Together, research activity at The Ottawa Hospital and the University of Ottawa Heart Institute (UOHI) totalled $145 million in 2019-20, as reported today by Research Infosource. With their results being combined, this places The Ottawa Hospital and UOHI in fifth spot among comparable hospitals in Canada for research activity, or seventh spot when provincial health authorities are included.
“We’re very proud to be ranked as one of the top research hospitals in Canada,” said Dr. Duncan Stewart, Executive Vice-President of Research at The Ottawa Hospital and professor at the University of Ottawa. “Research provides our patients with new treatment options and gives us the tools to continuously improve care. This has been even more important during COVID-19, as we’ve launched more than 100 research projects that are helping us understand, treat and prevent this devastating disease.”
“The impact of research cannot be overstated,” said Dr. Peter Liu, chief scientific officer and vice-president of research at the University of Ottawa Heart Institute. “Through research, we bridge discovery and innovation to identify meaningful solutions to the most complex health challenges of our time and improve patient lives. This continues to be our most important calling.”
Notable research successes from The Ottawa Hospital and the UOHI from the last year include:
- Development of a tool to predict which mini-strokes could lead to major strokes.
- A world-first clinical trial showing that packing the kidney in ice does not improve kidney cancer surgery – a surprising finding that opens up alternative treatment options for patients.
- Discovery that stem cells go “all in” to repair catastrophic muscle damage and then backtrack to replace the stem cells later.
- Development of a promising new therapy that uses a flavonoid-loaded collagen to limit damage of cardiac tissue and preserve cardiac function after a heart attack.
The Ottawa Hospital, together with the UOHI, also ranks fourth among more than 600 hospitals in Canada for competitive, peer-reviewed funding from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research.
The Ottawa Hospital is one of Canada’s top learning and research hospitals, where excellent care is inspired by research and driven by compassion. As the third-largest employer in Ottawa, our support staff, researchers, nurses, physicians, and volunteers never stop seeking solutions to the most complex health-care challenges. Our multi-campus hospital, affiliated with the University of Ottawa, attracts some of the most influential scientific minds from around the world. Backed by generous support from the community, we are committed to providing the world-class, compassionate care we would want for our loved ones. www.ohri.ca
The University of Ottawa Heart Institute has flourished into one of Canada’s most distinguished heart health centres for the unparalleled care it provides to its patients, a world-renowned research Institute that brings science from bench to bedside, and the country’s main influencer when it comes to preventing heart disease. Its promise remains the very pillar on which it was built: Always putting patients first. https://www.ottawaheart.ca
Media contacts
Jennifer Ganton
Director, Communications and Public Relations
Ottawa Hospital Research Institute
613-614-5253
@email
Leigh B. Morris
Communications Officer
University of Ottawa Heart Institute
613-316-6409 (cell)
@email