UBC Invests $1.5M in National Effort to Fast-Track Stroke Recovery Research

If you know any of these people ask them what strategy they are following. Winging it is not a strategy. They should have a defined set of questions they want answers to and are funding research to find those answers. It's incredibly simple but no one in stroke seems to be following that. Emails and phones for YOU to follow up with. Pay it forward, ask the hard questions.

UBC Invests $1.5M in National Effort to Fast-Track Stroke Recovery Research

The University of British Columbia has joined the Heart and Stroke Foundation and six leading academic research groups to build an international powerhouse in stroke recovery research, research leaders announced today at the Canadian Stroke Congress.
UBC's investment of $1.5 million over three years in the Heart and Stroke Foundation Canadian Partnership for Stroke Recovery will accelerate the development of new therapies for people living with stroke disability.
"The University of British Columbia brings incredible clinical and basic biomedical strength in stroke recovery research," says neuroscientist Dr. Dale Corbett, Scientific Director and CEO of the Partnership and a professor at the University of Ottawa. UBC researchers are leaders in regenerative medicine, brain imaging and neuro-rehabilitation. UBC is also home to the Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health.
Along with the Heart and Stroke Foundation, the Canadian Partnership for Stroke Recovery includes Baycrest, Toronto Rehab, University of Ottawa, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Sunnybrook Research Institute and Memorial University of Newfoundland. With UBC's contribution, the partners are collectively investing $5 million a year in stroke recovery research.
"This is great news for the stroke research community and great news for stroke survivors and their caregivers," says David Sculthorpe, CEO, Heart and Stroke Foundation. "UBC will make our partnership stronger and will further advance world class stroke recovery research."
A recent publication in the journal Stroke forecast an alarming 80-per-cent increase in the next two decades in Canadians disabled by stroke due to the aging population, population growth and increased lifestyle-related risk factors.
To reverse the trend and restore lives, the Partnership supports innovative and collaborative research to find new approaches to recovery - for example, technologies like robotics, novel drug treatments, cell therapies, brain stimulation and tele-rehabilitation. The Partnership is seeking additional funding to mobilize large-scale clinical trials to test new technologies and therapies.
According to recent research, the number of people living with long-term stroke disability in Canada is forecast to climb from 405,000 in 2013 to more than 725,000 in two decades.
"This is a great opportunity for the superb researchers at UBC to participate in this national effort and to help reduce the long-term disability from stroke," says Dr. Brian MacVicar, co-Director of the Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health at UBC and Canada Research Chair in Neuroscience.
The HSF Canadian Partnership for Stroke Recovery is a joint initiative of the Heart and Stroke Foundation and Canada's leading stroke research centres. Headquartered at the University of Ottawa, the Partnership is restoring lives through research. The Partnership was the first organization worldwide focused exclusively on stroke recovery research. Now, it is a model for other countries. Learn more at www.canadianstroke.ca.
The Heart and Stroke Foundation's mission is to prevent disease, save lives and promote recovery. A volunteer-based health charity, we strive to tangibly improve the health of every Canadian family, every day. Healthy lives free of heart disease and stroke. Together we will make it happen. heartandstroke.ca.
The Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health comprises more than 250 investigators with multidisciplinary expertise, bridging basic science and clinical care in a state-of-the-art facility on UBC's Point Grey campus. The Centre provides opportunities for education, collaboration, and interaction with patients from across BC. The Centre is the largest and most comprehensive brain care and research centre in Canada, and is a partnership of the UBC Faculty of Medicine, Vancouver Coastal Health, and Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute.

Contacts:

Cathy Campbell
HSF Canadian Partnership for Stroke Recovery
cathy@canadianstroke.ca
613-852-2303

Jane-Diane Fraser
Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada
jfraser@hsf.ca
613-691-4020

Emily Wight
Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health
emily.wight@brain.ubc.ca
604-827-3396, cell: 604.417.0165

Read more: http://www.digitaljournal.com/pr/2678098#ixzz3m1n5GAkp