News Release

St. Michael's receives prestigious grants to study trauma

Teams to study brain injuries, trauma care outside urban centers

Grant and Award Announcement

St. Michael's Hospital

TORONTO, Ont., Aug. 4--When the Canadian Institutes for Health Research (CIHR) announced its latest awards for injury research, only five teams were on the list and two of them were headed by doctors at St. Michael's Hospital.

Neurosurgeon Dr. Michael Cusimano will lead a team studying traumatic brain injuries (TBI). Researchers working with Dr. Avery Nathens, the hospital's director of trauma, will examine rural Canadians' access to trauma centres.

"There are only so many [team grants] available and so few resources available. If you get one, it's a great achievement," said Christine Lavictoire, a deputy director at CIHR.

The five-year STAIR (Strategic Teams in Applied Injury Research) grants must involve researchers in multiple locations and disciplines and a mix of experienced and junior researchers. The grants to Sr. Michael's total nearly $4 million.

Dr. Cusimano's team will look at TBI in sports such as hockey, in vulnerable groups such as the homeless, and in motor vehicle collisions and falls. They will also probe the link between violence and aggression.

Dr. Nathens' team will examine what can be done to improve care for the 20 per cent of rural Canadians who do not have access to trauma centres during that "golden hour" when there is the highest likelihood that prompt medical treatment will prevent death. Due to the distribution of trauma patients and centres in Canada, half of all patients receive preliminary care someplace else before being transferred to a trauma centre.

Injury remains the leading cause of death for Canadians aged one to 44.and costs Canadians $19.8 billion annually. Traumatic Brain Injury accounts for 50 per cent or more of all trauma deaths, and an estimated 2 per cent of the population live with lifelong disabilities resulting from TBI. Brain injuries are seven times more common than breast cancer and 30 times more common than HIV. Up to 90 per cent of injuries can be prevented.

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About St. Michael's Hospital

St. Michael's Hospital provides compassionate care to all who enter its doors. The Hospital also provides outstanding medical education to future health care professionals in more than 23 academic disciplines. Critical care and trauma, heart disease, neurosurgery, diabetes, cancer care, and care of the homeless are among the Hospital's recognized areas of expertise. Through the Keenan Research Centre and the Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute, research at St. Michael's Hospital is recognized and put into practice around the world. Founded in 1892, the Hospital is fully affiliated with the University of Toronto.

For more information, contact:
Leslie Shepherd
Senior Public Relations Specialist
St. Michael's Hospital
Phone: 416-864-6094 or 647-300-1753
shepherdl@smh.ca
www.stmichaelshospital.com


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