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null RI-MUHC opens dedicated headquarters for outcomes research

Last Thursday, researchers, staff and donors of the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre (RI-MUHC) gathered to celebrate the official opening of the Centre for Outcomes Research and Evaluation (CORE)  in its new home on 5252 boulevard de Maisonneuve. Created in 2013, CORE comprises more than 90 experts in epidemiology, biostatistics, clinical trials and health services research who work to improve the health and health care of Canadians. Previously scattered in various locations, the majority of these researchers and their 350 trainees and professional staff are now finally united under one roof. Funding for the new infrastructure, which is located a few steps away from the Glen site, was supported in large part by the MUHC Foundation via The Best Care for Life Campaign and by the federal-provincial Strategic Investment Fund.


“CORE’s researchers strive to prevent illness, develop and test new diagnostic tools and treatments, and improve health care across the lifespan,” says CORE Director Dr. Michael Kramer. “The road between discovery and translation of results from CORE research is often quite short.  With nearly $100M in research funding received over the last four years, our researchers have made outstanding contributions to developing clinical programs and strategies to improve maternal and child health, cardiovascular disease, cancer, depression, diabetes, and other chronic diseases.”
 


CORE Associate Director Dr. Kaberi Dasgupta outlined some examples of the groundbreaking work happening at CORE, with multidisciplinary research teams. 

“We are tackling undiagnosed HIV with a multilingual award-winning app for self-testing,” she says. “We’ve proven that doctors prescribing steps and step count monitors can improve sugar control in type 2 diabetes. We’re trying to reduce falls with remote coaching and technology-enabled ‘smart’ shoe soles. We’ve shown that traits and roles traditionally associated with women are linked with repeat heart attacks. We’ve found that postpartum depression can happen in dads as well as moms. CORE scientists bring the evidence to evidence-based medicine.”

“The CORE will provide young scientists-in-training with a rich, stimulating learning environment,” says RI-MUHC Interim Executive Director Dr. Bruce Mazer. Dr. Mazer hopes the tunnel linking the CORE and the Glen site will be frequently used, “so our researchers and students work together and our programs are highly integrated.”