The region’s leading healthcare and academic institutions have re-signed a partnership agreement.
Erie Shores HealthCare, Hôtel-Dieu Grace Healthcare, St. Clair College, the University of Windsor, and Windsor Regional Hospital have once again united under the WE-SPARK Health Institute to strengthen their collaborative vision.
The renewal of a five-year Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was formally signed on Monday morning.
This agreement was first launched in March 2020, marking a significant milestone in the region’s health research journey.
Over the past five years, a number of achievements have been celebrated following success in research, education, and community engagement.
Its grants program awarded 85 grants totalling over $1.4-million, generating an additional $4.8-million in national and international funding.
Dora Cavallo-Medved, Interim Director of the WE-SPARK Health Institute, says their new five-year Strategic Plan will be released on May 1.
“We have a major focus in research in the areas of cancer, and mental health, and community health as well. And so that really is the culmination of the last five years of putting in that investment, and the strength, and the partnership across Windsor-Essex.”
She says in the last five years over $1.8-million has been invested in local health research.
“That in turn have allowed our researchers to begin and develop the research programs, new ideas for health research. We’ve always had health research in Windsor-Essex, but now what we’re doing is we’re working together. So these five partnered institutions are coming together and forming collaborative teams.”
Cavallo-Medved says there is a lot of ongoing research from the University of Windsor and patients at Windsor Regional Hospital.
“Looking at patient biopsies, and tissues, and doing a lot of genetic testing on those tissues so that we can come back and think about personalized medicine for our patients here in the community. And that’s a really important piece, that is the future of health care, and being able to work together allows us to bring those areas of expertise.”
The institute’s focus on training and mentorship has also had a significant impact, with over 2,000 students from Windsor-Essex gaining valuable experience and professional development through WE-SPARK initiatives.
WE-SPARK states that the region’s visibility in national health research has dramatically increased, with overall funding nearly tripling since the agreement was first signed.
-with files from AM800’s The Shift with Patty Handysides
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