2026 CIHR-IHSPR and CAHSPR Health Services and Policy Research Impact Award - University of Alberta

News|Articles|October 19, 2026 In patients 45+ with papillary thyroid cancer, men with dual BRAF V600E and TERT promoter mutations face sharply higher mortality, reshaping risk stratification. Male sex was associated with higher papillary thyroid cancer (PTC)-specific mortality among patients aged 45 years or older whose tumors harbored concurrent BRAF V600E and TERT promoter (TERTp) mutations, according to an international multicenter cohort study published in JAMA Network Open.1Among patients aged 45 years or older with both mutations, male sex was associated with a 3-fold higher risk of PTC-specific mortality after adjustment for clinicopathologic factors (adjusted HR, 3.07; 95% CI, 1.35-6.97; P =.007). This group also had the highest observed mortality rate, at 37.07 deaths per 1000 person-years, highlighting the prognostic relevance of evaluating these biological factors together. Study Design and Patient CharacteristicsThe retrospective cohort study included 4746 patients with PTC treated at 15 medical centers across 10 countries between 1979 and 2023. The median patient age was 48 years (IQR, 37-59), and 3612 patients (76.1%) were women.

Cannabis products are getting more potent and easier to buy around the world. Yet little is known about how bigger doses of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the main active ingredient in cannabis, change what people feel. Our new research found that larger doses generally make people feel more high, but not in a straight line. Doubling the dose does not double the feeling of intoxication. This leaves a simple but important question for first-time and returning users: how will the amount of THC I take make me feel?

A large-scale study, presented today at UEG Week 2026, has identified distinct antibody patterns up to 10 years before the diagnosis of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), potentially opening new avenues for earlier risk detection and providing insights into future disease course. IBD is a group of chronic conditions, including Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC), in which abnormal immune responses contribute to ongoing inflammation and damage in the digestive system. Although IBD is increasingly recognized to develop over a prolonged period before diagnosis, relatively little is known about the immune changes that occur during this time.

Antibiotic use from childhood through early adulthood was associated with higher odds of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) at age 24, with the odds increasing as the number of antibiotic prescriptions rose, according to a new study presented today at UEG Week 2026. IBS is a common digestive disorder that affects more than 60 million people across Europe, causing symptoms such as abdominal pain and changes in bowel habits. Whilst previous research has suggested a link between antibiotic use and IBS, evidence on whether childhood exposure is associated with IBS in adulthood remains inconsistent. Much of the existing evidence relies on people recalling past antibiotic use, with a lack of population-based studies using objectively recorded antibiotic data across childhood.