Heart centre pumps up industrial core
New $100m cardiac research facility will improve lives around the world
March 12, 2010
Ken Peters
The Hamilton Spectator
http://www.thespec.com/News/Local/article/735999
THE DAVID BRALEY Cardiac, Vascular and Stroke Research Institute puts Hamilton at the leading edge of global heart research. The gleaming state-of-the-art facility will house 500 medical staff and link to the work of another 1,500 centres around the world.
It's 200,000 square feet of the best of Hamilton.
It's world class, state of the art and one of only a few of its kind in the world.
It's home to some of the best and brightest medical researchers in the world whose work will prolong and improve the lives of millions -- not just Hamiltonians, not just Canadians, but people in every corner of the earth.
And it's here. And it's ours.
It's the David Braley Cardiac, Vascular and Stroke Research Institute, a six-storey, $100-million complex. Amid much pomp and ceremony -- there were nine speeches, tours, videos, ribbon-cutting, cake-cutting, press kits and BlackBerries galore -- the crown jewel of Hamilton Health Sciences was officially opened yesterday. Federal Industry Minister Tony Clement was on hand for the opening ceremonies.
It's a centre for research efforts in heart and stroke prevention, diagnosis and treatment that puts Hamilton at the forefront in a collaborative effort that involves medical researchers in 1,500 centres in 83 countries.
The complex is located on the Hamilton General Hospital site. The building is named after Hamilton business leader David Braley, who donated $10 million for the project.
"It's a terrific day for the City of Hamilton and our community," said Braley, president of Orlick Industries Limited.
"Hamilton is changing and it's public/private partnerships that are making everything go."
The city's newest medical facility will house the Population Health Research Institute and the Thrombosis and Atherosclerosis Research Institute. Between the two, some 500 medical staff will work in the building, which features labs, meeting rooms, offices and some of the most advanced computers in the world. Many of the staff previously toiled in 12 substandard and antiquated research labs across the city.
It resembles a gala art gallery more than a medical facility. But Dr. Salim Yusuf, the executive director of the Population Health Research Institute, likens the facility to a bridge -- a structure that links cutting-edge research to practical bedside treatment.
Work conducted here just north of Barton Street will help to prevent strokes and heart attacks and provide better treatment for those who suffer them. This made-in-Hamilton project will improve the lives of literally billions of people, Yusuf said.
"Let's put it this way, heart disease and strokes are the No. 1 cause of death and disability in the world. Approximately 35 per cent of people in the world will eventually get heart disease or strokes and that is 35 per cent of 7 billion now."
It's appropriate the complex is located in the middle of the city's industrial heartland, Yusuf said.
"Hamilton is a city of real people and we're in the thick of it. I view the steel mills from my office and that is not only perfectly fine, that's a picture of the transition that will take place in this city in the next few decades."
Murray Martin, president and CEO of Hamilton Health Sciences, said the new complex puts the city on par with similar cardiovascular research centres at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina, and Oxford in the United Kingdom.
"It's a special day in the history of Hamilton," Martin said in his opening remarks.
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I've only been in the one level/conference room a few times, but it is really well done.
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