Alleviating the burden of a complex disease
From left to right: Jean-François Côté, Marie-Bénédicte Pretty, Claude Leblanc, Rémi Rabasa-Lhoret, Léon Gosselin, Diane Gosselin, Mila Mulroney, Ruth Steinberg, David Steinberg, Marc Steinberg and Jean Beaulieu.
The Montreal Clinical Research Institute (IRCM) and the IRCM Foundation are pleased to announce the launch of the Mila and Brian Mulroney Philanthropic Chair in Diabetes at the IRCM.
This ambitious philanthropic chair project at the IRCM is generously supported by the family of former Prime Minister Brian Mulroney and other donors. The mission of the Chair is to prevent the onset of type 1 diabetes, to alleviate the individual and social burden of this chronic disease and, ultimately, to promote its cure. It aims to raise ten million dollars over a ten-year period, to achieve these objectives. The Chair will also support work on rare forms of diabetes, such as diabetes secondary to cystic fibrosis. Mr. Mulroney, who knew the IRCM well, wanted to support the Institute in its missions of care, research and training of the next generation.
‘’3.7 million Canadians have diabetes. This includes 1.2 million Quebecers. My husband, Brian, was diagnosed with this disease in 2005. Thanks to the support of Dr. Rabasa-Lhoret's team, his treatment was simplified and significantly reduced the risk of complications. In his daily life, Brian saw the positive impact of research. It enabled him to go about his activities as normal.’’
-Mrs. Mila Mulroney
‘’Mr. Mulroney had the well-being of the community at heart, and did not hesitate to invest personally, over the years, in many of the Foundation's activities. We are very grateful to him. This philanthropic chair in the name of Mila and Brian Mulroney will enable us to perpetuate his commitment to the IRCM, for the benefit of the population’s health.’’
- Mr. André Couillard, Chairman of the IRCM Foundation
‘’We are grateful and proud to receive the invaluable support of Mrs. Mila Mulroney for this major project, which will benefit patients in so many ways.’’
-Dr. Jean-François Côté, President and Scientific Director of the IRCM
‘’Over the next ten years, we aim to become a major player in the prevention, improved care and cure of type 1 diabetes, as well as rare forms of diabetes. To achieve our ambitious goals, we place patients at the heart of our projects, we bring together a critical mass of talented researchers and we train the next generation of scientists. ‘’
- Dr. Rémi Rabasa-Lhoret, Director of the Metabolic Diseases Research Unit and Director of the IRCM Diabetes Clinic.
The unique expertise of the IRCM Clinic
The IRCM, affiliated with the Université de Montréal, offers a privileged context for the deployment of such a Chair. The IRCM Diabetes Clinic is one of the largest in Eastern Canada to offer care for adult patients living with type 1 diabetes. It also offers specialized care for people living with rare diabetes, such as diabetes secondary to cystic fibrosis. All care and research projects are developed in conjunction with patient partners.
The raisons for a Philanthropic Chair in Type 1 Diabetes, in brief
- To improve care while developing and refining diagnostic, preventive and curative strategies.
- To develop an innovative specialized multidisciplinary care offer with a personalized approach, in order to validate and optimize best practices.
- To develop teaching programs for patients, their families and healthcare professionals, in order to train the next generation of doctors;
- To fund innovative research projects.
About the IRCM Foundation
Excellence in research - research that improves and changes people's lives - requires sustained and concerted efforts. Since 1974, the IRCM Foundation has mobilized the business community, private foundations, major philanthropists, and the general public to contribute to the IRCM's strategic development. The Foundation enables the Institute to accelerate the understanding of diseases and the discovery of new ways to overcome them, to promote these discoveries, to provide personalized care to the Clinic's patients, and to train future scientists for the next generation of medical researchers.
