SASKATOON — A $4M gift is establishing a pediatric research chair at USask to study how early life factors shape chronic disease risk and improve lifelong health.
Factors in early life can affect our future health. Genetics, environmental exposures, lifestyle, nutrition, and psychosocial factors during fetal development and in early childhood can influence the risk of chronic diseases such as arthritis, asthma, autoimmune diseases, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and obesity later in life.
To investigate the early origins of chronic disease, Hospitals of Regina Foundation has made a significant investment in pediatrics at the University of Saskatchewan’s (USask) College of Medicine through the establishment of a new clinical research chair.
The new Hospitals of Regina Foundation Pediatric Chair in the Origins of Health and Disease is supported by a $4 million investment, the largest single gift ever provided by the Foundation to a research project.
The new Hospitals of Regina Foundation Pediatric Chair in the Origins of Health and Disease will be dedicated to studying the earliest origins of health and disease, with the goal of this research to inform clinical care and disease prevention for children in our province, and beyond. The ultimate vision is to reduce disease, lessen the demand on health care services, and increase health and quality of life for patients and their families now and into their long-term futures.
“Our $4 million investment in Saskatchewan’s first Hospitals of Regina Foundation Pediatrics Chair in the Origins of Health and Disease marks the single largest contribution ever made by our foundation to a research project,” says Dino Sophocleous, president and CEO, Hospitals of Regina Foundation.
“This groundbreaking research chair aims to detect and prevent chronic disease in our young patients, potentially avoiding the development of chronic conditions in the future, which will give children and families across Saskatchewan greater opportunities to live their best lives.”
An accomplished clinical researcher will be recruited to build and lead a high-impact research program at USask. The new pediatric clinical researcher will strengthen USask’s Health and Wellness signature research area and collaborate with scientists studying early life, including USask’s Canada Research Chair on the Developmental Origins of Health and Disease in Indigenous People, to advance disease prevention strategies and improve health outcomes.
Recruitment for the Hospitals of Regina Foundation Pediatric Chair in the Origins of Health and Disease will begin in the coming months. The clinician-researcher will serve as a faculty member for USask’s College of Medicine and as a practicing pediatrician for the Saskatchewan Health Authority, caring for patients across the province. Additional support will be provided by the Government of Saskatchewan.
“The impact of this research chair is substantial and wide-reaching,” said Dr. Terry Klassen (MD), Provincial Department Head and Professor of Pediatrics, USask College of Medicine and Saskatchewan Health Authority.
“This new Hospitals of Regina Foundation Pediatrics Chair in the Origins of Health and Disease has the potential to enhance research capacity by strengthening existing collaborations and creating new opportunities to connect with researchers across the university and province, while expanding our presence at both national and international levels.”
— Submitted by USask Media Relations
