It has been a year of great impact, hope and change at the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute (OHRI).

Our clinical trials are continuing to provide new and innovative treatment options for conditions such as cancer, neuromuscular disease and critical illness. In addition to saving and transforming the lives of patients at The Ottawa Hospital (TOH), these trials are also changing how care is provided around the world.

At the same time, our laboratory discoveries are advancing our understanding of devastating diseases, providing hope for patients and families and fuelling the growing life science ecosystem in our region.

With world-leading platforms for discovery, biomanufacturing, clinical and implementation research, all embedded in one of Canada’s largest hospitals, we’ve been uniquely successful in bringing new therapies to patients and positive change to our health-care system. This success is reflected in our impact stories and fast facts for the last year.

For 25 years, OHRI has been the engine driving research forward at TOH, in partnership with clinicians and scientists. In addition to our impact on patient care and discovery, we’ve also created innovative tools to streamline research and move science forward effectively and efficiently, thanks to our outstanding research administration team. We’ve also trained and mentored thousands of graduate students, postdoctoral fellows and residents in partnership with the University of Ottawa.

In recent years, OHRI has become increasingly aligned and integrated with TOH. This growing integration has strengthened our ability to translate research into better patient care. The OHRI and TOH Boards have now agreed to move forward with a more complete integration, with oversight under a single joint Board of Governors.

A central goal of this work is to ensure that research remains a core priority within TOH, supported by governance and funding structures that enable it to thrive. Importantly, these changes also bring our organizational structure more in line with the largest and most successful research hospitals in Canada.

At the heart of this integration is the clear vision that research is care and discovery is our hope for tomorrow. As TOH continues to work towards the goal of reshaping the future of health care, a strong and integrated research enterprise will be more important than ever.

On behalf of the OHRI Board of Directors and Senior Leadership Team, we thank all our dedicated trainees, researchers, clinicians and staff for their hard work and commitment to world-leading science, innovation and patient care. We also thank the many patients, donors and partners who contribute to our research.

Paul Davidson
Chair, Board of Directors, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute

Dr. Rebecca Auer
CEO and Scientific Director, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute
Executive Vice-President, Research and Innovation, The Ottawa Hospital
Professor, University of Ottawa