Canadian North Helicobacter pylori Working Group
Mission Statement

The CANHelp Working Group links University of Alberta researchers with northern community leaders and health officials in a collaborative effort to investigate H. pylori infection with the goal of finding solutions to community concerns about health risks.

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Learn about H. pylori

H. pylori is short for Helicobacter pylori. It is the name of bacteria that infect the stomach. About half of the world population has chronic H. pylori infection, which irritates the stomach lining, causing gastritis. Most people with H. pylori infection don't feel sick. Some get long-lasting stomach discomfort and a small  percent get serious diseases like stomach ulcers, and much more rarely, stomach cancer. 

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Community Projects

The CANHelp Working Group began research in Aklavik, Northwest Territories in 2007 because of the high level of concern within the community about the health risks from H. pylori infection and support for the research offered by the local health care centre. Since then we have been invited to conduct similar projects in diverse communities throughout the Yukon and the Inuvialuit Settlement Region of the Northwest Territories.

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CANHelp Working Group Goals

We use a community-based, participatory research approach in northern communities to:
  • Characterize the burden of disease from H. pylori infection
  • Exchange knowledge with community members and decision makers to identify ways to reduce health risks from this infection
Our research goals, based on the priorities of the participating communities and their health care providers, are to: 
  1. Obtain data from diverse settings in northern Canada for developing strategies to reduce health risks from H. pylori infection
  2. Conduct policy analysis to identify cost-effective clinical management approaches appropriate for northern communities 
  3. Develop knowledge exchange strategies that help community members understand H. pylori-associated health risks as well as solutions and unsolved challenges for reducing these risks

Participating Communities

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Aklavik, NWT » oldcrow-thumb
Old Crow, YT » tuktoyaktuk-thumb
Tuktoyaktuk, NT » tuktoyaktuk-thumb
Fort McPherson, NT »