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Dr. Shawn Aaron awarded $4.2 million for research on asthma, COPD


October 24, 2017

Dr. Shawn Aaron has been awarded a prestigious Foundation Grant from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, worth $4.2 million over seven years.

While Dr. Aaron has recently received world-wide attention for his research on asthma over-diagnosis, this project will look at the opposite problem of under-diagnosis of both asthma and COPD. Some research suggests that up to 10 percent of Canadians have asthma or COPD, but don’t know it and are not receiving treatment. Dr. Aaron is currently leading the first randomized controlled trial that will systematically seek out and treat people with undiagnosed asthma and COPD. He will evaluate whether or not this strategy can improve health and reduce the burden on our health-care system.  

Foundation grants are meant to provide significant, long term support for Canada’s top health researchers.

The Ottawa Hospital: Inspired by research. Driven by compassion


The Ottawa Hospital is one of Canada’s largest learning and research hospitals with over 1,100 beds, approximately 12,000 staff and an annual budget of over $1.2 billion. Our focus on research and learning helps us develop new and innovative ways to treat patients and improve care. As a multi-campus hospital, affiliated with the University of Ottawa, we deliver specialized care to the Eastern Ontario region, but our techniques and research discoveries are adopted around the world. We engage the community at all levels to support our vision for better patient care. See www.ohri.ca for more information about research at The Ottawa Hospital.

University of Ottawa: —A crossroads of cultures and ideas


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Media Contact


Amelia Buchanan
Senior Communication Specialist
Ottawa Hospital Research Institute
Office: 613-798-5555 x 73687
Cell: 613-297-8315
ambuchanan@ohri.ca