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Report to our community 2021-22

Message from our Leadership - Bruyère Research Institute

At the Bruyère Research Institute, research and innovation are changing the way health care is delivered and experienced. As a part of an academic health organization that serves our community in critical and specialized ways, we foster a relationship between research and care that strives for quality and elevates the standard of care. Each year, we continue to see how valuable that relationship is across Bruyère’s clinical programs, notably through our collaborations and partnerships.  

 

This year, we welcomed 15 new investigators to the Research Institute, with expertise in aging in place and long-term care, palliative care, rehabilitation, primary care, and complex care. In partnership with the University of Ottawa Brain and Mind Research Institute, we were proud to appoint Dr. Frank Knoefel as our second Chair in Primary Health Care Dementia Research. Again this year, we are one of Canada’s Top 40 Research Hospitals with over $10 million in annual research spending, marking growth in our interdisciplinary research capacity and commitment to addressing health challenges at Bruyère and beyond.

 

As we look beyond the response to COVID-19, we have set our sights on some incredible initiatives to pave the way for transformation in major areas of care and research. For example, this year, we celebrated the launch of the Pan-Canadian Palliative Care Research Collaborative and a $2.5 million investment from Health Canada. The network brings research, care, and community together across the country to improve clinical practice, health service delivery, and the patient and caregiver experience with palliative and end-of-life care.

 

Our support of the Preceptor Resource and Education Program for Long-Term Care (PREP LTC) project, led by Ontario Centres for Learning, Research and Innovation in Long-Term Care, will provide education and financial support for clinical placements in Ontario long-term care homes.

 

We are also committed to further educational opportunities through the Early Professionals, Inspired Careers in AgeTech (EPIC-AT) Health Research Training Platform, a platform designed to advance the development and implementation of digital health technologies in our next generation of trainees and early career researchers.

 

Our innovation team continues to lead our work with industry and innovation partners in testing new technologies that tackle real-world health challenges. Our latest project, evaluating the ALTA Platform by Able Innovations, is truly an opportunity to change care at the bedside, for both patients and staff.  

 

We also welcomed our new board chair, David Brook. David stepped into the role earlier this year and has been instrumental in supporting the Board of Directors through governance and capacity-building initiatives.

 

Each year, we continue to advance the frontier of health research by building bridges between our people and our programs. As Bruyère embarks on the clinical integration of palliative and complex care services at our Saint-Vincent Hospital campus, we look forward to our scientists and clinicians having new cross-collaborative opportunities through shared expertise and infrastructure.

 

It is our privilege to contribute to the quality and excellence of care for Canadians at all stages of life, and we remain committed to moving research, innovation, and care forward in unison.

 

 

 denys cabral
David Brook
Board Chair, Bruyère Research Institute
Heidi Szeistrup
Heidi Sveistrup, CEO & Chief Scientific Officer, Bruyère Research Institute
VP Research and Academic Affairs, Bruyère