“By creating opportunities for our clinicians, researchers and students to come together, we’re turning collaboration into something tangible,” said Dr. Lynn Mikula, President & CEO of PRHC. “Collider is about showing what’s possible when we combine clinical insight, academic expertise and real-world data, and it’s only the beginning.”
Collider marks the latest milestone in a collaboration formalized in 2025 through a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between PRHC and Trent University. Over the past year, the two institutions have been working to move from alignment to action, focused on connecting people, ideas, and infrastructure to accelerate healthcare research, education and innovation.
“This Collider event brings people and ideas together. It reflects Trent’s commitment to working alongside community partners to respond to regional needs,” said Dr. Cathy Bruce, President and vice chancellor of Trent University. “By connecting Trent researchers with clinicians at PRHC, we are advancing work that is grounded in community priorities and focused on improving health outcomes close to home and with impacts that reach much further afield.”
One of the first research projects to begin collaboration is led by Trent professors Dr. Amy Greer and Dr. Wesley Burr. In collaboration with PRHC and paramedic service colleagues from PCCP, Greer and Burr, alongside Trent M.Sc. student Shawn Yip, are exploring patterns and trends in toxic drug poisonings in our local community with a focus on the unique nature of healthcare service delivery in large, mixed urban-rural regions.
Research projects emerging through Collider also have access to a new source of funding, which was announced at the event. The Natalie Beavis Collaborative Research Grant, named in honour of a two-time Trent alum and PRHC leader who passed away this past December, will help move ideas from concept to implementation.
“Networking events like Collider are critically important to the advancement of research and projects that are focused on multi-faceted issues, such as healthcare,” said Dr. Holger Hintelmann, interim vice-president of Research & Innovation at Trent. “Opportunities for experts to engage in discussions facilitate better questions and investigations, and ultimately better solutions. Providing targeted funding enables those ideas to come to life.”
Looking ahead, PRHC and Trent are working to further align priorities, expand joint research initiatives and develop a sustainable community of practice.
