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St. Joe's diabetes research gets $2.5 million injection
Beginning in 2012, a prestigious new research position will be established at the Lawson Health Research Institute, the research arm of St. Joseph's Health Care, London. Known as The Helen and Frances Lawson Chair in Diabetes Research, the new Chair will create and lead a diabetes research group with a goal to make significant advances in the understanding, prevention, treatment and reversal of both type 1 and 2 diabetes. Additionally the chair holder will act as a catalyst to create an integrated program of diabetes research and care at St. Joseph's Health Care, London. "We are very grateful to The Lawson Foundation, for their vision, commitment and proactive approach to research investment," says Dr. David Hill, director, Lawson Health Research Institute. "The creation of the research chair ensures that a senior scientist will always be leading a group at St Joseph's Health Care, London focusing on the prevention or better control of diabetes, which now affects 1 in 10 Canadians," Hill said. "Without innovative solutions the costs of treating complications of diabetes such as heart attack, stroke and blindness will cripple our health system. Continuing sustained research is critical - otherwise, the demographics and the impact of diabetes will overwhelm us and we won't be able to deal with the consequences," he said. The Health Council of Canada 2007 Report forecasts that if trends continue – with Canada's population inactive, overweight and aging, and with an estimated 60,000 new cases of diabetes diagnosed each year, the number of Canadians diagnosed with diabetes is expected to nearly double by 2016 – far outpacing population growth. By 2016, The Public Health Agency of Canada has predicted that with the aging of Canada's population, total direct health care costs associated with diabetes could increase to over $8 billion annually. According to Michelle Campbell, president and CEO of St. Joseph's Health Care Foundation, "The creation of this Chair is further demonstration of the (Lawson Foundation) commitment to supporting diabetes care across the country." The gift augments an existing endowment at St. Joseph's begun in the 1970's with the Lawson Foundation's installment of a senior diabetes research professorship to better understand the disease and its solutions. The new Chair position will bring the total endowment value to $3.5 million and ensure the foundation's goal for sustainability of diabetes research in Canada. To date, the Foundation has awarded 25 grants totaling $3,000,000 to projects in type 1 and type 2 diabetes. |
| This is great news, but unfortunately it's misdirected funding! We don't even know what causes Diabetes, other than the fact that every living individual carries the genetic code for the disease. Inactivity and obesity are far from the only cause of the development of the disease, all mainstream media will lead you to believe otherwise! According to the media, if you sit at home and eat sugary foods while doing absolutely no exercise whatsoever, you'll 100% develop diabetes. This misinformation needs to stop! Perhaps the LHSC and the Lawson Diabetes Research Centre will have the necessary funding to look deeper into the ACTUAL cause of the development of this disease! |
| By: Jeff MaGee on 11/08/2009 |
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