Congratulations to Junko Fukui Innes, the 2022 recipient of the Funke-Furber Gerontological Research Award, who presented at the Medical Informatics Europe Conference in Athens, Greece in August 2024. Junko presented on Predicting the Risk of Transition to a Higher Level of Care for Home Support Service Recipients – the topic of her primary research as a PhD candidate in Health Information Science at the University of Victoria.
Junko is an expert in data analytics with a Master of Science in Business Administration from UBC. She has been involved in research and the data analytics field in various health authorities for the last two decades and spent one year as a Quality Assurance Manager at a home support service. “I am a data analyst, not a clinician, so the experience of working with seniors in home support was so worthwhile and informative,” says Junko. “Interacting with clients made everything real for me. Seeing some of the challenges firsthand – as well as personally experiencing my mother in long-term care – prompted me to pursue my PhD research in 2019.”
Junko aims to conclude her PhD in 2025. She hopes that her research will enable individuals to remain at home longer, reduce the current burden on home support, and ultimately help reduce health system costs. “I am passionate about improving care for seniors through data-driven research,” she says. “I know that Eldercare shares my passion, and I am so grateful for their support through this award.”