Cancer rates are rising as the population ages – and cancer rates are already higher in the Maritimes than anywhere in Canada.
In 2001, Dalhousie Medical Research Foundation, Dalhousie Medical School and Cancer Care Nova Scotia took a visionary step. They seized the opportunity presented by a major bequest to the Foundation by the late Mrs. Beatrice Hunter, and joined forces to create the Beatrice Hunter Cancer Research Institute. QEII Health Sciences Centre/Capital Health and the IWK Health Centre soon joined the partnership, while the QEII Foundation, Canadian Cancer Society and Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation funded two new cancer research chairs. The collective goal of these partners: to build a world-class cancer research effort right here in the Maritimes.
The DCRP has made great strides in its first five years. Mrs. Hunter’s gift established the Cameron Endowment, which has helped DCRP recruit more than a dozen talented investigators, create new research facilities, and attract external funding. Dalhousie researchers are making discoveries that will lead to earlier detection, more effective treatments and potentially even the prevention of cancer.
Through the generosity of its donors, Dalhousie Medical Research Foundation is the largest funder of the DCRP, contributing $805,000 in 2006 alone. The foundation channels all its money for cancer research through the DCRP. This includes income from the Cameron Endowment, bequests and Molly Appeal proceeds designated to cancer research, and funds raised through special events like Pipefest and Ride for Dad.
Donors to the 2005 Molly Appeal helped cancer researchers purchase an essential piece of equipment called a gamma irradiator. This tool enables the researchers to decipher the chain of events that triggers cancer once the DNA of a cell has been damaged. This knowledge is the key to unlocking the door to cancer cures.
Click here to meet some of Dalhousie's leading cancer researchers