Download Researchers to develop national training programs I

Elletinm
June 20, 2002
I Researchers to
The University of Manitoba
will soon be home to three new
national training programs in the
area of asthma, cancer (in partnership with CancerCare Manitoba)
and infectious disease research.
With the creation of these new
programs, which were funded
through the Canadian Institutes of
Health Research (CIHR), the University of Manitobawill become a
destination of choice for people
wanting to pursue a scientific career in these three fields.
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KMI
Haw
"As a nationally recognized
trainingprogram, the universitywill
attract the best and the briahtest."
said Joanne Keselman, vicepresident (research) at the university.
"Our researchershaveworked hard
to build their research programs
and develop dynamic teaching elements, and to have their achieve
ments recognizedby theCanadian
Institutes of Health Research furtherstrengthensourleadershiprole
in these three areas."
develop national training programs
One of CIHR's core objectives is to
provide leadership i n building capacity
withinCanadarstiealthresearchcommunity through training and development
of researchers, and fostering develop
ment and suppolt of scientific careers.
CIHR appmved 51 of 127 full applications across the country. Each award is
worth $1.8 million over the next six
Y.Asthma is the mostcommonchronic
disease of childhood. It is the most frequent immunologicdisorderin thepopulation as a whole. As a result, there i s a
need for more broadly trained researcherstoaddresshyper-sensitivitydiseases.
Canada Recearrh Chair holder Kent
~.
F m k Plummr: Infectlour D i m pmgnm
HayGIass, immunology, will head the
Allergy and Asthma: From molecular
Infectious disease researchers at the Uniregulationto populationhealth program.
versity of Manitoba have a long and
This program will supportaseven-memdistinguished history of excellence in
ber team trained in areas ranging from
infectious diseases research in Canada
pediatrics to physiology. Its focus is the
and the world, palticularly in Africa and
creation
of
an
outstanding
India. In addition to funding from the
transdisciplinarytrainingprogram in the
CIHR, the program will be supported by
causesand managementof human allercontributions from the Provinceof Manigic disease.
toba, Health
Canada and the
In soite of tremendou; advances,
Winnipeg Reinfectiousdiseasesregional Health
main thesecondleadAuthority. This
ing cause of death
program will e s
worldwide and, betablish an infeccause of HIV and the
tious disease reemergence and r e
search organizb
emergence of antibition, unique in
otic resistant infecCanada, with a
tions, mortality from infectious diseases
national and international mandate and
reach. Trainees will encounter the entire
is increasing.
range of researchapproaches tothe probCanada ResearchChair holder Frank
lem
of infectious diseases.
Plummer, medicalmicrobiologyandsci-
as this is badly needed in Canada to
promote innovative and competitive basic and clinical research programs.
SabineMai, biochemistry& medical
geneticdphysiology/Manitobalnstituteof
Cell Biology, a joint institute between
the university andCancerCareManitoba,
will head the InnovativeTechnologies in
Multidisciplinary Health ResearchTraining. Trainees involved with this program
will be able to work in many 'fferent
fields including cancer, genetics, and
neurodegenerativedisease.The program
also involves the Ontario Cancer Institute, the National Institutes of Health,
and organizations in Germany, France
and Sweden.
"...the university
will affracfthe best
and the brightest."
-
entific director general of the Health
Canada National Microbiology Laboratory, will head the International Centre
forlnfectious DiseasesTrainingProgram.
Currently there are no formal inte
grated training programs in advanced
molecular imagingand analysis, and a p
plied genomics in Canada. Expertisesuch
CIHR is Canada'spremieragency for
health research. Its objective is to excel,
according to internationally accepted
standards of scientific excellence, in the
creation of new knowledgeand ik translation into improved health for Canadians, more effedve health services and
products and a strengthened health care
system.
.