Harper Government supports new research on HIV/AIDS
Collaborative research teams to address priority issues
Photo: Health Minister Leona Aglukkaq is pictured with researchers following a tour of the lab of HIV researchers Drs. Jonathan Angel and Paul MacPherson at the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute. From left to right: Dr. Marc Ouellette, Dr. Jonathan Angel, Dr. Cécile Tremblay, Dr. Paul MacPherson, Minister Aglukkaq, Dr. Sean Rourke, Dr. Rashmi Kothary. Drs. Tremblay and Rourke recently received funding for HIV/AIDS research projects from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research.
Ottawa, Ontario (November 27, 2012) - The Honourable Leona Aglukkaq, Minister of Health, today announced
Harper Government funding for new research to address HIV/AIDS in Canada. The funding will support two community-based research
centres, including one focused on helping Aboriginal Canadians, and four teams that will examine the link between HIV and
health issues related to aging and mental health.
"Our Government is addressing HIV/AIDS from a number of different perspectives, recognizing that there is no single
solution," said Minister Aglukkaq. "Today's investment will increase our understanding of HIV/AIDS and help us identify new ways
to improve the health of those affected by it."
The projects are funded by the Harper Government through the Canadian Institutes of Health Research HIV/AIDS Research
Initiative.
Four of the projects will specifically address complex issues related to aging, neurological decline and chronic diseases, such
as cardiovascular disease, in people living with HIV/AIDS. These research teams will be funded through the CIHR HIV Comorbidity
Research Agenda, which was developed in collaboration with a number of partner organizations and designed to directly meet
the priorities of people living with HIV.
"HIV/AIDS researchers, stakeholders and community organizations have all played a key role in developing the comorbidity research
agenda and will continue to contribute to and benefit from the investment in these research teams," said Dr. Marc Ouellette,
Scientific Director, CIHR Institute of Infection and Immunity.
The two collaborative centres focused on community-based research for HIV/AIDS will be led by the Ontario HIV Treatment Network and
the Canadian Aboriginal AIDS Network. With this funding, these organizations will unite community-based organizations, researchers
and people living with HIV/AIDS in national networks focused on building capacity and addressing health issues for at-risk
populations and infected individuals through a community-centered research approach.
Photo: Minister Aglukkaq (left) visits HIV researchers Dr. Paul MacPherson (middle) and Dr.
Jonathan Angel (right) in their lab at the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute.
"Our centre will mobilize and inspire regional teams of researchers and community-based agencies across the country. Grounded in
their regions, these teams will conduct relevant, rigorous research that will respond to local issues and needs," said
Dr. Sean Rourke, Scientific and Executive Director, Ontario HIV Treatment Network. "Their findings will lead to
better interventions and services for people living with or at risk of HIV, enhancing their health and
well-being. At the national level, the Centre will build healthier communities and further our
efforts to get ahead of the HIV epidemic by bringing regional teams together into a network
that will learn from one another, share their findings, build on each other's knowledge,
and transfer and adapt successful interventions from one region to another."
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Further information:
Cailin Rodgers, Office of the Honourable Leona Aglukkaq, 613-957-0200
David Coulombe, CIHR Media Relations, 613-941-4563 Cell: 613-808-7526
The Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) is the Government of Canada's health research investment agency.
CIHR's mission is to create new scientific knowledge and to enable its translation into improved health, more effective health
services and products, and a strengthened Canadian health care system. Composed of 13 Institutes, CIHR provides leadership
and support to more than 14,100 health researchers and trainees across Canada.
Source: Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR)
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