The purpose of the BE-WEL in CR-AF study is to develop and test a small-changes behavioural weight loss approach for patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) and obesity attending a cardiac rehabilitation program. This two-part study consists of (1) a qualitative investigation to explore barriers and facilitators to behavioural weight loss treatment among patients with AF and obesity, and (2) a randomized controlled trial to test whether patients who receive the behavioural weight loss component during their cardiac rehabilitation program, are more likely to lose 10% of their body weight than those who do cardiac rehab alone.

Recruitment for Part I is currently underway. Adults diagnosed with atrial fibrillation and a BMI of 30 kg/m2 or more are eligible to participate. If you meet these criteria and are interested in participating, please ask your cardiology healthcare team if you can be referred to this study.

If you have any questions, please contact behmed@ucalgary.ca.

This RCT is evaluating the efficacy of intranasal oxytocin versus placebo in improving outcomes among women with chronic pelvic pain. The primary objective is to investigate oxytocin’s efficacy in reducing pain among women with chronic pelvic pain. Secondary objectives include investigating oxytocin’s efficacy in improving emotional function, physical function, and sleep among these women.

We are recruiting patients who have gynaecologists at the Chronic Pain Centre. If you are interested in participating please speak with your gynaecologist.

For any questions regarding this study, please contact behmed@ucalgary.ca.

The purpose of the Small Changes in PsA study is to develop and test a small-changes behavioural weight loss approach for patients with PsA and obesity. This two-part study consists of (1) a qualitative investigation to explore barriers and facilitators to behavioural weight loss treatment among patients with PsA and obesity, and (2) a randomized controlled trial to test whether patients who participate in the behavioural weight loss program are more likely to lose weight compared with those who receive treatment as usual from their community rheumatology clinic.\n\nRecruitment for Part I is currently underway. This study is being done in collaboration with our principle investigator, Dr. Michelle Teo and co-investigator Dr. Lesley Lutes.

If you have any questions about this study, please contact Tamara Williamson or Sydney Seidel.

The Bariatric Outcome Enhancement - Evaluating a Mindfulness-based Program for Optimizing WEight loss and Reducing Eating Disorder Symptoms (BE-EMPOWERED) Study is a 3-phase program of research working to evaluate and optimize a brief mindfulness-based intervention among pre-surgical bariatric patients. This study follows the ORBIT Model by Czajkowski et al., 2015 for developing and testing behavioural treatments. Phase I results have been published on an open access journal.

This prospective study investigates the roles of various pre-surgical psychosocial variables on weight-loss and quality of life changes after bariatric (weight-loss) surgery. Patients complete a number of questionnaires inquiring about psychological distress, eating behaviours, and social factors (e.g., social support) prior surgery, and are following for 12-months after surgery. Understanding predictors of outcomes following bariatric surgery will help in patient selection, resource allocation, and identifying at-risk patients for appropriate psychosocial intervention to support outcomes after surgery.