What a glorious Fall --  blue sky and sunshine guiding us ‘back-to-school’ and providing a backdrop that presents the Centre for Hip Health and Mobility (CHHM) in its best light.

Thank you to all CHHM members, staff, trainees, friends and family who were able to join us on Thursday, September 8, at the Robert H.N. Ho Research Centre for an afternoon celebration and centre warming. Delicious catered goodies, some yummy cranberry drinks and lots of lively conversation was enjoyed by all. What a great opportunity to step back, reflect and gather together to celebrate this important CHHM milestone.

CHHM Director, Dr. Heather McKay shared some history of CHHM, “In 2002 we had the idea that if we joined forces we make a difference to the lives of people who suffer from mobility problems due to debilitating diseases such as osteoarthritis and fracture.”

The move from the Willow Chest Centre and the Research Pavilion made for a very busy summer. In June desks were emptied, file cabinets packed, labs dismantled and moving trucks loaded and readied to haul hundreds of boxes and pieces of equipment to our new facility.  Our move into the new Robert H.N. Ho Research Centre is nearly complete. Many helping hands guided the transition and  the CHHM Operations Team is grateful for everyone’s hard work and commitment to making the move as smooth as possible.

“That crazy dream from 2002 has today come to be,” said Dr. McKay. “We smile each day as we come to work as we now have at our disposal one of the best possible facilities worldwide in which to do our work.”

We hope everyone is using the stairs (there are only 144 stairs from the bottom to the top!) and enjoying the incredible views in the Multipurpose Room.

Next week, we open our doors to celebrate the Official Opening of the Robert H.N. Ho Research Centre. There will be a number of distinguished guests in attendance, including; major donors to the VGH & UBC Hospital Foundation, representatives from various levels of government, the University of British Columbia and the Vancouver Coastal Health Authority.