After 18 months of construction and renovations, Health Sciences North Research Institute's (HSNRI) new home on Walford Road is open for business.
The $15-million project transformed the former St. Theresa School into a modern, state-of-the-art medical research facility, providing HSNRI with an additional 14,000 square feet, including three wet and dry labs, as well as research offices.
The extra space was much needed, said Dr. Janet McElhaney, vice-president of Research, and scientific director, HSNRI.
“We have reached overcapacity at our labs in the hospital,” McElhaney said. “This represents what we've been building toward for the last five years. It's an opportunity to have a dedicated facility to expand the science we've been involved in, with a focus on population health in the north, for the north, by the north.
“What's most exciting about this, is we have found a way to consolidate all our research enterprise into one location. This way, our bench scientists aren't working alone at the lab bench. Instead, they are connected all the way through to our social scientists who are looking at health from a different perspective.”
HSNRI was established in 2011 to address the health concerns of Indigenous and Northern populations, with research activities focused in the areas of cancer solutions, healthy aging, infection and immunity, and personalized medicine.
The research facility now employs 95 staff including graduate students and post-doctorate fellows who are becoming the next generation of northern scientists, said McElhaney. HSNRI scientists have attracted more than $21 million in research funding.
Funding for the project was provided by the government of Canada through FEDNOR ($4.9 million), the government of Ontario through the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation ($4.9 million), the Greater Sudbury Development Corporation ($1 million), and the City of Greater Sudbury ($750 thousand).
Karen Michell, executive director, Council of Academic Hospitals of Ontario (CAHO), called the opening of the new facility a historic day for research in Northern Ontario. CAHO represents 23 research hospitals across the province including Health Sciences North, with the mandate to make Ontarians healthier, wealthier and smarter.
Michell said the investments from all levels of government into health research will go a long way. In fact, research conducted with Statistics Canada shows that for every $1 invested in health research, there is a $3 return for your economy.
