Government of Canada kicks off Heart Health Month
Heart disease is the second-leading cause of death in Canada, and research in this area is an important tool in improving the lives of Canadians affected by this disease.
On Feb. 2 Jane Philpott, minister of health, announced an investment of almost $2.9 million to fund five research projects that will support new ways to prevent, diagnose and treat heart disease.
“We are committed to supporting world-class health research in Canada, including the important work being done at the University of Ottawa Heart Institute – one of our country’s top cardiac care and research facilities,” he said.
Philpott made the announcement during a tour of the University of Ottawa Heart Institute at the start of Heart Health Month. She was joined by three members of parliament - Catherine McKenna, minister of environment and climate change; Anita Vandenbeld, MP for Ottawa West-Nepean; and Mark Holland, MP for Ajax.
The investment from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research will fund five cutting-edge research projects.
- Dr. David Birnie received over $600,000 to conduct the first study of its kind in the world to learn more about cardiac sarcoidosis, an inflammatory disease that can cause sudden death;
- Dr. Wenbin Liang received $577,000 to study how to develop more effective therapies for treating irregular heartbeats, a condition which affects over 1 million Canadians;
- Dr. Ruth McPherson received $263,000 to research new ways to treat non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, which affects around 20 per cent of Canadian adults and increases the risk of heart disease;
- Dr. Katey Rayner received almost $980,000 to study how to diagnose and treat the buildup of plaque in the arteries before a heart attack happens; ans
- Dr. Benjamin Rotstein received over $462,000 to develop new imaging techniques to identify plaque buildup in arteries which have the potential to lead to heart attack or stroke
