Western researchers earn $16.3M in CIHR funding

Western researchers received nearly $16.3 million in the latest Canadian Institutes of Health Research Project Grant competition. The money supports 17 projects across four faculties, spanning biomedical, clinical and population health work, plus one hospital-based project on emergency general surgery.

Penny Pexman, Western’s vice-president (research), said the support lets researchers in London keep leading efforts on current and emerging health challenges.

Dr. Robyn Klein, a Canada Research Chair in Neurovirology and Neuroimmunology, will study why some people have lasting memory loss after West Nile virus brain infections, and why outcomes differ between males and females. Her team has shown that the brain’s microglia stay chronically activated after the virus clears.

Piotr Wilk, a professor of epidemiology and biostatistics, will lead the first national study of Age-Friendly Communities, using health surveys, administrative data and community engagement to test whether they improve health outcomes.