Kingston General Hospital is ranked among Canada’s Top 40 Research Hospitals in a first-ever compilation that showcases the important role that hospitals play in the country’s health research landscape.
The list ranks each hospital based on how much research income it generated from all sources. With just over $16 million in research income in 2010 – a 4.4-per cent increase over 2009 – KGH comes in at position 27. What the report doesn’t show is that KGH has increased its research funding by 30 per cent since the survey.
“KGH is solidly among the top 40 research hospitals in Canada demonstrating that we are a recognized player in this important and competitive field,” says Dr. Roger Deeley, Vice President of Health Sciences Research at KGH.
Research Infosource found that the majority of research is conducted at general hospitals, with 22 general hospitals accounting for 69% of total research income received by the Top 40. Total research income of Canada's top 40 research hospitals was $2.1 billion in 2010, highlighting the crucial role hospitals play in Canada's research sector and overall economy.
“Research hospitals are a critical component of Canada’s national system of innovation,” says Ron Freedman, CEO of Research Infosource. “Hospitals are often the places where health research meets the challenges of the real world of patient care….Clearly, our nation’s leading hospitals are research powerhouses, and awareness of the importance of research hospitals in the national system of innovation is growing.”
In the future, as in the past, nearly every major advance in medicine will be at one time or other subject to a hospital-based study for safety and efficacy. Supporting cultivating patient-oriented research to make a real difference at the bedside is one of four directions set out in the KGH 2015 strategy. The hospital is moving this direction forward with the recent establishment of the KGH Research Institute.
“KGH has made great strides over the past several years in laying the foundation for a well-integrated research culture and we anticipate that we will significantly improve our position over the years to come now that we have established the institute,” says Dr. Deeley.
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