LHSC and St. Joseph’s unveil new research institutes

Cultivating local hospital innovation New medical research institutes were unveiled, combining the resources of at LHSC and St. Joseph’s. CTV London’s Reta Ismail reports.

London Health Sciences Centre (LHSC) and St. Joseph’s Health Care London (St. Joseph’s) unveiled new research institutes that they say are designed to strengthen hospital-based innovation.

Doctors, scientists, and researchers gathered Wednesday to celebrate what is being called the next revolution of research in London.

"We are going to strengthen the integration of research into clinical care to build on the strong foundation we already have established, where we're in many areas, provincial, national and international leaders need to grow, not just the activity in research, but the integration of research into clinical care," said Roy Butler, president and CEO of St. Joseph’s.

Lawson Research Institute at St. Joseph’s and London Health Sciences Centre Research Institute (LHSCRI) say they will leverage each hospital’s unique areas of clinical focus while further integrating research to advance discoveries that lead to improved patient outcomes.

The new institutes were announced at a launch event with guided open house tours taking place across LHSC’s Victoria Hospital, Children’s Hospital, and University Hospital, as well as at St. Joseph’s hospital and Parkwood Institute.

Attendees were able to experience signature research areas, including aging, mental health, and microbiome research at Lawson, as well as cancer, children's, and mental health research at LHSCRI.

"It's a fantastic opportunity for scientists like myself to show off the research we do to a London community and realize what international work we do day to day at London Health Sciences Center," said Dr. Matthew Teeter, LHSCRI Scientist.

The day included demonstrations of discoveries that the hospitals say are reshaping care in Ontario and around the world, including a new robotic body-weight support for people with mobility difficulties and studies using artificial intelligence (AI) to diagnose rare diseases.

LHSC and St. Joseph’s say they have been innovating for more than 150 years and the research institutes will build on the legacy of scientific excellence at both organizations.

"To create clarity from those who want to invest into research into this region, on where they should talk to, who they should talk to," said David Musyj, supervisor, LHSC. "But at the same time maintaining a close relationship between the two in order to advance research for the region and show we’re an attractive research mecca, by having the availability of a subacute versus an acute focus on research and having that available in one region is pretty impressive."

Research teams across Lawson and LHSCRI will continue to collaborate closely on projects and large scientific initiatives. LHSC and St. Joseph’s will also continue to share administrative support for research activities.