Funding of $54M announced for research in infectious diseases, vision and psychosocial oncology

Ottawa, ON July 9, 2003 Funding for 33 health research-related projects across Canada has been announced by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research. The funding, which totals around $54 million, is intended to help train Canada’s future health researchers, and is part of a plan laid out in the federal government’s Strategic Training Initiative in Health Research.

The projects are also supported through partnerships with the Alberta Cancer Board, Cancer Care Nova Scotia, Cancer Care Ontario, CURE Foundation, Fonds de la recherche en sant du Qubec, Health Canada, Heart and Stroke Foundation, National Alliance for Autism Research (USA), the National Cancer Institute of Canada and the Newton Foundation. Several of the CIHR’s institutes are also involved Aging, Cancer Research, Circulatory and Respiratory Health, Health Services and Policy Research, Human Development Child and Youth Health, Gender and Health, Genetics, Infection and Immunity, Neuroscience Mental Health and Addiction, and Population and Public Health.

The funding is intended to bring together groups of accomplished health mentors and educators to work collaboratively to train and support research talent. The initiative will also introduce undergraduate and health professional students to health research, lead to the awarding of postgraduate research degrees, and provide post-doctoral research training.

The project teams will each receive approximately $1.8 million over a six- year period. Team members are from universities, teaching hospitals and research institutions. Funding under the program will provide for development and coordination of program structure, format and content; development and dissemination of educational materials; stipends for trainees; and travel of trainees and mentors between training locations.

“One of the key strengths of this program is that it brings together a wide spectrum of partners from both the voluntary sector and government,” says Dr Phil Branton, scientific director of CIHR’s Institute of Cancer Research. “This initiative goes a long way toward ensuring that Canada has world-class training program for our health research institutions and health industries.”

Following are the funded projects, with principal investigator, research institute, program title and total value of funding:

– ANTEL, Jack P – McGill University, Integrated Training Program in Basic and Clinical Aspects of Neuroinflammation, $1,320,000
– ARTHUR, Heather M, and KING, Kathryn M – McMaster University, Training program for the development of cardiovascular nursing research capacity in Canada, $1,800,000
– BURGER, Gertraud – Universit de Montral, Bioinformatics training for biomedical research: an innovative transdisciplinary program for Masters, PhD and post-doctoral studies, taught jointly by the Universit de Montral, Universit de Sherbrooke, and other Eastern-Canadian universities, $1,800,000
– CASS, Carol E – Alberta Cancer Board (Edmonton), The Alberta Cancer Board Training Program in Translational Cancer Research in partnership with the University of Alberta and the University of Calgary, $1,800,000
– CHAUDHURI, Avi – McGill University, McGill integrative neurobehavioural training program: focus on regenerative medicine and early life events, $1,440,000
– CHOW, Anthony W – University of British Columbia, UBC Training Program for Translational Research in Infectious Diseases, $1,800,000
– COHEN, SR – McGill University, Palliative Care Cancer Research, $1,800,000
– CORMIER, Yvon – Universit Laval, Quebec Respiratory Health Training Program, $1,800,000
– FLIEGEL, Larry – University of Alberta, Membrane Proteins and Cardiovascular Disease, $1,671,000
– FOMBONNE, Eric – McGill University, Training Program in Autism Research, $1,440,000
– GOLDNER, Elliot M – University of British Columbia, Building capacity in mental health and addictions services and policy research, $1,800,000
– GREAVES, Lorraine JBC – Women’s Hospital (Vancouver), Centre on Gender, Women, and Addiction, $1,668,000
– HEATHCOTE, Elizabeth Jane – University Health Network (Toronto), A National Hepatitis C Research Training Program Grant, $1,800,000
– HOLDEN, Jeanette – Queen’s University, Transdisciplinary inter-institute training program in autism spectrum disorders, $1,440,000
– JOANETTE, Yves C – Institut universitaire de griatrie de Montral, Rseau de formation interdisciplinaire en recherche sur la sant et le vieillissement, $1,800,000
– JOHNSTON, Gerald C – Dalhousie University (Nova Scotia), An integrated cancer research training initiative in Nova Scotia, $1,800,000
– KIRMAYER, Laurence J – McGill University, Culture and mental health services, $1,800,000
– KOROPATNICK, Donald J – University of Western Ontario, London Strategic Training Initiative in cancer research and technology transfer, $1,800,000
– LEUNG, Peter C – University of British Columbia, Interdisciplinary Women’s Reproductive Health Research Training Program, $1,798,650
– LEVINSON, Wendy – St Michael’s Hospital, An integrated training program in health and social science research to improve the health of marginalized populations, $TBD
– LIU, Fei-Fei – University Health Network (Toronto), Research Excellence in Radiation Medicine for the 21st Century, $1,800,000
– LOISELLE, Carmen G – McGill University, Comprehensive research training program in psychosocial oncology, $1,800,000
– MACGILLIVRAY, Ross T – University of British Columbia, Training program in transfusion science, $1,800,000
– MEANEY, Michael J – McGill University, Genes, environment and health training program, $1,440,000
– MISHARA, Brian L – Universit du Qubec Montral, Formation transdisciplinaire en recherche sur le suicide et sa prvention, $1,200,000
– MORSE, Janice M – University of Alberta, Using qualitive methods to understand the illness experience, $1,751,868
– OLSON, David M – University of Alberta, CIHR strategic training program in maternal-fetal-newborn health, $1,800,000
– PARADIS, Gilles – McGill University, Programme de formation transdisciplinaire en recherche en sant publique et en sant des populations : accrotre la capacit de recherche et d’action dans le systme de sant publique au canada, $1,785,000
– PARE, Peter D – University of British Columbia, IMPACT: Integrated and Mentored Pulmonary and Cardiovascular Training, $1,800,000
– SELBY, Peter – Tobacco use in special populations research training programs, $1,440,000
– VANCE, Dennis E – University of Alberta, The SCOLAR (Stroke, Cardiovascular, Obesity, Lipid, Atherosclerosis Research) Training Program, $1,800,000
– WANG, Rui – University of Saskatchewan, Training program for study on endogenous gas molecules, $1,800,000
– WILSON, Hugh R – York University, CIHR strategic training program in vision health research, $1,440,000