Research Funding Announced For Nova Scotia Researchers

The Nova Scotia Health Research Foundation today announced $5 million in funding for 33 health research projects which cover a broad range of health concerns for Nova Scotians. Research will be conducted on everything from biomedical laboratory research on the inner ear, to studies on computer use and workplace health, from teen pregnancy prevention, to how to help seniors avoid life-threatening falls.

In addition to providing for new projects and matching grants, more than $800,000 of this funding was awarded to Nova Scotia students completing their masters, doctoral and post-doctoral programs.

"Providing support to our research community is critical if we are to learn new and better ways to provide care to Nova Scotians," said Health Minister Jamie Muir. "We're contributing a significant amount of money towards the support of local research initiatives which will help us retain our top-notch clinicians, researchers and specialists, as well as to attract other talented individuals to the province."

Krista Connell, executive director of the foundation, noted that the projects and students were chosen from more than 130 applications submitted by individuals and organizations across Nova Scotia.

"Our goal is to foster health research in Nova Scotia and response from the research community and community groups has been very positive. We are looking forward to having even more outstanding applications next year," said Ms. Connell.

The four areas eligible for funding are health services research, which examines the management and delivery of health services; health outcome research, which investigates changes in the health status of populations as a result of health programs and services; health policy research, which assesses the impact of factors such as ethics, law and resource allocation; and medical research, including clinical investigations.

Ms. Connell noted that successful applicants were chosen by two peer-review committees, one for biomedical applications and the other for the remaining three key areas.

"Funds are awarded on the basis of merit, taking several factors into account," she said. These factors include the research qualifications of the researcher or research team, the merit of the proposal and the need for funds.

One multi-disciplinary research team, led by Dr. Anne Fenety of Dalhousie University's School of Physiotherapy, examines muscle and joint complaints, especially neck and shoulder pain. This pain is believed to be linked to prolonged sitting at computers. The population studied by this team is electronic-based sales and service representatives.

"The goal of this current project is to determine if these problems are connected to how people sit when they are on the job and if the problem is aggravated when the work pace is set electronically," said Dr. Fenety.

Another successful project, which is co-funded by the Canadian Health Services Research Foundation, focuses on dental health for seniors. The 24-month project, which has national implications, is being co-ordinated by Dr. Renee Lyons of Dalhousie University's Atlantic Health Promotion Research Centre and Dr. Mary McNally of Dalhousie's Faculty of Dentistry.

"We are investigating the need for an integrated set of polices and practices for managing seniors' oral health care," explained Dr. McNally. "We hope to develop a model that will serve as a prototype for all of Canada."

This is the foundation's second year of providing funding for health research. The Nova Scotia Health Research Foundation was established in 2000 by the provincial government to provide assistance to individuals and organizations conducting health research in Nova Scotia.

NOTE TO EDITORS: A complete list of successful applicants and a fact sheet summarizing their research projects are available by e-mailing <[email protected].>