In 2001, Dalhousie Medical Research Foundation, the Dalhousie Faculty of Medicine and Cancer Care Nova Scotia took a visionary step. They seized the opportunity presented by a major bequest to the foundation, and joined forces to create the Dalhousie Cancer Research Program. QEII Health Sciences Centre/Capital Health and the IWK Health Centre soon joined the partnership, while the 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. “The most tangible measure is the increase from 35 cancer researches holding over $2 million in research funding, to nearly 50 cancer researchers holding more than $5 million in research funding,” Dr. Grunfeld says. “While impressive, these numbers do not convey the exciting picture of dedicated scientists and research trainees focused on new discoveries in all domains of cancer research.”

Dr. Gerry Johnston adds that Dalhousie is now home to the fastest-growing cancer research group in the country, as measured by the key indicator of percentage growth in National Cancer Institute of Canada funding. “We’re recruiting the top investigators, developing and using the new technologies, and orging the partnerships to usher in his new era of early detection and intevention."