The Mythbusters Award provides students with the opportunity to write for publication an issue of Mythbusters – a series of reader-friendly research summaries addressing some of today's major debates in Canadian health services management and policy.
The winner receives:
- an award of $1,500
- the opportunity to work with CHSRF staff to prepare his or her Mythbusters topic for publication
- Travel, accommodations and registration to the annual Canadian Association for Health Services and Policy Research (CAHSPR) conference, where the award is presented.
2010 Mythbusters Award Winner
Tenneille Loo
The 2010 Mythbusters Award is presented to Tenneille Loo from the University of British Columbia, for her myth entitled: “Clinical trial studies and voluntary adverse drug reaction surveillance systems are effective methods in reducing adverse drug events in the Canadian population.”
Ms. Loo says she considered several different topics for her Mythbusters submission before deciding to write on adverse drug reactions. “Initially, I almost didn’t go with that topic, because I thought it was quite different from other Mythbusters that had been written in the past,” she says. However, knowing that it is a timely and prevalent issue in Canadian healthcare was what ultimately cemented her decision. “My lesson learned was to go with something that I am passionate about and to support it with the best evidence available,” she explains.
Mythbusters presents research summaries in reader-friendly language, an aspect that Ms. Loo says was challenging for her to address. It’s difficult, she says, to communicate research evidence to general audiences who do not have specific expertise, even if they are in the area of healthcare or policy-making. “It takes several rounds of revision to get the first decent draft, and then many more to ensure that it is readable for the public,” she says.
When asked if she has any advice to share with future Mythbusters writers, Ms. Loo quickly cites flexibility as a key requirement, adding that it’s essential to “write in very basic and relatable terms” and to “get lots of people to review it.”
Ms. Loo received her award on May 11 at the 2010 Canadian Association for Health Services and Policy Research (CAHPSR) in Toronto.
