ALL ABOUT RESEARCH

For more than 50 years, Canadians have looked to the Heart and Stroke Foundation to fund vital research that will reduce their risk of heart disease and stroke and improve the quality of their lives. The Foundation has met that challenge. The mortality rate from heart disease and stroke has decreased by 70% since 1952, thanks in large part to our research.

THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU PUT YOUR HEART INTO IT.

Read about how the Foundation

Millions of Canadians are still at risk, and will be, for generations to come. More than 50,000 strokes, 75,000 heart attacks and 40,000 cardiac arrests occur every year. Sadly, one in three deaths in Canada are due to heart disease and stroke. There is still so much more to do.

Today, with the current health threat looming due to Canada’s aging population, the Heart and Stroke Foundation is in a key position to face and reverse the potential devastating outcome to Canadian families.

In 2008, the Foundation spent more than $71 million in research, funding more than 900 researchers and research teams across the country. Since 1956, this has totalled more than $1 billion in research support.

Here are some of the Foundation’s most important funded research advances and public education initiatives based on those advances:

  • research behind the development and use of the implantable pacemaker
  • pioneering the artificial heart for transplant patients
  • creating a scale that measures the severity of strokes
  • the use of acetylsalicylic acid (ASA) in preventing heart attack and stroke
  • clot-busting drugs that reduce mental and physical damage caused by 80% of strokes
  • public awareness of stroke signs and heart attack warning signals
  • developing and updating guidelines for resuscitation (CPR)
  • promoting public recommendations for the management of high blood pressure

The Heart and Stroke Foundation’s tradition of funding world-class science means today’s research climate is producing medical advances at a rate never imagined 50 years ago.

FUNDING EXCELLENCE

The Heart and Stroke Foundation insists that all funds are awarded on an expert peer-reviewed basis. We enlist more than 2,000 national and international researchers to take part in the peer-review process every year. These researchers report directly to the 125 members of our Scientific Review Committee. Our rigorous peer review process assures that the Foundation funds only research that meets the highest standards of excellence.

SUPPORTING INNOVATION

Through our national Heart and Stroke Foundation National Research Fund, we partner with other health research funding agencies, such as the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and the Canadian Stroke Network. Through the Fund, the Foundation is leveraging donor dollars to support innovative research projects and teams in new areas of exploration. The Fund brings together Canadian researchers from different fields, who share their skills and knowledge, with the goal of reducing the impact of heart disease and stroke. Since it was created in 2000, the Fund has invested more than $25 million in research.

BUILDING THE MINDS OF TOMORROW

At the Heart and Stroke Foundation, we believe that it is important to support cardiovascular researchers throughout their careers, from high-school students working in research settings through to established senior scientists. Here are just some of the ways in which we fund researchers:

Research Chairs and Professorships

Dr. Heather Arthur, McMaster University, Cardiovascular Nursing
Dr. Christopher Buller, University of British Columbia, Vancouver General Hospital, Cardiology
Dr. Ken Butcher, University of Alberta, Stroke
Dr. Henry Duff, University of Calgary, Cardiology
Dr. Michael Hill, University of Calgary, Stroke
Dr. Charles R. Kerr, St. Paul’s Hospital, Cardiology
Dr. Fred Keeley, Hospital for Sick Children, Cardiovascular Science
Dr. Peter Liu, University Health Network/University of Toronto, Cardiology
Dr. Kim Raine, University of Alberta, Obesity
Dr. Brian Rutt, Robarts Research Institute, Cardiology
Dr. Philip Teal, University of British Columbia, Vancouver General Hospital, Clinical Stroke
Dr. Yu Tian Wang, University of British Columbia, Stroke
Dr. Jeffrey Weitz, McMaster University, Hamilton Civic Hospitals Research Centre, Cardiology
Dr. Salim Yusuf, McMaster University, Cardiology

Career Investigator
The Career Investigator is awarded to individuals with an MD, PhD or equivalent degree who are established and recognized independent researchers in the field of cardiovascular or cerebrovascular disease who wish to make research in these fields a full-time career. Such individuals would be expected to have achieved national recognition at the time of the first application.

New Investigator
The Heart and Stroke Foundation presents a salary award to support new investigators who wish to establish their own independent research laboratory.

Grants-in-Aid
The Heart and Stroke Foundation supports the operating costs of research through Grants-in-Aid (GIAs). These costs may include laboratory supplies, technicians and equipment. More than 100 new GIAs are awarded annually.

TRANSFERRING KNOWLEDGE

The Heart and Stroke Foundation’s research leadership allows us to deliver leading-edge information about heart disease and stroke to you and your healthcare professional. Here are some of the ways:

The Canadian Cardiovascular Congress
The CCC is the largest meeting of heart-health professionals in Canada. It includes the scientific sessions of 12 organizations representing health professionals in heart health and care, including, among others, the Canadian Cardiovascular Society, the Canadian Association of Cardiac Rehabilitation, the Canadian Council of Cardiovascular Nurses, the Canadian Hypertension Society and the Canadian Society of Cardiac Surgeons.

Advocacy and Social Change
The Foundation is unique among cardiovascular research funding organizations in Canada. Through our managed research cycle, we link research and policy. Scientific evidence and proven solutions help inform and shape our health promotion and advocacy work. By funding and leading expert workshops, consensus conferences, and think-tanks, we’re bringing together the best scientists and innovative thinkers to identify research priorities and the evidence required to move policy-making forward.

EMERGING TRENDS

The Heart and Stroke Foundation is poised to continue to invest in the future, with a primary focus on the health challenges posed by an aging population.

Predicting Risk Factors
The Foundation is working to reduce the risks of heart disease and stroke in Canada. For example, we know that atherosclerosis is the primary cause of these diseases. Atherosclerosis is a progressive thickening and narrowing of the blood vessel wall caused by plaque. High blood pressure, high levels of cholesterol and triglycerides in the blood, and smoking can all contribute to the development of plaque. Atherosclerosis is the primary cause of heart attack and stroke. Using genetics, our researchers are finding ways to predict risk factors that lead to heart disease and stroke. Some even foresee that within 5 to 10 years, we could have new preventive therapy for those who are at increased risk - helping our children and grandchildren live longer, healthier lives.

Curbing the Obesity Epidemic
The Heart and Stroke Foundation has identified obesity as a key area of research and strategic focus, moving forward, given the alarming increases in the rates of obesity in Canada. Our work encompasses schools, workplaces, the built environment and public policy. In schools, for example, the emphasis is on healthy eating and physical activity.