Feb. 27, 2017 (Ottawa) – HealthCareCAN, the national voice of of healthcare organizations and hospitals across Canada welcomes last week’s release of the International Peer Review Expert Panel Report to the Canadian Institutes for Health Research (CIHR). Headed by Sir Peter Gluckman and distinguished international colleagues, the Panel was mandated to examine the design and adjudication processes of CIHR’s investigator-initiated programs in relation to its mandate, the changing health sciences landscape, internal funding agency practices and the available literature on peer review.
“The Review is an important next step on the part of CIHR and the Government of Canada in trying to rebuild trust and excellence in the health science community”, said Bill Tholl, President & CEO of HealthCareCAN.
The panel’s first recommendation, to increase the CIHR base budget is an important acknowledgement that insufficient funding can often lead to a myriad of other problems. HealthCareCAN and the members of H10 representing the country’s large research hospitals, remain hopeful that Budget 2017 will help Canada address this shortfall.
“HealthCareCAN appreciates the support of international colleagues for health research in Canada as was demonstrated through this review”, said Dr. David Hill, HealthCareCAN’s Research Co-Chair and the Integrated Vice President of Health Research at London Health Science and St. Joseph’s London’s Lawson Health Research Institute. “This review has provided very useful insights that will be beneficial for our research community“.
The members of the country’s research hospitals will be convening to review the specifics of the report in the coming days. HealthCareCAN looks forward to continued collaboration with CIHR, the federal government and its international partners to fully realize the Canadian advantage in the health and life sciences sector.
HealthCareCAN is the national voice of healthcare organizations and hospitals across Canada. We foster informed and continuous, results-oriented discovery and innovation across the continuum of healthcare. We act with others to enhance the health of the people of Canada; to build the capability for high quality care; and to help ensure value for money in publicly financed, healthcare programs.
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Media contact:
Lucie Boileau, Director of Communications, Marketing and Government Relations
lboileau@healthcarecan.ca
855-236-0213/613-241-8005 x 205 Cell: 613-462-5604