what is the poetic network?
The POETIC (Perinatal Opioid Exposures, Trajectories, Insights and Concentrations) Research Network, is a pan-Canadian clinical research network based at the Women’s Health Research Institute in Vancouver, British Columbia. Formed in 2022, the goal of the POETIC Network is to better understand substance use exposures in pregnancy including neonatal opioid withdrawal syndrome (NOWS), and associated outcomes for parents and babies. Funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) under the Institute of Indigenous Peoples’ Health (IIPH). The POETIC Network includes 40+ clinical and scientific experts in perinatal substance use and exposures from across Canada, informed by a Patient Advisory Committee (PAC) comprised of people with lived and living experience (PWLLE), to address effects of this crisis, and develop effective strategies to improve outcomes.
Building on pilot data and established research infrastructure, the POETIC Network aims to undertake a longitudinal pan-Canadian cohort study to comprehensively characterize opioid and substance exposures in pregnancy, NOWS, and the longer-term health and developmental trajectories of infants and children. Findings will address critical evidence gaps and inform clinical care across pregnancy, infancy, and childhood, including standardized approaches to clinical follow-up care.
OUR MISSION
Our mission is to generate actionable evidence to improve health outcomes for pregnant people with opioid use disorders and their children, including pharmacologic management and longitudinal follow-up programs.
OUR VISION
The POETIC Research Network envisions a future where every infant and family impacted by opioid use during pregnancy receives evidence-based care that ensures the best possible health outcomes. By leading collaborative, transformative research, we aspire to set new standards in understanding and managing perinatal substance exposures, ultimately shaping a world where the challenges of neonatal opioid withdrawal syndrome (NOWS) are better understood, and every family has the support and resources they need to improve outcomes.
population
The POETIC Network is designed to support pregnant people and their children impacted by substance use during pregnancy. In Canada, the ongoing impacts of colonization and health system inequities have contributed to a disproportionate burden of substance use–related harms among Indigenous women. We will work with Indigenous and non-Indigenous pregnant people who have used opioids or other substances during pregnancy to better understand maternal health, NOWS, and the longer-term health and developmental outcomes for infants and children.
Our work is made possible thanks to our partners: CIHR-IIPH, TELUS, and the BC Women’s Health Foundation.