By: Allison Currie
Dr. JianLi Wang is a professor at the Departments of Community Health & Epidemiology and of Psychiatry, Dalhousie University. He also holds a Tier 1 Canada Research Chair (CRC) in Health Data Science and Innovation.
Can you tell us a little bit about your field of research?
My background is in psychiatric epidemiology. My research focuses on big data analytics related to the epidemiology of mental disorders, suicide and mental health services use. For example, I have developed sex-specific risk calculators for major depression which can be used to estimate one’s risk of having a major depressive episode in the next four years. I also do research on implementing such risk prediction models for prevention of mental health problems. For example, I have been conducting randomized controlled trials to understand the benefits and potential harms associated with implementing such prediction models.
What led you to this field/inspired you to do this work?
In the past decades, there has been increasing awareness about mental health problems and investment in mental health services. However, there has been no measurable change in the prevalence (disease burden) of mental disorders in the Canadian population. Many factors may contribute to this phenomenon. One factor is the lack of effort in early prevention. For example, stopping a mental disorder before it occurs. Canada is at the forefront in collecting, maintaining and utilizing population health data. Nova Scotia is the only province in Canada that has established a centralized mental health and addiction intake program. The existence of the health data from the national, provincial and regional levels allows us to build a health data analytics research program to facilitate early identification, streamline mental health services delivery and population mental health planning.
How does your research translate into healthcare solutions for the patient/public?
Translating the knowledge of health data analysis into action will need strong collaboration with frontline clinicians, mental health services planners, decision-makers and people with lived experience. As a new CRC at Dalhousie University, I am enthusiastically looking forward to working with these stakeholders at the regional and provincial levels. Together, we can translate the knowledge into healthcare solutions to make clinicians’ work easier and better and improve patient outcomes, leading to a better population mental health and well-being.
What is the biggest challenge/opportunity in your field of research?
One challenge is the fragmentation of health data. Data are held by different custodians, collected for different purposes and stored in different formats. The quality of the data may also vary. Integration of databases from different sources is a significant challenge. This challenge is not new and has been repeatedly identified. But this is still a huge challenge we face.
Why is research and participation in research important?
Research is important because it is the process by which we acquire knowledge and understand why a health problem occurs, why some are more or less likely to have this problem than others, and what are the best ways to intervene. So, participating in research directly contributes to this process of knowledge generation and the betterment of the health and wellbeing of the whole population. Eventually, participants may benefit from the knowledge in long-term.
What does the ideal future in your field of research look like to you?
It would be ideal to see increased awareness about mental health promotion and early prevention, and more research funding and resources in these areas. Mental health and psychiatry as a whole have insufficient funding and resources in comparison with other health disciplines. More funding and resources could really elevate research activities to understand and address the determinants of population mental health and disease burden, and design complex interventions to tackle this important public health issue.
There are over 100 affiliate scientists working with various teams across Research, Innovation and Discovery at Nova Scotia Health. The contributions they make to our healthcare system enable Nova Scotia Health to attract and retain students and future health researchers as well as other leading scientists from across the globe.
Research is care, and clinical studies help translate research into potentially life-changing therapies that can help you, your friends and your loved ones. Want to know more about how to get involved? Visit Nova Studies Connect today: novastudiesconnect.ca
