AHFMR News
New research addresses everyday health concerns
(Edmonton, AB) Tuesday, June 20, 2006... What’s the best way for doctors to care for diabetics? What are the prevalence and causes of elder abuse? How can we have a better understanding of why young adults binge drink? These types of questions are just a few of the successful 2006 Health Research Fund projects that Alberta researchers hope to answer. Researchers at the Universities of Alberta and Calgary, along with investigators in the health regions, will tackle 12 separate two-year research projects addressing everyday health problems. The goal of the projects is to provide research evidence to be used to improve Albertan’s health.
Projects funded in 2006 include topics ranging from schizophrenia to chronic kidney disease to the effects of binge drinking on young adults. The Health Research Fund competition is funded by Alberta Health and Wellness and administered by the Alberta Heritage Foundation for Medical Research (AHFMR). A total of 12 researcher teams in Alberta have been offered approximately $1.4 million
The financial support for this year's Health Research Fund projects is in addition to the $48 million announced by AHFMR in March for support of biomedical and health researchers within Alberta. AHFMR has contributed over $850 million to the Alberta medical and health research community since 1980, making Alberta one of the top medical research centers in North America.
For more information call Dwayne Brunner, AHFMR Communications, at (780) 423-5727
Backgrounder
2006 Health Research Fund Projects
University of Alberta
1. Can physicians use a different approach to treating Type 2 diabetics successfully?
Dr. Neil Bell, Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry
2. How can outcomes be improved for rural patients who suffer heart failure?
Dr. Alexander Clark, Faculty of Nursing
3. How are quality of life, pain, and health affected for those living with Spinal Stenosis?
Dr. Michele Crites Battie, Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine
4. Can better screening methods be developed to detect Chronic Kidney Disease?
Dr. Scott Klarenbach, Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry
5. How can treatments and health outcomes related to near-term and premature births be improved?
Dr. Thierry Lacaze-Masmonteil, Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry
6. What kind of supports and services do immigrant seniors require?
Dr. Miriam Stewart, Faculty of Nursing
7. What’s the prevalence of binge drinking among teens and what intervention strategies work best?
Dr. Cameron Wild, Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry
University of Calgary
1. How can we best identify the earliest stages of schizophrenia and improve early psychosis treatment services?
Dr. Donald Addington, Faculty of Medicine
2. Does a telephone nurse consultation help people select and use health services?
Dr. Carolyn DeCoster, Faculty of Medicine
3. How do aboriginal women survive and heal from intimate partner violence?
Dr. Wilfreda Thurston, Faculty of Medicine
4. How do physicians stay healthy and well balanced?
Dr. Jean Wallace, Faculty Social Sciences
5. What is the prevalence and causes of elder abuse?
Dr. Christine Walsh, Faculty of Social Work
The Alberta Heritage Foundation for Medical Research (AHFMR) currently provides funding for over 600 researchers and researchers in training at the province's three main universities. AHFMR's commitment is to fund health research based on international standards of excellence and carried out by new and established investigators and researchers in training. Total AHFMR funding for more than a quarter of a century is in excess of $850 million. For more information, visit www.ahfmr.ab.ca.