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Eleven Queen’s University researchers with appointments at Kingston General Hospital (KGH) are playing key roles in advancing patient-oriented research at the medical facility.

The Kingston General Hospital Research Institute (KGHRI), launched in 2010, brings together clinician-scientists and patients, expanding opportunities for those patients to partake in groundbreaking studies that could change the outcome or progression of their disease.

“Patient-oriented research became a strategic priority for KGH four years ago,” says Roger Deeley, Vice-Dean (Research), Queen’s Faculty of Health Sciences, and president. “Our goal was to increase research funding by 50 per cent in five years so we decided to create an independent, incorporated research institute. We wanted to make a statement that research was a major area of activity.”

With the support of the Southeastern Ontario Academic Medical Organization’s Clinician-Scientist Recruitment Program, 11 new clinician-scientists have been recruited from across North America and abroad. The doctors are conducting research in a number of areas including critical care, emergency medicine, cardiovascular and respiratory diseases and neurosurgery.

For the past four years, KGHRI has operated as a virtual entity, but plans are now underway to open a new clinical research space on Connell 4 at KGH. Queen’s and KGH are partnering to turn the 12,000 square foot space on Connell 4 into a centre for patient-oriented research across multiple disciplines. The new research space will join two existing specialized research spaces at the hospital: the Human Mobility Research Centre and the Gastrointestinal Diseases Research Unit.

Dr. Deeley says the cost to refurbish the centre is around $3 to $4 million. Thanks to Canada Foundation for Innovation grants and a donation from the Henderson Foundation, the project will move ahead following approval from the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care.

This story is the first in a series on the KGH Research Institute and the clinician-scientists recruited to work in the centre.