Newsroom

The Ottawa Hospital and Heart Institute recognized among Canada’s leading research hospitals


October 29, 2013

The Ottawa Hospital (TOH) and the University of Ottawa Heart Institute (UOHI), have moved into fourth place from sixth in the national Top 40 Research Hospital rankings, published by RE$EARCH Infosource. The ranking is based on total research funding, which grew to $153M in the 2011-12 fiscal year, up from $130M in 2010-11. TOH and UOHI also moved into fourth place from eighth in research intensity (funding per investigator). The ranking for TOH and UOHI was combined as a result of the organizations’ close relationship and ongoing research collaborations.

“We’ve been very successful in conducting world-class research and obtaining competitive external grant funding, but none of this would have been possible without the generous support of the community,” said Dr. Duncan Stewart, CEO and scientific director of the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, vice-president of research at TOH and a professor of medicine at the University of Ottawa. “In fact, grant funding typically only covers a portion of our research costs, so we need community support now more than ever to sustain and build upon the great successes that we’ve had over the last decade.”

“Over the last years, the University of Ottawa Heart Institute has shown an incredible increase in the impact of its research in Canada and worldwide,” said Dr. Peter Liu, Scientific Director of the University of Ottawa Heart Institute. The work of our world-class researchers, along with the ongoing support of our community partners, enables us to be positioned among the best research institutions in the world, while supporting our clinical efforts here in Ottawa.”

Research at TOH and UOHI has resulted in major advancements in health care over the years. For example, the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute and the Heart Institute are currently collaborating on the first clinical trial in the world of genetically enhanced stem cell therapy for heart attack. This experimental therapy uses patients’ own stem cells, extracted from their blood soon after a major heart attack.

TOH and UOHI also worked together in 2008 to obtain a “once-in-a-generation” Research Hospital Fund grant from the Canada Foundation for Innovation. This grant, called Translation of Innovation into Medical Excellence, supported the development of approximately $65M in state-of-the-art research infrastructure. However, as this major grant winds down, it is expected that research revenues will decrease somewhat.

Further information from RE$EARCH Infosource is available at: www.researchinfosource.com/press.php.

About The Ottawa Hospital
The Ottawa Hospital is a bilingual multi-campus, health sciences centre offering comprehensive, high quality, patient-focused health-care services to a community of 1.3 million people in Ottawa and Eastern Ontario. Through its research arm, the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute (OHRI), The Ottawa Hospital conducts world-class research to improve the understanding, prevention, diagnosis and treatment of human disease. The Ottawa Hospital and OHRI are affiliated with the University of Ottawa. www.ottawahospital.on.ca

About the University of Ottawa Heart Institute
The University of Ottawa Heart Institute (UOHI) is Canada’s largest and foremost heart health centre dedicated to understanding, treating and preventing heart disease. UOHI delivers high-tech care with a personal touch, shapes the way cardiovascular medicine is practiced and revolutionizes cardiac treatment and understanding. It builds knowledge through research and translates discoveries into advanced care. UOHI serves the local, national and international community, and is pioneering a new era in heart health. www.ottawaheart.ca

Media contacts
Jennifer Ganton
Director, Communications and Public Relations
Ottawa Hospital Research Institute
613-798-5555 ext. 73325
613-614-5253 (cell)
jganton@ohri.ca

Vincent Lamontagne
Senior Manager, Public Affairs
University of Ottawa Heart Institute
613-761-4427
613-899-6760 (cell)
vlamontagne@ottawaheart.ca