Here are some researchers collaborating with the BHOP team

Collaboration Organization - Faculty/Dept. Support
PROJECT 1
Measurement: Develop a preference-based index for Parkinson's disease. Key indicators of function from the BHOP Parkinson's cohort will be selected by applying the Rasch Measurement Framework along with knowledge experts input.

The BHOP is providing open science data to develop a preliminary assessment tool. The BHOP team, is providing the psychometric knowledge and analysis for this project.
Ayse Kuspinar, PhD
Nancy Mayo, PhD
Stanley Hum, PhD
McMaster University, School of Rehabilitation Science
MUHC-RI, Center for Outcome Research and Evaluation
McGill University
Outcome development
PROJECT 2
Project title: Protecting Vulnerable People from Worsening Distress and Loneliness during the COVID-19 Social Isolation Period: The Experience of People Aging with HIV
This substudy of the "Action for Brain Health Now" was conducting using the BHOP to distribute a specific COVID-19 questionnaire remotely to participants to obtain longitudinal information about their mental health. Scores above a specific mental health threshold were automatically flagged for telephone or video teleconference follow-up with the study coordinator and psychological support team as needed.

BHOP was selected to conduct this study because it allowed for contactless online electronic consent, email distribution of consent and survey, automatic alert based on participant response, and was expedited on the platform within a day once ethics approval was obtained.
Brain Health Now:
Marie-Josée Brouillette, MD
Lisa Koski, PhD
Lesley Fellows, MD, PhD
Nancy Mayo, PhD
 
McGill University, Department of Psychology; MUHC-RI
McGill University
, Department of Psychology
Montreal Neurological Insitute
, Chronic Viral Illness Service
MUHC-RI
, Center for Outcome Research and Evaluation
Study support
PROJECT 3
Article title: Properties of common anxiety scales among patient with bipolar disorder
Journal of Affective Disorders, 2020, Volume 281, Pages 972-979
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2020.09.139

Abstract:
Objectives: Almost half of the patients with a bipolar disorder (BD) have anxiety disorder(s) (AD) during their lifetime, but feasible measures for all AD are few. Furthermore, cognitive impairments can compromise reli- ability of existing scales, since many are needed for full coverage. Thus, we investigated how reliably patients responded to anxiety scales and any symptom overlap to propose future improvements to anxiety assessments.
Methods: We collected 152 observations in patients with BD with the Clinically Useful Anxiety Outcome Scale, Social Phobia Inventory, Panic Disorder Severity Measurement, and Trauma Screening Questionnaire (in total, 57 items). The scales were analyzed as a set in a Rasch model.
Results: During our analyses, we found indication that BD outpatients had dificulty differentiating response options to 70% (40/57) of items which were rescored or deleted. Only one case was misfitting (-2.65±.41). In total, 22 items were locally dependent and one indicated misfit. The final model included 25-items and fit the Rasch model (χ2=35.92, DF=50, p=.93). The model was unidimensional, without losing appropriate associations with depression (r = 0.62), suicidality (r = 0.37), and hypomania (r= -0.01).
Limitations: Bolstering the size of less frequent subgroups should be accomplished in future work.
Conclusion: A unidimensional rather than categorical approach to severity of anxiety might be both useful and feasible in this population. Further development of screens is necessary to enable systematic screening and measurement of anxiety in BD.
Quinta Seon
Stanley Hum, MSc, PhD
Maria Tuineag, MSc, MD
Barbara Pavlova
Serge Beaulieu
Outi Linnaranta
McGill University
Montreal Neurological Institute
McGill University, Department of psychiatry; Douglas Hospital
Dalhousie University; Nova Scotia Healthy Authority
McGill University, Department of psychiatry; Douglas Hospital
McGill University, Department of psychiatry; Douglas Hospital
Rasch analysis consultation and contribution to article
PROJECT 4
Project title: Health-Related Quality of Life in Older Adults: Measuring What Matters to Older People
Aging is not a problem to be solved rather a mystery to be lived. The strong modern bias toward medicalizing the problem of aging needs forcefully to be fought.
With an increasing emphasis on prevention and health promotion, a new measure of health related quality of life (HRQL) is required. The new measure will be developed specifically for and by people living independently in the community covering domains related to active aging and active living. We will refer to this new measure as HRQL-OPAL, where OPAL is an acronym for "Older Persons for Active Living".

BHOP will be used to support the roll-out of the study. The Brain Health Outcomes Unit
is providing expert knowledge in remote participant recruitment and enrollment.
Nancy Mayo, PhD
Kim Sawchuck, PhD
Ayse Kuspinar, PhD
Mohammad Auais, PhD
Ruth Barclay, PhD
Joan J. Branin, PhD
Helen Dawes, PhD
Ida Korfage, PhD
Carole White, PhD, RN
McGill University; MUHC-RI, Montreal, Canada
Concordia University, Montreal, Canada
McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada
Queen's University, Kingston, Canada
University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Canada
Center for Health and Aging, California, USA
Oxford Brookes University, Oxford, UK
Erasmus University, Rotterdam, Netherlands
UT Health, San Antonio, USA
Study support
PROJECT 5
Project title: Real-time Auditory Feedback for Improving Gait and Walking in People with Parkinson's Disease

This pilot study will test whether a wearable device (The Heel2Toe sensor) can improve gait in people with Parkinsons.
Objectives:
The global aim of this study is (i) to contribute evidence for efficacy potential of the Heel2Toe sensor and feedback delivery mechanism in improving gait and walking, in comparison to outcomes achieved without feedback; (ii) to identify brain mechanisms underlying response to feedback; and (iii) to develop data-driven algorithms to identify gait phenotypes.

BHOP will be used to support the roll-out of the study. The Brain Health Outcomes Unit will provide expert knowledge in outcome development if required.
Nancy Mayo, PhD
Anne-Louise Lafontaine, MD, MSc, FRCPC
Lesley Fellows, MD CM, DPhil
Madeleine Sharp, MD
José A. Morias, MD
Nandini Dendukuri, PhD
McGill University, MUHC-RI
McGill University Health Centre
McGill University, Montreal Neurological Institute & Hospital
Montreal Neurological Institute & Hospital
McGill University Health Centre
McGill University, Division of Experimental Medicine
Study support
PROJECT 6
Collaboration: Psychiatric BioBank

BHOP is collaborating with the team developing the Psychiatry BioBank. BHOP will provide expert knowledge and infrastructure support to collect health assessment outcomes for the cohort. Health outcome dataset will be shared between BHOP and Psychiatry BioBank. The Psychiatry BioBank will independently manage their tissue, imaging, and health outcome dataset.
Psychiatry BioBank
Simon Duchamre, MD, MSc, FRCPC
Anne Almey, PhD

BHOP
Nancy Mayo, PhD
Lesley Fellows, MD CM, DPhil
Stanley Hum, PhD

McGill University
, The Douglas Research Centre, MUHC
McGill University Health Centre


McGill University, MUHC-RI
McGill University, Montreal Neurological Institute & Hospital
McGill University
Study support
Sharing health outcome dataset