse vital health data. With a generous $6.2m grant from Genome Canada, this cloud-based platform will revolutionise how researchers utilise the rich health data from over 330,000 Canadians in our cohort.
This new environment aligns with the practices of leading international data resources and adds an extra layer of security, ensuring that the privacy and integrity of participant data are maintained. By centralising data access, we eliminate the need to move large datasets around, making it easier for researchers to collaborate and integrate various data sources.
This initiative is a testament to CanPath’s unwavering focus on advancing health research. We are enhancing how we share data and ensuring we remain at the cutting edge of health research infrastructure.
Fostering collaboration
Our new approaches foster diversity and inclusiveness in research, encourage international collaboration, and ultimately enhance the cohort’s value in advancing global health. While we evolve our data access process, engage with diverse communities in Canada, and enrich the CanPath resource with more diet, physical activity, and environmental data, we’re ensuring that future health research and personalised treatments can benefit Canadians and the global scientific community. Our goal is to set a global benchmark for disease risk understanding and prevention. Reaching CanPath’s 15-year mark is exhilarating, and we are eager to witness the advancements that the next 15 years will bring.
Please note, this article will also appear in the 19th edition of our quarterly publication.
