Five groundbreaking York University research projects will receive more than $1.6 million in grants from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) over the next three to five years.
"These grant awards reflect the growing breadth of York's exceptional health research community – from genetics, cancer and vision research, to health policy research," said Suzanne MacDonald, associate vice-president, Research.
The projects chosen for CIHR grants cover a wide variety of research initiatives include:
- Professor Liane Ginsburg, School of Health Policy & Management, Atkinson Faculty of Liberal & Professional Studies, will receive $261,705 in funding over three years for studies in health services and policy research. Her multi-level project is designed to identify the factors which influence learning from preventable adverse events and near misses in acute care hospitals.
- For his work, biochemistry Professor Philip Johnson, Faculty of Science & Engineering, will receive $308,607 over three years for his project which focuses on the structural investigation into RNA-protein complexes and RNA-binding proteins.
- Known as the silent killer, ovarian cancer was the sixth highest among new cancer cases diagnosed and fifth in number of deaths due to cancer in Canadian women in 1998. There were an estimated 2,500 new cases of ovarian cancer diagnosed and 1,400 deaths. Ovarian cancer will strike 1-2 per cent of women in their lifetime and a large portion of ovarian cancer cases cannot be explained by known risk factors, biology Professor Chun Peng, Faculty of Science & Engineering, will receive $227,304 over three years for cancer research. Peng’s research will examine the nodal signaling pathways in ovarian cancer cells.
- Professor Michael Scheid, Department of Biology, Faculty of Science & Engineering, will receive $286,842 over three years to continue his cancer research specialty – the study of novel mechanisms to regulate the PDK1 protein and the phosphorylation of substrates.
- The research of Professor Lauren Sergio, School of Kinesiology & Health Sciences, focuses on vision. Specifically, her project will study the stages of visuomotor transformation in human and non-human primates. Sergio will receive $546,900 over five years for her research.
"The federal government's investments into health research are a key contributor to Canada's knowledge base and to our quality of life," said MacDonald. "Through these CIHR grants, our health researchers are able to contribute significantly to both scientific and public policy scholarship across a full range of disciplines."
CIHR is Canada's premier federal agency for health research. Its goal is to excel in the creation of new knowledge and its translation into improved health for Canadians, and in the creation of more effective health services and products and a strengthened health care system.