WINNIPEG, MB – A multidisciplinary team of health researchers including Dr. Charles Wong, UWinnipeg’s Canada Research Chair in Ecotoxicology, has been awarded a $2.5 million grant from the provincial government to reduce the problem of youth chronic diseases.
The Manitoba DEVelOpmenTal Origins of chronic diseases in children Network (DEVOTION) of the Children’s Hospital Research Institution of Manitoba (CHRIM) has received $500,000 annually for the next five years from Research Manitoba to advance the understanding of chronic diseases in infants and children. Working with policy makers, stakeholders, and patients, the DEVOTION cluster’s research will help discover new factors affecting the development of disease, and develop novel ways to prevent long-term health consequences to children exposed to adverse conditions.
“I am pleased to continue to work with the many outstanding scientists of CHRIM, in the DEVOTION cluster”, says Wong.
Wong’s research interests are in understanding the fate and effects of environmental contaminants in diverse settings ranging from wastewater-impacted waters to the home environment. A member of CHRIM since 2012, Wong has collaborated with CHRIM scientists previously on Canadian Institute of Health Research-funded research to understand potential linkages between exposure to household environmental contaminants and development of asthma. Since joining UWinnipeg in 2008, he has helped to raise nearly $10 million in external research funding.
“UWinnipeg is proud to be part of this research project,” said UWinnipeg President and Vice-Chancellor Dr. Annette Trimbee. “Collaborations such as these are important in finding solutions to improve the lives of that are affected by chronic disease.”
The Children’s Hospital Research Institute of Manitoba (CHRIM), founded in 2001, is the research division of the Children’s Hospital Foundation of Manitoba and a leader in pediatric research.
Research Manitoba provides funds for research in health, natural and social sciences, engineering, and the humanities in the province.
