Digital Commons Network^™

Designing Systems For The Care We Need: A Transformation Journey In Southwestern Ontario., Shannon L. Sibbald, Jacobi Elliott, Alexander Smith, Mulugeta B. Chala, Nancy Dool Kontio, Amber Alpaugh-Bishop, Sarah Jarmain, Atharv Joshi, Mike Mcmahon, Matthew Meyer

Health Studies Publications

Primary care is considered the foundation of any health system. In Ontario, Canada Bills 41 and 74 introduced in 2016 and 2019, respectively, aimed to move towards a primary care-focused and sustainable integrated care approach designed around the needs of local populations. These bills collectively set the stage for integrated care and population health management in Ontario, with Ontario Health Teams (OHTs) introduced as a model of integrated care delivery systems. OHTs aim to streamline patient connectivity through the healthcare system and improve outcomes aligned with the Quadruple Aim. When Ontario released a call for health system partners to apply …

Patient And Physician Factors Associated With First Diagnosis Of Non-Affective Psychotic Disorder In Primary Care, Joshua C. Wiener, Rebecca Rodrigues, Jennifer N S Reid, Suzanne Archie, Richard G Booth, Chiachen Cheng, Saadia Hameed Jan, Paul Kurdyak, Arlene G Macdougall, Lena Palaniyappan, Bridget L Ryan, Kelly K. Anderson

Epidemiology and Biostatistics Publications

Primary care physicians play a central role in pathways to care for first-episode psychosis, and their increased involvement in early detection could improve service-related outcomes. The aim of this study was to estimate the proportion of psychosis first diagnosed in primary care, and identify associated patient and physician factors. We used linked health administrative data to construct a retrospective cohort of people aged 14-35 years with a first diagnosis of non-affective psychosis in Ontario, Canada between 2005-2015. We restricted the sample to patients with help-seeking contacts for mental health reasons in primary care in the six months prior to first …

Cancer Incidence And Stage At Diagnosis Among People With Recent-Onset Psychotic Disorders: A Retrospective Cohort Study Using Health Administrative Data From Ontario, Canada., Jared C Wootten, Lucie Richard, Phillip S Blanchette, Joshua C. Wiener, Kelly K. Anderson

Epidemiology and Biostatistics Publications

OBJECTIVE: Prior evidence on the relative risk of cancer among people with psychotic disorders is equivocal. The objective of this study was to compare incidence and stage at diagnosis of cancer for people with psychotic disorders relative to the general population.

METHOD: We constructed a retrospective cohort of people with a first diagnosis of non-affective psychotic disorder and a comparison group from the general population using linked health administrative databases in Ontario, Canada. The cohort was followed for incident diagnoses of cancer over a 25-year period. We used Poisson and logistic regression models to compare cancer incidence and stage at …

Cross-Sectional Study Of Factors Associated With Suicide Ideation In Ontario Adolescents, Jonah Rakoff, Jesus Chavarria, Hayley A. Hamilton, Tara Elton-Marshall

Neuroscience Institute Publications

Objective: Suicide is the second leading cause of death in Canadian adolescents. The Interpersonal Theory of Suicide attempts to explain suicide etiology and proposes that feelings of perceived burdensomeness or thwarted belongingness lead to suicide ideation, but this has not been extensively studied in adolescents. This study aimed to use the Interpersonal Theory of Suicide to examine factors that may be associated with suicide ideation in adolescents. The factors of interest were school connectedness, perceived availability of support, self-esteem, feelings of worthlessness, feelings of hopelessness, bullying and cyberbullying victimization, substance use, and social media use. Methods: Data were from the …

Parents’ Attitudes Regarding Their Children’S Play And Sport During Covid-19, Monika B. Szpunar, Leigh M. Vanderloo, Brianne A. Bruijns, Stephanie Truelove, Shauna M. Burke, Jason Gilliland, Jennifer D. Irwin, Patricia Tucker

Geography & Environment Publications

The COVID-19 pandemic and associated public health measures have interrupted the daily routines of parents and children. The purpose of this study was to explore parents’ attitudes regarding their children’s play/sport during COVID-19. A secondary objective was to explore the influence of parent demographics and parent-reported physical activity levels and risk tolerance on these attitudes. Ontario parents of children aged 12 and younger completed an online survey (August—December 2020) that assessed their attitudes (grouped by support, safety and socialization-related attitudes; n = 14 items) regarding their child(ren)’s play/sport, their physical activity levels (n = 2 items), and demographic details …

Mental Health Services Provision In Primary Care And Emergency Department Settings: Analysis Of Blended Fee-For-Service And Blended Capitation Models In Ontario, Canada., Thyna Vu, Kelly K Anderson, Nibene H Somé, Amardeep Thind, Sisira Sarma

Epidemiology and Biostatistics Publications

Treating mental illnesses in primary care is increasingly emphasized to improve access to mental health services. Although family physicians (FPs) or general practitioners are in an ideal position to provide the bulk of mental health care, it is unclear how best to remunerate FPs for the adequate provision of mental health services. We examined the quantity of mental health services provided in Ontario's blended fee-for-service and blended capitation models. We evaluated the impact of FPs switching from blended fee-for-service to blended capitation on the provision of mental health services in primary care and emergency department using longitudinal health administrative data …

Quality Of Diabetes Care In Blended Fee-For-Service And Blended Capitation Payment Systems., Mary Aderayo Bamimore, Rose Anne Devlin, Gregory S Zaric, Amit X Garg, Sisira Sarma

Epidemiology and Biostatistics Publications

OBJECTIVES: In the middle to late 2000s, many family physicians switched from a Family Health Group (FHG; a blended fee-for-service model) to a Family Health Organization (FHO; a blended capitation model) in Ontario, Canada. The evidence on the link between physician remuneration schemes and quality of diabetes care is mixed in the literature. We examined whether physicians who switched from the FHG to FHO model provided better care for individuals living with diabetes relative to those who remained in the FHG model.

METHODS: Using longitudinal health administrative data from 2006 to 2016, we investigated the impact of physicians switching from …

Emergency Department Use Following Incentives To Provide After-Hours Primary Care: A Retrospective Cohort Study., Michael Hong, Amardeep Thind, Gregory S Zaric, Sisira Sarma

Epidemiology and Biostatistics Publications

BACKGROUND: Access to primary care outside of regular working hours is limited in many countries. This study investigates the relation between the after-hours premium, an incentive for primary care physicians to provide services after hours, and less-urgent visits to the emergency department in Ontario, Canada.

METHODS: We analyzed a retrospective cohort of a random sample of Ontario residents from April 2002 to March 2006, and a subcohort of patients followed from April 2005 to March 2016. We linked patient and primary care physician data with emergency department visit data. We used fixed-effects regression models to analyze the association between the …

Physician Remuneration Schemes, Psychiatric Hospitalizations And Follow-Up Care: Evidence From Blended Fee-For-Service And Capitation Models., Thyna Vu, Kelly K Anderson, Rose Anne Devlin, Nibene H Somé, Sisira Sarma

Epidemiology and Biostatistics Publications

Psychiatric hospitalizations could be reduced if mental illnesses were detected and treated earlier in the primary care setting, leading to the World Health Organization recommendation that mental health services be integrated into primary care. The mental health services provided in primary care settings may vary based on how physicians are incentivized. Little is known about the link between physician remuneration and psychiatric hospitalizations. We contribute to this literature by studying the relationship between physician remuneration and psychiatric hospitalizations in Canada's most populous province, Ontario. Specifically, we study family physicians (FPs) who switched from blended fee-for-service (FFS) to blended capitation remuneration …

The Impact Of The Diabetes Management Incentive On Diabetes-Related Services: Evidence From Ontario, Canada., Thaksha Thavam, Rose Anne Devlin, Amardeep Thind, Gregory S Zaric, Sisira Sarma

Epidemiology and Biostatistics Publications

Financial incentives have been introduced in several countries to improve diabetes management. In Ontario, the most populous province in Canada, a Diabetes Management Incentive (DMI) was introduced to family physicians practicing in patient enrollment models in 2006. This paper examines the impact of the DMI on diabetes-related services provided to individuals with diabetes in Ontario. Longitudinal health administrative data were obtained for adults diagnosed with diabetes and their family physicians. The study population consisted of two groups: DMI group (patients enrolled with a family physician exposed to DMI for 3 years), and comparison group (patients affiliated with a family physician …

Labour Progression In Obese Women: Are Women With Increased Body Mass Index Having Unnecessary Cesarean Sections?, Caroline Shenouda, Aloka Wijesooriya, Amanda Toufeili, Michael R Miller, Debbie Penava, Barbra De Vrijer

Obstetrics & Gynaecology Publications

OBJECTIVE: This study sought to determine whether obese pregnant women undergo cesarean sections without an adequate trial of labour. This may affect future birth and pregnancy outcomes.

METHODS: A retrospective analysis was done on 526 parturients at Victoria Hospital in London, Ontario. Women were categorized according to parity and pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI; normal weight, BMI 18.5-24.9 kg/m

RESULTS: Obese class II and III primiparous women required an additional 1.62 and 2.67 hours (P = 0.012), respectively, to reach a dilation of 10 cm compared with their normal weight counterparts; obese class II and III multiparous women required an …

Production Of Physician Services Under Fee-For-Service And Blended Fee-For-Service: Evidence From Ontario, Canada., Nibene H Somé, Rose Anne Devlin, Nirav Mehta, Greg Zaric, Lihua Li, Salimah Shariff, Bachir Belhadji, Amardeep Thind, Amit Garg, Sisira Sarma

Epidemiology and Biostatistics Publications

We examine family physicians' responses to financial incentives for medical services in Ontario, Canada. We use administrative data covering 2003-2008, a period during which family physicians could choose between the traditional fee for service (FFS) and blended FFS known as the Family Health Group (FHG) model. Under FHG, FFS physicians are incentivized to provide comprehensive care and after-hours services. A two-stage estimation strategy teases out the impact of switching from FFS to FHG on service production. We account for the selection into FHG using a propensity score matching model, and then we use panel-data regression models to account for observed …

Healthcare Utilization Costs Of Emerging Adults With Mood And Anxiety Disorders In An Early Intervention Treatment Program Compared To A Matched Cohort, Ava A. John-Baptiste, Lihua Li, Wanrudee Isaranuwatchai, Elizabeth Osuch, Kelly K. Anderson

Epidemiology and Biostatistics Publications

AIM: The First Episode Mood and Anxiety Disorder Program (FEMAP) provides treatment to emerging adults with mood and anxiety disorders in an accessible, youth-friendly environment. We sought to investigate FEMAP's impact on the costs of care.

METHODS: We conducted a retrospective observational study of one-year health service costs using linked administrative datasets to compare emerging adults treated at FEMAP (FEMAP users) to propensity-score matched controls (non-users). Costs from the perspective of the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care, included drug benefit claims, inpatient, physician and ambulatory care services. We used bootstrapping to perform unadjusted comparisons between FEMAP users and …

Changes In The Prevalence Of Child And Youth Mental Disorders And Perceived Need For Professional Help Between 1983 And 2014: Evidence From The Ontario Child Health Study, Jinette Comeau, Katholiki Georgiades, Laura Duncan, Laura Duncan, Li Wang, Michael H. Boyle, Michael H. Boyle, Tracie O. Afifi, William R. Avison, Graham Reid, Kathryn Bennett, Terry Bennett, Khrista Boylan, Michelle Butt, Charles Cunningham, Eric Duku, Jim Dunn, Katholiki Georgiades, Stelios Georgiades, Andrea Gonzalez, Geoffrey Hall, Magdalena Janus, Melissa Kimber, Ellen Lipman, Harriet Macmillan, Peter Rosenbaum

Paediatrics Publications

Objectives: To examine: 1) changes in the prevalence of mental disorders and perceived need for professional help among children (ages 4 to 11) and youth (ages 12 to 16) between 1983 and 2014 in Ontario and 2) whether these changes vary by age and sex, urban-rural residency, poverty, lone-parent status, and immigrant background. Methods: The 1983 (n = 2836) and 2014 (n = 5785) Ontario Child Health Studies are provincially representative cross-sectional surveys with identical self-report checklist measures of conduct disorder, hyperactivity, and emotional disorder, as well as perceived need for professional help, assessed by integrating parent and teacher responses …

Children’S Mental Health Need And Expenditures In Ontario: Findings From The 2014 Ontario Child Health Study, Laura Duncan, Katholiki Georgiades, Stephen Birch, Jinette Comeau, Jinette Comeau, Li Wang, Michael H. Boyle, Michael H. Boyle, Tracie O. Afifi, William R. Avison, Graham Reid, Kathryn Bennett, Terry Bennett, Khrista Boylan, Michelle Butt, Charles Cunningham, Eric Duku, Jim Dunn, Katholiki Georgiades, Stelios Georgiades, Andrea Gonzalez, Geoffrey Hall, Magdalena Janus, Melissa Kimber, Ellen Lipman, Harriet Macmillan

Paediatrics Publications

Objective: To estimate the alignment between the Ontario Ministry of Children and Youth Services (MCYS) expenditures for children’s mental health services and population need, and to quantify the value of adjusting for need in addition to population size in formula-based expenditure allocations. Two need definitions are used: “assessed need,” as the presence of a mental disorder, and “perceived need,” as the subjective perception of a mental health problem. Methods: Children’s mental health need and service contact estimates (from the 2014 Ontario Child Health Study), expenditure data (from government administrative data), and population counts (from the 2011 Canadian Census) were combined …

Changes In The Prevalence Of Child And Youth Mental Disorders And Perceived Need For Professional Help Between 1983 And 2014: Evidence From The Ontario Child Health Study, Jinette Comeau, Katholiki Georgiades, Laura Duncan, Laura Duncan, Li Wang, Michael H. Boyle, Michael H. Boyle, Tracie O. Afifi, William R. Avison, Graham Reid, Kathryn Bennett, Terry Bennett, Khrista Boylan, Michelle Butt, Charles Cunningham, Eric Duku, Jim Dunn, Katholiki Georgiades, Stelios Georgiades, Andrea Gonzalez, Geoffrey Hall, Magdalena Janus, Melissa Kimber, Ellen Lipman, Harriet Macmillan, Peter Rosenbaum, Roberto Sassi, Louis Schmidt, Noam Soreni

Paediatrics Publications

Objectives: To examine: 1) changes in the prevalence of mental disorders and perceived need for professional help among children (ages 4 to 11) and youth (ages 12 to 16) between 1983 and 2014 in Ontario and 2) whether these changes vary by age and sex, urban-rural residency, poverty, lone-parent status, and immigrant background. Methods: The 1983 (n = 2836) and 2014 (n = 5785) Ontario Child Health Studies are provincially representative cross-sectional surveys with identical self-report checklist measures of conduct disorder, hyperactivity, and emotional disorder, as well as perceived need for professional help, assessed by integrating parent and teacher responses …

The 2014 Ontario Child Health Study—Methodology, Michael H. Boyle, Katholiki Georgiades, Laura Duncan, Laura Duncan, Jinette Comeau, Jinette Comeau, Li Wang, Tracie O. Afifi, William R. Avison, Graham Reid, Kathryn Bennett, Terry Bennett, Khrista Boylan, Michelle Butt, Charles Cunningham, Eric Duku, Jim Dunn, Katholiki Georgiades, Stelios Georgiades, Andrea Gonzalez, Geoffrey Hall, Magdalena Janus, Melissa Kimber, Ellen Lipman, Harriet Macmillan, Peter Rosenbaum, Roberto Sassi, Louis Schmidt, Noam Soreni

Paediatrics Publications

Objective: To describe the methodology of the 2014 Ontario Child Health Study (OCHS): a province-wide, cross-sectional, epidemiologic study of child health and mental disorder among 4- to 17-year-olds living in household dwellings. Method: Implemented by Statistics Canada, the 2014 OCHS was led by academic researchers at the Offord Centre for Child Studies (McMaster University). Eligible households included families with children aged 4 to 17 years, who were listed on the 2014 Canadian Child Tax Benefit File. The survey design included area and household stratification by income and 3-stage cluster sampling of areas and households to yield a probability sample of …

Poverty, Neighbourhood Antisocial Behaviour, And Children’S Mental Health Problems: Findings From The 2014 Ontario Child Health Study, Michael H. Boyle, Katholiki Georgiades, Laura Duncan, Laura Duncan, Li Wang, Jinette Comeau, Jinette Comeau, Tracie O. Afifi, William R. Avison, Graham Reid, Kathryn Bennett, Terry Bennett, Khrista Boylan, Michelle Butt, Charles Cunningham, Eric Duku, Jim Dunn, Katholiki Georgiades, Stelios Georgiades, Andrea Gonzalez, Geoffrey Hall, Magdalena Janus, Melissa Kimber, Ellen Lipman, Harriet Macmillan, Peter Rosenbaum, Roberto Sassi, Louis Schmidt, Noam Soreni

Paediatrics Publications

Objectives: To determine if levels of neighbourhood poverty and neighbourhood antisocial behaviour modify associations between household poverty and child and youth mental health problems. Methods: Data come from the 2014 Ontario Child Health Study—a provincially representative survey of 6537 families with 10,802 four- to 17-year-olds. Multivariate multilevel modelling was used to test if neighbourhood poverty and antisocial behaviour interact with household poverty to modify associations with children’s externalizing and internalizing problems based on parent assessments of children (4- to 17-year-olds) and self-assessments of youth (12- to 17-year-olds). Results: Based on parent assessments, neighbourhood poverty, and antisocial behaviour modified associations between …

Prevalence And Correlates Of Youth Suicidal Ideation And Attempts: Evidence From The 2014 Ontario Child Health Study, Katholiki Georgiades, Khrista Boylan, Khrista Boylan, Laura Duncan, Laura Duncan, Li Wang, Ian Colman, Ian Colman, Anne E. Rhodes, Anne E. Rhodes, Kathryn Bennett, Jinette Comeau, Jinette Comeau, Ian Manion, Ian Manion, Michael H. Boyle, Michael H. Boyle, Michelle Butt, Charles Cunningham, Eric Duku, Jim Dunn, Stelios Georgiades, Andrea Gonzalez, Geoffrey Hall, Magdalena Janus, Melissa Kimber, Ellen Lipman, Harriet Macmillan, Peter Rosenbaum

Paediatrics Publications

Objectives: To present the 12-month prevalence and correlates of suicidal ideation and attempts in a sample of youth in Ontario. Methods: Data come from the 2014 Ontario Child Health Study, a provincially representative survey of families with children in Ontario. Youth aged 14 to 17 y (n = 2,396) completed a computer-assisted, self-administered questionnaire in their home to assess the occurrence of suicidal ideation, suicidal attempts, and associated correlates, including non-suicidal self-injury, mental disorders, substance use, peer victimization and exposure to child maltreatment. Socio-demographic information was collected from the parent. Logistic regression models were used to identify correlates that distinguished …

Children’S Mental Health Need And Expenditures In Ontario: Findings From The 2014 Ontario Child Health Study, Laura Duncan, Katholiki Georgiades, Stephen Birch, Jinette Comeau, Jinette Comeau, Li Wang, Michael H. Boyle, Michael H. Boyle, Tracie O. Afifi, William R. Avison, Graham Reid, Kathryn Bennett, Terry Bennett, Khrista Boylan, Michelle Butt, Charles Cunningham, Eric Duku, Jim Dunn, Katholiki Georgiades, Stelios Georgiades, Andrea Gonzalez, Geoffrey Hall, Magdalena Janus, Melissa Kimber, Ellen Lipman, Harriet Macmillan, Peter Rosenbaum, Roberto Sassi, Louis Schmidt

Paediatrics Publications

Objective: To estimate the alignment between the Ontario Ministry of Children and Youth Services (MCYS) expenditures for children’s mental health services and population need, and to quantify the value of adjusting for need in addition to population size in formula-based expenditure allocations. Two need definitions are used: “assessed need,” as the presence of a mental disorder, and “perceived need,” as the subjective perception of a mental health problem. Methods: Children’s mental health need and service contact estimates (from the 2014 Ontario Child Health Study), expenditure data (from government administrative data), and population counts (from the 2011 Canadian Census) were combined …

Family Physician Remuneration Schemes And Specialist Referrals: Quasi-Experimental Evidence From Ontario, Canada., Sisira Sarma, Nirav Mehta, Rose Anne Devlin, Koffi Ahoto Kpelitse, Lihua Li

Epidemiology and Biostatistics Publications

Understanding how family physicians respond to incentives from remuneration schemes is a central theme in the literature. One understudied aspect is referrals to specialists. Although the theoretical literature has suggested that capitation increases referrals to specialists, the empirical evidence is mixed. We push forward the empirical research on this question by studying family physicians who switched from blended fee-for-service to blended capitation in Ontario, Canada. Using several health administrative databases from 2005 to 2013, we rely on inverse probability weighting with fixed-effects regression models to account for observed and unobserved differences between the switchers and nonswitchers. Switching from blended fee-for-service …

The Quantity Of Food Waste In The Garbage Stream Of Southern Ontario, Canada Households, Paul Van Der Werf, Jamie A. Seabrook, Jason A. Gilliland

Human Environments Analysis Lab (HEAL)

There is little consensus on the amount of worldwide food waste generation because many current estimates are indirect and link back to the same limited primary datasets, with much of the data originating from fieldwork undertaken in the 1970s and 1980s. Direct measurement of waste streams, through waste composition studies, can be used to develop accurate estimates of food waste disposal. In Ontario, Canada, municipalities that undertake household waste composition studies all use a common direct measurement methodology that includes a broad range of waste categories, including food waste. The purpose of this research was to estimate the quantity of …

Higher And Lower Order Factor Analyses Of The Temperament In Middle Childhood Questionnaire., Yuliya Kotelnikova, Thomas M Olino, Daniel N Klein, Sarah V M Mackrell, Elizabeth P Hayden

Brain and Mind Institute Researchers' Publications

The Temperament in Middle Childhood Questionnaire (TMCQ) is a widely used parent-report measure of temperament. However, neither its lower nor higher order structures has been tested via a bottom-up, empirically based approach. We conducted higher and lower order exploratory factor analyses (EFAs) of the TMCQ in a large ( N = 654) sample of 9-year-olds. Item-level EFAs identified 92 items as suitable (i.e., with loadings ≥.40) for constructing lower order factors, only half of which resembled a TMCQ scale posited by the measure's authors. Higher order EFAs of the lower order factors showed that a three-factor structure (Impulsivity/Negative Affectivity, Negative …

Swahn Southwestern Academic Health Network Conference 2017 : The Patient Voice & Experience In Southwestern Ontario, Schulich School Of Medicine & Dentistry

Department of Medicine Publications

The conference, held at Western University in London, Ontario, was a full-day event that included presentations based on its theme: The Patient Voice and Experience in Southwestern Ontario. The day began with a two-part presentation featuring Health Quality Ontario’s patient partnership framework, delivered by Jennifer Schipper, Health Quality Ontario’s Chief of Communication and Patient Engagement. Dr. Gillian Kernaghan, President and CEO of St. Joseph’s Health Care London (and Co-Chair of SWAHN) then shared her organization’s care partnership that has involved the contributions of patients, residents, families, and caregivers.

Other presentations included a personal story shared by Mr. Wayne Kristoff who …

Implementation Of Clinical Research Trials Using Web-Based And Mobile Devices: Challenges And Solutions., Roy Eagleson, Luis Altamirano-Diaz, Alex Mcinnis, Eva Welisch, Stefanie De Jesus, Harry Prapavessis, Meghan Rombeek, Jamie A Seabrook, Teresa Park, Kambiz Norozi

Paediatrics Publications

BACKGROUND: With the increasing implementation of web-based, mobile health interventions in clinical trials, it is crucial for researchers to address the security and privacy concerns of patient information according to high ethical standards. The full process of meeting these standards is often made more complicated due to the use of internet-based technology and smartphones for treatment, telecommunication, and data collection; however, this process is not well-documented in the literature.

RESULTS: The Smart Heart Trial is a single-arm feasibility study that is currently assessing the effects of a web-based, mobile lifestyle intervention for overweight and obese children and youth with congenital …

Evaluation Of Treatment-Related Mortality Among Paediatric Cancer Deaths: A Population Based Analysis., Jason D Pole, Paul Gibson, Marie-Chantal Ethier, Tanya Lazor, Donna L Johnston, Carol Portwine, Mariana Silva, Sarah Alexander, Lillian Sung

Paediatrics Publications

BACKGROUND: Objectives were to describe the proportion of deaths due to treatment-related mortality (TRM) and to identify risk factors and probable causes of TRM among paediatric cancer deaths in a population-based cohort.

METHODS: We included children with cancer ⩽18 years diagnosed and treated in Ontario who died between January 2003 and December 2012. Deaths were identified using a provincial registry, the Pediatric Oncology Group of Ontario Networked Information System. Probable causes of TRM were described.

RESULTS: Among the 964 deaths identified, 821 were included. The median age at diagnosis was 6.6 years (range 0-18.8) and 51.8% had at least one …

Is It Sound Poilcy Or Fast Policy? Practitioner’S Perspectives On The Role Of Place Branding Local Economic Development., Evan P. Cleave, Godwin Arku, Richard C. Sadler, Jason A. Gilliland

Human Environments Analysis Lab (HEAL)

In response to neoliberal policies and globalization pressures over the past three decades, urban governments in advanced economies have, with near-unanimity, adopted place branding as an approach to foster local economic growth. Framed as an outcome of multilevel neoliberal policymaking and local entrepreneurial governance, place branding has been adopted by urban places at all scales and geographic contexts with little regard for its efficacy. It is unclear, however, whether place branding represents a substantive approach, or is merely an emerging example of a neoliberal scripting. In many regards, the debate surrounding place branding is similar to the discourse on the …

Reproductive Arrest And Stress Resistance In Winter-Acclimated Drosophila Suzukii., Jantina Toxopeus, Ruth Jakobs, Laura V Ferguson, Tara D Gariepy, Brent J Sinclair

Biology Publications

Overwintering insects must survive the multiple-stress environment of winter, which includes low temperatures, reduced food and water availability, and cold-active pathogens. Many insects overwinter in diapause, a developmental arrest associated with high stress tolerance. Drosophila suzukii (Diptera: Drosophilidae), spotted wing drosophila, is an invasive agricultural pest worldwide. Its ability to overwinter and therefore establish in temperate regions could have severe implications for fruit crop industries. We demonstrate here that laboratory populations of Canadian D. suzukii larvae reared under short-day, low temperature, conditions develop into dark 'winter morph' adults similar to those reported globally from field captures, and observed by us …

The Role Of Place Branding In Local And Regional Economic Development: Bridging The Gap Between Policy And Practicality, Evan P. Cleave, Godwin Arku, Richard C. Sadler, Jason A. Gilliland

Human Environments Analysis Lab (HEAL)

Place branding has become an increasingly integral part of local and regional economic development strategies in the global competition for business investment. Professional and academic understanding remains limited, however, regarding whether place branding can be classified as a ‘high-road’ policy with substantive and effective merits or a ‘low-road’ policy that is generally inefficient and ineffective at fostering sustainable economic growth. Through the context of business attraction, this study examines whether place branding represents ‘high-road’ policy by comparing what economic development practitioners are doing to create and support their brands against the needs and desires of businesses considering relocation. The research …

A Comparative Analysis Of Place Branding In Michigan And Ontario, Richard Sadler, Evan P. Cleave, Godwin Arku, Jason A. Gilliland

Human Environments Analysis Lab (HEAL)

Place branding has increasingly been adopted as a municipal initiative to change the trajectory of local economic development. Specifically, local municipalities and communities have used place branding not only as a response to the influence of globalization and neo-liberalism, but also economic challenges and restructuring. Like any other initiative, the ultimate goal is to enhance the economic and social well-being of local jurisdictions. Although a popular strategy, it is not clear if and how locally specific factors mediate the process. By comparing two cross-border geographical areas, this study attempts to identify how regional variability in the manifestation of politicaleconomic forces, …