| Your Health Research Dollars at Work 2006-2007 |
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Regional Profiles
Research Successes
Knowledge Translation
| Health Research Results Updates |
Some of Canada's most exciting health research discoveries have their roots in Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta. In 2006-07, CIHR awarded approximately $97 million in funding for health research in Canada's three Prairie provinces, an increase of more than 70% from 2000-01. This funding supports an estimated 1,220 projects by principal investigators in eight funded institutions.
Figures include the Canada Research Chairs and the Networks of Centres of Excellence.
Figures are rounded to the nearest million.
Universities in the Prairies are known for their expertise and research achievements in a variety of areas. Here are some examples of research in progress:
The Manitoba Tumour Bank - A critical engine for cancer research
Dr. Peter Watson, University of Manitoba
Manitoba is helping researchers around the world study cancer. Tumour banks store tumour tissue samples and clinical data for cancer scientists to use in their research. Under the supervision of Dr. Peter Watson, the University of Manitoba has established the Manitoba Tumour Bank, which currently houses about 5,000 tumour samples. First established in 1993, the bank has supported over 90 research projects, involving the release of almost 100,000 thin tissue sections and extensive clinical data. CIHR is proud to help fund this important institution, which has created new opportunities for researchers to translate their findings into clinical applications.
Joining forces to beat infectious disease
Dr. Andrew Potter, University of Saskatchewan
Infectious diseases account for over one third of all deaths each year worldwide. They pose a global threat, and therefore any attempt to control these diseases will require international cooperation. The Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization (VIDO) in Saskatoon and the Statens Serum Institut (SSI) in Copenhagen, Denmark, are both world leaders in the development of vaccines, and CIHR is funding their collaboration to develop vaccines for tuberculosis and malaria. Dr. Andrew Potter of the University of Saskatchewan will be leading the Canadian component of this effort to combat infectious disease.
Facing off with hockey injuries
Dr. Carolyn Emery, University of Calgary
How is Canada's favourite pastime affecting children's health? Dr. Carolyn Emery of the University of Calgary is studying the frequency and severity of injuries in youth ice hockey due to body checking. More than 10% of male youth participate in organized hockey leagues across the country. Dr. Emery and her team will be comparing the risk and severity of injury in leagues that do and do not permit body checking. This CIHR-funded study may have important implications for minor hockey policy decisions.
Tracking tuberculosis
Dr. Richard Long, University of Alberta
If tuberculosis (TB) is treatable in this modern age, why does it still continue to be a serious public health threat in Canada, especially among Aboriginal groups? Dr. Richard Long of the University of Alberta is studying the reasons why TB continues to spread in some Canadian communities. He and his team will be interviewing Canadians newly diagnosed with TB in Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba and using DNA "finger printing" technology to study how TB spreads and who is at greatest risk of infection. Dr. Long hopes his research will someday lead to improved TB control programs.
Ms. Isabelle Chouinard is a doctoral student in the laboratory of Dr. Glenys Godlovitch in the Department of Community Health Services at the University of Calgary. Ms. Chouinard is also an Ethics Volunteer for the Regional Clinical Ethics Services of the Calgary Health Region Organization. Her doctoral work is focusing on developing an ethical model to guide the practice of ethically sound medicine in the Canadian health-care system. She anticipates that her research will lead to better health-care services for Canadians. In 2006 Ms. Chouinard received the CIHR Douglas Kinsella Doctoral Award for Research in Bioethics.
Dr. Harvey Chochinov, professor of Psychiatry at the University of Manitoba, holds a Canada Research Chair in Palliative Care. He established the Manitoba Palliative Care Research Unit at CancerCare Manitoba and helped spearhead the development of the Canadian Virtual Hospice, an interactive network for patients, families and health-care providers dealing with terminal illness and loss, of which he is Co-chair. His work, which examines various psychosocial aspects of palliative care including ways of preserving dignity at the end of life, has been recognized internationally. Dr. Chochinov is a member of CIHR's Governing Council.
The Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) is the Government of Canada's agency for health research. CIHR's mission is to create new scientific knowledge and to catalyze its translation into improved health, more effective health services and products, and a strengthened Canadian health-care system. Composed of 13 Institutes, CIHR provides leadership and support to more than 11,000 health researchers and trainees across Canada.
Canadian Institutes of Health Research
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http://www.cihr-irsc.gc.ca/
