By Cottage Health
The Cottage Health Research Institute’s 2024 Collaborative Research Symposium, held on Friday, April 19, brought together a diverse community of healthcare professionals, academic faculty and researchers for a day of insightful discussions and collaboration centered on healthcare innovation.
More than 170 Participants gathered in person and virtually for the free one-day event, which featured 16 presentations on innovative research on topics ranging from age-related diseases and longevity to innovative applications of artificial intelligence in healthcare. Researchers presented from Cal State Channel Islands, Westmont College, Santa Barbara City College, the University of California, Santa Barbara and Cottage Health.
The keynote address, “Rethinking Aging: Bridging the Health Gap for Older Women,” was presented by Dr. Paula Rochon, a renowned geriatrician and founding director of the Women’s Age Lab at the
University of Toronto. Dr. Rochon shared valuable insights into understanding aging in contemporary society. Her talk underscored the significance of understanding how sex, gender and age considerations in research translate into improved health and well-being for older women.
The symposium featured the inaugural Cottage Resident Poster Session, showcasing clinical projects led by Cottage Residents. Symposium participants actively engaged with the poster presentations and voted for the prestigious Andy Gersoff Resident Award for Excellence in Research. The award was presented to Dr. Meghali Singhal and Dr. Anastasia Malek for their work on gender-based differences in STEMI vs NSTEMI diagnosis and management.
Now in its 10th year, the annual CHRI symposium is made possible through the generous support of Janet Dunbar and Alex Pananides, who envisioned a way to inspire collaboration and joint projects among local clinicians and researchers that could improve health and medicine.
The Cottage Health Research Institute is an integral part of Cottage Health, offering consultation, liaison and administrative resources to researchers to support the translation of clinical and academic research and graduate and post-graduate training for future physicians and other healthcare professionals.
For more information about the Cottage Health Research Institute, visit cottagehealth.org/research
About Cottage Health | CottageHealth.org
The not-for-profit Cottage Health provides advanced medical care to the Central Coast region. In the past year, Cottage Health hospitals in Goleta, Santa Barbara and Santa Ynez Valley provided inpatient care for 20,201 people, treated 87,356 patients through their 24-hour emergency departments and helped deliver 1,772 newborns. Comprised of more than 700 physicians, many with subspecialties typically found only at university medical centers, Cottage Health’s comprehensive range of specialized services includes the Cottage Children’s Medical Center, Level 1 Trauma Center, Neuroscience Institute, Heart & Vascular Center, Center for Orthopedics, and Rehabilitation Hospital. Expanding its reach beyond hospital settings, Cottage Health operates Cottage Urgent Care Centers throughout the tri-counties, 24- hour access to providers via Cottage Virtual Care, an online service for common conditions and primary care practices.