Harper Government Supports Health Care Innovation in B.C.

Single-Largest Investor in Canadian Health Innovation

VANCOUVER, July 20, 2012 /CNW/ - Kerry-Lynne Findlay, Member of Parliament for Delta - Richmond East, visited with researchers at the Arthritis Research Centre of Canada (ARC) today where she highlighted how federal investments are helping strengthen healthcare across the country. MP Findlay joined other members of the Harper Government who made similar visits with health researchers across the country.

"Our Government is proud to support the outstanding health researchers at the Arthritis Reseach Centre of Canada," said MP Findlay. "I was delighted to meet these researchers and find out how their work is helping to improve the health of people in British Columbia and across Canada."

There are more than 10,000 health research projects underway in Canada right now that receive Harper Government funding. Some recent initiatives announced include:

• Pathways to Health Equity for Aboriginal Peoples, in which researchers will partner with aboriginal communities to carry out initiatives linked to suicide reduction and other key health priorities;
• Funding 13 projects to improve the efficiency of front-line healthcare delivery, whose results will be available for provincial and territorial governments to use to strengthen their systems; and
• Funding for a national transplantation research program.

MP Findlay met with Dr. Linda Li and her colleagues who are carrying out a CIHR-funded project that is examining the link between physical activity, hip pain and hip osteoarthritis, which is the leading cause of hip replacement surgeries. Their work may lead to new strategies for preventing hip osteoarthritis. Researchers working on the project are also affiliated with the University of British Columbia and Vancouver Coastal Health.

"Being physically active is good for general health, but certain types of activities cause hip osteoarthritis in some people, said Dr. Linda Li, a senior research scientist at the Arthritis Research Centre of Canada and associate professor at University of British Columbia. Through the government's investment, our team is studying the role of physical activity on hip pain in Aboriginal Peoples, Chinese and Caucasians in BC. This research program will generate new knowledge that is crucial to better prevention and treatment of hip osteoarthritis."

Federal support for health research primarily flows through its health research investment agency - the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR). CIHR supports the best in peer-reviewed health research with the vision of creating a healthier future for Canadians.

"Canadian health researchers across all research disciplines and themes continue to have a significant impact on the country's international scientific excellence and competitiveness," said Dr. Alain Beaudet, President of CIHR. "At CIHR, we prize the many achievements and contributions our researchers make to resolving pressing health challenges and to improving the health outcomes of patients and supporting a robust and sustainable health care system."

Since 2005-06, the Government has invested $720 million in health research in British Columbia through CIHR.

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Shauneen Kellner, Executive Director, Arthritis Research Centre of Canada,
604-879-7511, [email protected]
David Coulombe, CIHR Media Relations, 613-941-4563