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the last word Manitoba has been selected as one of the new Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) SUPPORT Units for patient-oriented research and trials, providing unprecedented, province-wide support to health-care researchers and clinicians. Federal Health Minister Rona Ambrose, Manitoba Health Minister Erin Selby, Dr. Alain Beaudet, President of CIHR, and Dr. Digvir Jayas, Vice-President, Research & International, University of Manitoba, announced $22.4 million in funding to launch the Manitoba SUPPORT Unit on Feb. 21 at the University of Manitoba. Support for People and Patient-Oriented Research and Trials (SUPPORT) Units bring together patients, researchers, clinicians and policy-makers to enhance patient care and health-care practices while helping to recruit and retain health- care professionals and patient-oriented researchers. The SUPPORT Unit infrastructure offers guidance, support and services to researchers and clinicians looking to improve the quality and quantity of clinical research in Manitoba, accelerating the integration of research findings into practice, especially as it relates to local health-care needs. On a practical level, the SUPPORT Unit will facilitate research by identifying patient needs and connecting researchers with experts in patient-oriented research. It will also help design research studies, and provide bio-statistical analyses, data management and access to data banks. Young investigators will be mentored through training in methodologies of patient-oriented research and its applications. The Province of Manitoba and the Government of Canada each earmarked $11.2 million in funding over the next five years for the Manitoba SUPPORT Unit housed in the George and Fay Yee Centre for Healthcare Innovation (CHI). CHI was established in 2008 as a partnership between the University of Manitoba and the Winnipeg Health Region, following a $2.5 million donation by University of Manitoba alumnus George Yee. CHI experts and leaders in the areas of Knowledge Synthesis, Knowledge Translation, Project Management, Data Science, Health System Performance, Evaluation and Real-World Clinical Trials will work interchangeably with each other and the SUPPORT Unit to develop projects that will challenge, innovate and transform the health-care system. Recently, the CHI was awarded silver in the Institute of Public Administration of Canada (IPAC)/Deloitte Public Sector Leadership Awards program for exceptional leadership in Canada's health- care sector. IPAC/Deloitte stated that the Centre received the hounour for "its solution to bridging and integrating academic research and practitioners' clinical expertise to create evidence-based decision-making and policy and leading-edge approaches to care to help Manitoba's health system meet the challenge of delivering high quality, cost-effective health care." We are very proud of our partnership with the Province of Manitoba, the Manitoba Health Research Council, the Government of Canada, the Winnipeg Health Region and CIHR to realize the SUPPORT Unit. The new SUPPORT Unit will foster multi-disciplinary collaborations to ensure the latest research and evidence are translated into improved therapies, policies, and health-care practices. Indeed, the CHI and the SUPPORT Unit will benefit all Manitobans by engaging patients and citizens as full partners in delivering high-quality care and improving patient experiences and outcomes. Dr. Brian Postl Dean of Medicine, Dean & Vice-Provost (Health Sciences), University of Manitoba Catalyst for Collaboration George & Fay Yee Centre for Healthcare Innovation named a national centre for patient-oriented research Dr. Terry Klassen (second from left), Academic Director, George and Fay Yee Centre for Healthcare Innovation, guides provincial Health Minister Erin Selby, federal Health Minister Rona Ambrose, Dr. Alain Beaudet, President of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, Dr. Digvir Jayas, Vice-President, Research & International, University of Manitoba, and Manitoba MP Rod Bruinooge on tour of research facilities. Photo: Daniel Gwozdz 50 WAVE

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