Strategic Plan

Build collaboration, relationships and understanding with clinicians and the public

Increase actionability of communications

Some education efforts are better suited to pure education, while others are better suited to offering guidance.

• • • In short-form communications such as Portrait and the Therapeutics Letter, increase the actionability of findings.
    • In long-form communications, such as webinars and community seminars focus on the teaching critical analysis modeled by the TI, rather than pure actionability of results.

Produce patient-centric, vivid communications

The TI’s innovative research and rigorous systematic reviews should be accompanied by digestible and concrete illustrations of their findings.

Engage with the media

On its own, the TI has a limited voice, but the TI perspective will be compelling when carried through conventional media.

Expand scope within BC

Across disciplines and locations, the TI should increase its educational reach. This includes allied health professions and Simon Fraser University.

Build relationships with education & advocacy organizations

Education and advocacy organizations will benefit from the TI’s expertise in prescribing, while the TI will benefit in turn from their public presence, expertise in communications and connections with patients interested in participating in the TI’s work.

Original research to discover the benefits and harms of medicines

Innovative pharmaco-epidemiological research

Excel in novel research involving the identification of the benefits and harms of medicines and lab tests. This includes leveraging the TI’s existing expertise and ensuring that expertise and idea continues to grow internally.

Expand affiliated academics

The TI should increase its connections both within and outside UBC, setting explicit policies and responsibilities for the nature and maintenance of the relationship.

Reduce administrative burden

The TI should do whatever possible to reduce the administrative burden on faculty, allowing more time for research.

Systematic reviews of existing evidence on the benefits and harms of medicines

Prioritize work to clarify evidence on therapeutic benefits and harms not adequately reviewed elsewhere

The TI’s systematic review work is most effective when it is targeted to work where fresh insights are likely. This includes novel reviews and selective replication that leverage the TI’s specialized expertise.

Ensure relevance of systematic reviews to clinicians and patients

The value of the TI’s work increases where it has the most potential to affect policy or practice. Ensuring relevance involves both including clinicians in setting the framework for analysis and illustrating the impact of a change in practice.

Expand reviews of diagnostics

A key opportunity for the TI to expand its scope is in reviews of lab tests and other diagnostics. Diagnostics offer an opportunity pairing a category of impactful with the TI’s internal expertise. There are opportunities within this topic for both systematic reviews and pharmaco-epidemiological projects.

Sustainable funding and capacity

Become a source for expert advice outside of BC

Further diversify funding sources by conducting requested work for organizations other than BC’s Ministry of Health.

Donor stewardship

Members of the public interested in the TI’s mission have and will support its work, but process improvements can be made to attract and retain donors. The TI will improve proposals and reporting for the use of donations.

Recruit and retain personnel

The TI’s intention and mission should make it a magnet for talented and idealistic students, post-docs and staff.

Transparency and EDI

Transparency

The Therapeutics Initiative can act to increase its transparency, both internal and external. This will often include efforts that go beyond making information available and into making information accessible and easy to understand.

• • • Disclose what it means to be “affiliated with the TI” and present on the website.
    • Disclose all active collaborations with organizations.
    • Clearly communicate the TI’s intentions in expanding its scope within BC.
    • Publish a simple, graphic-rich description of the TI’s working groups on the website.
    • Provide an overview of the process for choosing the topics of Therapeutics Letters and Portrait. Include a summary of perspectives engaged during topic selection. Where possible, link to full report details and analysis methods when sharing the results of systematic reviews.