Alberta Innovates- Health Solutions

The Health Research Fund supports research designed to improve the organization, delivery, and quality of health and mental health services in Alberta. The 17 awards will support research projects on a wide-ranging array of health issues throughout the province, including studies to be conducted in Fort McMurray, Slave Lake and Lethbridge. Projects supported by the Health Research Fund complement the medical and health research funded by AHFMR.

TEEN HEALTH
One project will analyze physical (smoking, drinking, drugs) and emotional (depression, anxiety, stress) health risk behaviors in older teens. Five thousand Alberta youths will be asked to participate in the research to be conducted by Dr. Brenda Munro at the University of Alberta.

OSTEOPOROSIS
Another study of 300 Calgarians will investigate whether there are seasonal changes linked to Vitamin D deficiencies and bone density loss. This research project by the University of Calgary's Dr. David Hanley, is part of a larger study of osteoporosis among 9000 Canadian women and men over 25 funded by the Medical Research Council of Canada.

Applications to the Health Research Fund are reviewed by experts from outside the province, and by a committee made up of members from Alberta and elsewhere, that recommends projects for support on the basis of scientific quality and relevance to important Alberta health issues.

The $1.26 million for this year's Health Research Fund awards is in addition to the $26.7 million announced last week by AHFMR, from its programs for salary and equipment support for basic, biomedical and health scientists in Alberta.

AHFMR has contributed more that $540 million to the Alberta medical and health research community since 1980. Largely because of the Foundation's activity, Alberta is ranked as one of the top medical research centres in North America.

For more information contact Rhonda Lothammer at : (780) 423-5727