UPFRONT | News RESEARCH Government funds B.C. researchers’ business and science skills The provincial government of British Columbia is provid-ing $3 million to support cutting-edge research through Mitacs, a not-for-profit re-search and training organiza-tion, Health Minister Terry Lake has announced. “The funding we are an-nouncing today will help Mitacs support its trainees to further cultivate their business and scientific skills,” Lake said during the funding announce-ment last June. “This will help them in developing innovative discoveries to assist us in de-livering even higher quality care.” With offices across Canada, including at the University of British Columbia, Simon Fraser University and the University of Victoria, Mitacs offers a suite of unique train-ing and research programs to graduate students and post-doctoral fellows. Students gain valuable experience in applying their advanced train-ing in the private sector, while local businesses gain a competitive advantage by tapping into this level of ex-pertise. “This funding will help cultivate innovation in the life sciences sector,” said Andrew Wilkinson, Minister of Tech-nology, Innovation and Citi-zens’ Services. “By developing young minds and assisting businesses in identifying ways to support innovation, it is a benefit for all British Colum-bians.” An example of the work Mitacs researchers have par-ticipated in is with Sechelt-based SideStix Ventures. The company has developed the first and only shock-absor-bent forearm crutches with attachable tips for a variety of terrain. Their benefits over traditional forearm crutches include a built-in shock ab-sorber, better-angled handles, and cork handgrips for com-fort. SideStix crutches are mainly used by people with amputations or those with chronic disabilities. “Investment in the next generation of innovators – those who will play an impor-tant role in the innovation and advancement of British Co-lumbia’s health-care system – are essential to the province’s long-term goal of delivering a high standard of care,” said Dr. Arvind Gupta, CEO and scientific director of Mitacs. A Mitacs intern’s research showed that the crutch effec-tively changed body move-ment while reducing impact, allowing users to walk further with less pain. “The research our Mitacs intern completed was instru-mental in helping us validate and refine our products and take them to the next level, making a difference in the comfort and ease of SideStix users. Without this collabora-tion, our products would not be what they are today, or in-sured by extended benefits,” said Sarah Doherty, co-founder of SideStix. Government has provided Mitacs with $20 million since 2006/2007. HEALTH Health fund focuses on Aboriginal Peoples Health Minister Rona Am-brose announced funding for three recipients of the Part-ners for Engagement and K n ow l e d g e E x c h a n g e (PEKEs) grants through the Canadian Institutes of Health Research’s (CIHR) Pathways to Health Equity for Aborigi-nal Peoples signature initia-tive. Pathways promotes health equity among First Nations, Métis and Inuit peoples in four key areas: suicide preven-tion, obesity and diabetes, tuberculosis and oral health. “Pathways to Health Equity for Aboriginal Peoples ensures the research is connected to the community to find mean-ingful solutions. By funding these three recipients and their collaborators, we will help translate health informa-tion that considers traditional practices and culture,” said Ambrose. Through $25 million in funding, Pathways research will create an evidence base that supports the design and implementation of health in-terventions in the four areas listed above. The research will also identify how these inter-ventions can be adopted by First Nations, Métis and Inuit communities across Canada by respecting their cultures and traditional knowledge. Grant recipients will play an important role in facilitating the knowledge exchange be-tween researchers and Aborig-inal peoples’ communities and organizations through ongo-ing communication and cul-tural integration activities. www.canadianchiropractor.ca HEALTH SERVICES Stroke patients in Alberta community benefit from home-based therapy pilot A new stroke rehabilitation pilot project in Alberta is helping to re-duce the number of days patients spend in hospital. The pilot, being delivered in rural and small urban areas, began last March in Grande Prairie and delivers one-on-one stroke rehabilitation programs into the homes of pa-tients. The Stroke Action Plan improves the quality of inpatient and commu-nity care for stroke patients outside Alberta’s major cities. The plan uses provincial standards to ensure inpa-tient care in rural settings is the same quality as the care delivered in larger urban areas – and ensures patients have early and timely ac-cess to rehabilitation. “We know that stroke patients want to return to their homes as soon as possible after hospitaliza-tion, and by providing home-based therapy options, we are improving outcomes for patients while they remain in the comfort of their homes. This is part of the government’s ongoing effort to provide health care services to Albertans closer to home,” said Fred Horne, Minister of Health. Grande Prairie’s ten-member team includes recreational and occupational therapists, a speech language pathologist, a social work-er, a nurse, and therapy assistants. “The pilot project aims to provide a more supervised re-entry into the home environment after a stroke,” said Vickie Kaminski, president and CEO of Alberta Health Services. 12 Canadian Chiropractor September 2014
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