Reverse brain gain in Canada

Reverse brain gain in Canada Tue, 25 May 2004 17:45:00


Ottawa, ON - After years of the country's lamenting the loss of some of its brightest minds and its failure to attract quality medical researchers, Canada's brain drain is slowly reversing course, with more and more leading researchers enamored of the country located north of the 49th parallel, according to a report in the Ottawa Citizen, the daily newspaper of the nation's capital.

In fact, according to Dr Robert Roberts (University of Ottawa Heart Institute, ON), Canadian research is on the verge of an exciting new era. A federal grant program has lured many top medical researchers and repatriated some of the country's own researchers back to the Great White North. This month, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research announced that seven distinguished researchers have been recruited to Canada, plus one Canadian returning, under its Institutional Establishment Grant.

"I think the next few years will be the start of a golden era of research," Roberts told the Citizen. The paper notes Roberts, president and CEO of Ottawa's Heart Institute, was recently named one of North America's top CVD experts by Castle Connolly, a US medical research and information company.

The article quotes several researchers who were enticed to Canada, all agreeing that the medical research landscape has altered in recent years. More infrastructure support and the promise of developing a research program very quickly were appealing to many researchers. In addition, Canada just "feels better," and most are happy with their decision, despite the country's higher taxes.

Dr Marc Ruel (University of Ottawa Heart Institute) is one of the recently repatriated Canadians. Despite being asked to stay, he returned from Harvard University in 2003 where he pursued a research scholarship and postspecialization fellowship studies.

"Research is becoming an international game," Ruel, whose clinical and research interests are new methods of cardiac revascularization and therapeutic angiogenesis, told the Citizen. "The US doesn't have the same role it had before."

Roberts agreed, noting he left Canada 30 years ago because he couldn't find enough "protected time" for research in a Canadian research institute. Today, however, more Canadian physicians are combining a career in research with one in clinical medicine. If medical researchers can count on 50% to 70% of their salaries coming from research sources, it's appealing to stay in or come to Canada, said Roberts.

In recent years, four other Canadians have been lured back to Canada and the heart institute. In addition, one prized international catch was Dr Thierry Mesana, who was born and raised in France but moved to Canada in October 2001 to become chief of cardiac surgery at Ottawa's Heart Institute.

Canadian Cardiovascular Society to establish new mandate Canada's national voice for cardiovascular physicians and scientists, the Canadian Cardiovascular Society (CCS), has recently launched a membership needs initiative. According a statement issued by the CCS, the initiative is an opportunity for the Canadian cardiovascular community to establish the future direction of the CCS and also build on its commitment to Canadian cardiovascular health. The goal of the project, known officially as the 2004 Member Needs Initiative, is to evaluate member and potential member perceptions about the society's services and to define their needs and expectations from the professional society. The CCS hopes to develop goals and values important to its members, while also making recommendations for future CCS products and services. To help carry out its goals, the CCS is working with the Ivey Business Consulting Group of the Richard Ivey School of Business (University of Western Ontario, London). The society will remain at arm's length, allowing members to provide objective feedback. The project begins this May with research and data collection, which the CCS hopes will translate into the development of a mandate representative of its membership by August. Twice monthly updates on the CCS initiative will soon be available at . More than 1200 medical professionals, representing cardiologists, cardiovascular surgeons, scientists, trainees in those fields, and other health professionals with an interest in cardiovascular health, are enrolled within the CCS. In addition to members throughout Canada, the CCS also has members from around the world. The CCS initiative has received unrestricted support from Aventis Pharma, Biovail Pharmaceuticals, Bristol-Myers Squibb Canada, Sanofi-Synthelabo, Merck Frosst Canada Ltd, Merck Frosst Schering Canada Ltd and Pfizer CanadaInc.

Related links 1. 2. [HeartWire > Murmurs; Dec 29, 2003] 3. [HeartWire > Murmurs; Jun 22, 2002] 4. [HeartWire > Murmurs; Mar 28, 2002] 5. [HeartWire > Murmurs; Nov 21, 2001]