Over 150 clinicians, scientists, and staff will be pioneering new treatments and cures and working on disease prevention strategies in the new Robert H.N Ho Research Centre.
The facility, adjacent to the Jack Bell Research Centre, is home to three internationally-recognized health research programs: the Centre for Hip Health and Mobility; the Ovarian Cancer Research Program, and an expansion of the Vancouver Prostate Centre.

The work being done within the Centre focuses on translational research, specifically in the areas of early detection and disease prevention. For example:

Researchers at the Centre for Hip Health and Mobility are leaders in understanding hip fracture prevention and early detection of osteoarthritis. They work together with biomedical engineers and orthopaedic surgeons to devise new surgical solutions to bone and joint health problems.

At the Vancouver Prostate Centre, scientists are zeroing in on understanding the progression of the disease – and what is happening when it reaches a treatment-resistant state – in order to develop new therapies to overcome the hurdles of treating advanced stages of prostate cancer.

Clinicians and scientists at the Ovarian Cancer Research Program are developing early screening tools for ovarian cancer, a disease for which there are currently no early diagnostic tests.

The Robert H.N. Ho Research Centre is a tribute to the excellence of health researchers at VCH and their focus on a collaborative, multidisciplinary approach to discovery and knowledge exchange back to the community. The building is designed to reflect and enhance these qualities with its cutting edge laboratories and collaborative work spaces.

“By uniting three elite research teams, we believe the Robert H.N. Ho Research Centre will act as an incubator for scientific inquiry, and facilitate innovative solutions to today’s and tomorrow’s health problems,” says VCH president and CEO, Dr. David Ostrow who helped officially launch the new facility. “The work these health researchers do – discovering the cause of diseases and providing a better understanding in how to treat and prevent them – will assist our 20,000 plus staff and health care professionals in delivering the very best in patient care.”

Robert H.N. Ho Research Centre Fast Facts

• Named after Mr. Robert H.N. Ho in honour of his $15 million donation to VGH & UBC Hospital Foundation to support health research and care.
• Official Opening: Sept 15, 2011 by the Honourable Michael De Jong, BC Minister of Health.
• The seven-floor Robert H.N. Ho Research Centre is 6,442 square metres (69,350 square feet).
• The facility is owned and operated by Vancouver Coastal Health.
• The Vancouver Regional Construction Association (VCRA) has chosen the facility as a finalist for one of their VRCA Awards of Excellence. The awards ceremony is October 19, 2011.
• The new building will house over 150 research scientists and clinicians, trainees, and staff from the Centre for Hip Health and Mobility, Ovarian Cancer Research Program, and Vancouver Prostate Centre.
• State-of-the-art facilities include the Laboratory for Advanced Genome Analysis, Imaging Microscopy Suite, Safe-movement Environment, Exercise Prescription Suite, and Biomedical Engineering Laboratory.

More information
Read the news release A New Era in Health Research at VGH: Robert H.N. Ho Research Centre officially open! for more information.

Source: Robert H.N. Ho Research Centre now open - Vacouver Coastal Health