Dr. Tiago Mestre A personalized approach for Parkinson’s care pioneered in Ottawa will soon be tested in Europe, thanks to a prestigious $2.2 M grant. This approach, called the Integrated Parkinson’s Care Network, was developed by Drs. Tiago Mestre and David Grimes. People living with Parkinson’s identify their care goals with the help of an expert nurse, who coordinates referrals to specialists in the hospital or community. This approach has the potential to improve quality of life with little cost to the health care system. The researchers also plan to develop digital health technology to empower patients and make care available independent of geographic location. Already piloted in Ottawa with 100 participants, the international project will implement the program in Parkinson’s care centres in six European countries. Researchers will study how the program can be developed and how it performs in different social and cultural contexts and health care systems. The project received $2.2 M from the EU Joint Programme on Neurodegenerative Disease Research and $350,000 from Canadian Institutes of Health Research.
“I’m excited about this project because it has the potential to make a real difference for our patients, and the results can impact patients’ lives today,” said Dr. Tiago Mestre, a Parkinson’s neurologist, associate scientist at The Ottawa Hospital and assistant professor at the University of Ottawa.
This research is also supported by generous donors to The Ottawa Hospital, the Parkinson Research Consortium, LesLois Foundation and the University of Ottawa Brain and Mind Research Institute.
Ottawa Co-Investigators: Monica Taljaard, Kednapa Thavorn, Jennifer Chandler (Faculty of Law), Luc Bonneville, Sylvie Grosjean (School of Communication), Eric Crighton (Department of Geography, Environment and Geomatics), Jeongwon Park and Abdulmotaleb El Saddik (Faculty of Engineering)
European Partners: Carsten Eggers, Álvaro Sanchez-Ferro, Olivier Rascol, Timothy Lynch, Evžen Ružicka
Core resources: Ottawa Methods Centre
The Ottawa Hospital: Inspired by research. Driven by compassion
The Ottawa Hospital is one of Canada’s largest learning and research hospitals with over 1,100 beds, approximately 12,000 staff and an annual budget of over $1.2 billion. Our focus on research and learning helps us develop new and innovative ways to treat patients and improve care. As a multi-campus hospital, affiliated with the University of Ottawa, we deliver specialized care to the Eastern Ontario region, but our techniques and research discoveries are adopted around the world. We engage the community at all levels to support our vision for better patient care. See www.ohri.ca for more information about research at The Ottawa Hospital.
University of Ottawa: —A crossroads of cultures and ideas
The University of Ottawa is home to over 50,000 students, faculty and staff, who live, work and study in both French and English. Our campus is a crossroads of cultures and ideas, where bold minds come together to inspire game-changing ideas. We are one of Canada’s top 10 research universities—our professors and researchers explore new approaches to today’s challenges. One of a handful of Canadian universities ranked among the top 200 in the world, we attract exceptional thinkers and welcome diverse perspectives from across the globe. www.uottawa.ca
Media Contact
Amelia Buchanan
Senior Communication Specialist
Ottawa Hospital Research Institute
Office: 613-798-5555 x 73687
Cell: 613-297-8315
ambuchanan@ohri.ca
