$600,000 donation to London Health Sciences Centre and St. Joseph's Health Care London
LONDON, Ont. - 3M Canada announced today a donation of $600,000 to support the advancement of precision medicine at London Health Sciences Centre and St. Joseph's Health Care London, where researchers and doctors are applying science to life to improve patient care and outcomes.
"We are proud to be able to contribute to the advancement of Precision Medicine here in Canada," said Paul Madden, president, and general manager, 3M Canada. "At 3M we believe that science is just science until you use it to improve the world. Each of these programs do just that -- they apply advanced diagnostics to a combination of expertise and technology for the delivery of exceptional care."
At London Health Sciences Centre, 3M Canada's gift of $300,000 will support the purchase of key technology as well as laboratory positions for genomic diagnostics in Canada's first hospital-wide implementation of personalized medicine. Under the leadership of world-renowned clinical pharmacologist Dr. Richard Kim, the Personalized Medicine Program is focused on understanding the genetic differences between individuals and, in doing so, providing the right dose of the right medicine at the right time for every patient.
At LHSC, 3M's gift will enable the next phase of a personalized medicine approach to be deployed hospital-wide, starting with important medicines like warfarin.
"This 3M gift will help us transform the model of care, using personalized gene testing for precise diagnostics to increase patient safety and quality of care," says LHSC President and CEO Murray Glendining. "Dr. Kim's work also has the potential to reduce in-hospital stays by improving patient flow, freeing up beds and reducing treatment costs."
3M Canada's gift of $300,000 to St. Joseph's Health Care London will support the launch of a Research Chair in Molecular Imaging. This leadership will transform the future of knowledge, medicine and health care and ensure research studies continue to translate into new applications for patient care when it comes to accurate diagnosis and determining the best treatment options.
3M's gift to fund a Research Chair in Molecular Imaging at St. Joseph's will advance research in accurate diagnosis in many areas of care, including cancer, cardiovascular health, diabetes, and neurodegenerative disease and resulting in the best treatment options, earlier.
"Molecular imaging is a key enabler of 'precision medicine' -- interventions targeted to an individual patient's unique genetic makeup", says Dr. Gillian Kernaghan, president and CEO of St. Joseph's Health Care London. "Through 3M Canada's leadership support, we will advance knowledge at the very earliest stages of disease, so that we can deal with it quickly and effectively."
About London Health Sciences Foundation
London Health Sciences Foundation is a Canada Revenue Agency registered charity that is accredited by both Imagine Canada and the Better Business Bureau. We link our community and health care experts - including physicians, allied professionals, researchers, staff and educators - together in pursuit of medical excellence at London Health Sciences Centre (LHSC) and Lawson Health Research Institute. Established to strengthen LHSC's ability to provide the highest quality health care for patients in Southwestern Ontario and beyond, LHSF offers opportunities to enhance and advance health care by supporting discovery and innovation in research, education and patient care at our hospital. To see why donations are so important in supporting extraordinary care for patients, their families and friends at LHSC, visit www.lhsf.ca.
About St. Joseph's Health Care Foundation (www.sjhcfoundation.org)
St. Joseph's Health Care Foundation gathers, grows and grants philanthropic funds to enable St. Joseph's Health Care London to pursue excellence in care, teaching and research. Through donor support, the foundation contributes to advances in the delivery of patient care, specialized equipment, research initiatives and capital funds at St. Joseph's Hospital, Parkwood Institute, Mount Hope Centre for Long Term Care, Southwest Centre for Forensic Mental Health Care and Lawson Health Research Institute. As one of the largest charitable organizations in Southwestern Ontario, St. Joseph's Health Care Foundation is an accredited member of Imagine Canada's Ethical Trustmark Program, which recognizes the foundation's commitment to ethical fundraising and donor accountability.
About 3M
At 3M, we apply science in collaborative ways to improve lives daily. With $32 billion in sales, our 90,000 employees connect with customers all around the world. 3M Canada is headquartered in London, Ontario. Learn more about 3M's creative solutions to the world's problems at www.3M.ca or on Twitter @3M or @3M_Canada.
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MEDIA CONTACTS:
Alexander Peterson
Public Relations Manager
London Health Sciences Foundation
519-685-8527
alexander.peterson@lhsc.on.ca
Laura Janecka
Marketing and Communications Officer
St. Joseph's Health Care Foundation
519-646-6100 ext. 65449
Liisa Sheldrick
Communications and 3Mgives Leader
3M Canada
519-282-1457
lmsheldrick@3M.com