B.C. will be home to a centre that will lead the way in North America by uniting brain health and patient care, announced the Honourable John Duncan, Minister of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada, and Health Minister Michael de Jong, who attended today’s groundbreaking at UBC Hospital.

Uniting psychiatry, neurology and neuroscience, the Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health will revolutionize brain health by bringing research together with care. All the areas of brain health will be under one roof, housing hundreds of scientists and health-care professionals who will treat and pioneer new treatments and cures for patients affected by brain diseases and injury.

Brain diseases result in a significant drain on workforce resources and challenge our health-care system. This new centre will promote effective and efficient use of health-care resources by getting British Columbians access to early intervention and the best possible treatment to promote rapid recovery. Patients will receive better care as the centre is designed with their special needs in mind. It offers immediate access to clinical trials.

It’s also a teaching centre that will be used by hundreds of University of British Columbia faculty of medicine students who will have access to state-of-the-art facilities and the ability to learn from leaders in the field of brain health.

Cost of construction for the centre is $68.8 million. The Province is contributing $28.24 million to the facility, which includes $25M from the Ministry of Health and $3.24 million from the BC Knowledge Development Fund. The Government of Canada contribution of $13.24 million to the construction includes $3.24million through the Canada Foundation for Innovation and $10million through Industry Canada.

The building is named after Vancouver philanthropist Djavad Mowafaghian in honour of his $15-million donation to UBC. A $5-million donation was received through the faculty of medicine from the Townsend family. Other private donations totalled $4 million.

The centre will bolster the Province’s ability to recruit and retain scientists and health professionals as well as help power B.C.’s biotech industry into the future.

The facility is scheduled to open in 2013. Construction is expected to create close to 1,600 jobs.

Quotes:

“The work that will be undertaken by the talented researchers at this centre will result in new treatments for Canadians suffering from brain diseases and disorders.”

“The research advancements and knowledge generated by this new centre will, without a doubt, play a pivotal role in improving our country’s standard of living and quality of life.”

Honourable John Duncan, Minister of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada, on behalf of the Honourable Gary Goodyear, Minister of State (Science and Technology) -

“B.C.’s life sciences sector has a track record of commercializing breakthrough treatments for hard-to-treat diseases, bringing new treatments and new hope to people around the world.”

“After creating nearly 1,600 jobs during construction, this new centre will continue to provide employment for British Columbians as discoveries made there expand our knowledge economy.”

Dr. Moira Stilwell, Parliamentary Secretary for Industry, Research, and Innovation-

Our goal is to literally revolutionize how we currently treat and approach brain health. By bringing together our researchers and health-care teams, we can offer every patient the chance to participate in research studies, as well as the opportunity to be provided with the latest in treatment, prevention, and education. The facility will also be specifically designed to better serve the special needs of brain health patients and will provide those services under one roof.

Dr. David Ostrow, president and CEO, Vancouver Coastal Health -

“It is my hope that this facility will help lay the foundation for future discoveries in brain health and making a difference in the lives of the children of British Columbia and beyond.”

Djavad Mowafaghian -

Quick Facts:

Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health

• Location: UBC Hospital.
• Size: 12,500-square metres (134,500 square feet) and six floors.
• Special features:

• Designed to integrate research with patient care with the building infrastructure inspiring and encourage high levels of collaboration, including specifically designed open laboratories, meeting and work spaces.
• A five-storey neuron atrium connecting the research and clinical space.
• The clinical space is designed to help meet the needs of brain health patients with mobility and cognitive impairments. Care has been taken to minimize the distances patients must walk, simplifying their way and providing numerous rest places.
• As a teaching facility, it will have larger exam rooms and work spaces allowing for learning and instruction during clinical activities.
• The centre will have many special features to support research activity, including a brain tissue and DNA bank, containing information collected from consenting patients. This forms the backbone of many research studies like identifying genetic risk factors for diseases.
• The facility will be joined with the existing Koerner pavilion by a skyway that intersects at the brain research centre, allowing researchers easy access to existing labs.

• Design: LEED Gold Building - Green Building design with a suite of sustainable strategies, focused on reduced energy consumption and water conservation and opportunity for LEAN design in service operations.
• Partnership: the centre is a partnership between Vancouver Coastal Health and UBC. The facility is owned and built by UBC with patient space leased by VCH and research space jointly managed by UBC faculty of medicine and VCH Research Institute.

Djavad Mowafaghian

• Djavad Mowafaghian (pronounced 'Jah-vahd Moe-uh-fay-gee-uhn') was born in Iran in 1927 and moved to Vancouver in 1987.
• In 2003, he created the Djavad Mowafaghian Foundation with a mandate to better the lives of children through health and education.
• More than 20 organizations in British Columbia have benefited from his philanthropy including B.C. Children's Hospital, Lions Gate Hospital Foundation, Simon Fraser University and UBC.
• In 2009, Mowafaghian received an honorary degree from Simon Fraser University for his philanthropy and humanitarian efforts.

Learn more

• To see the facility design, visit: www.centreforbrainhealth.ca.
• The Djavad Mowafaghian Foundation: www.mowafaghianfoundation.com
• Brain Research Centre: www.brain.ubc.ca.
• VGH & UBC Hospital Foundation: www.worldclasshealthcare.ca.
• Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute: www.vchri.ca.
• UBC Faculty of Medicine: www.med.ubc.ca

Broadcast-standard video:

• http://ow.ly/72pPa

Photos on Flickr:

(flickr.com)

Contacts:

Ryan Jabs
Media Relations Manager
Ministry of Health
250 952-1887 (media line)

Gary Toft
Director of Communications
Office of the Honourable Gary Goodyear
Minister of State (Science and Technology)
613 943-7599

Brian Kladko
Public Affairs
University of British Columbia Vancouver
604 822-2234
778 838-4169 (cell)

Lisa Carver
Regional Communications Leader
Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute
604 875-4111 ext: 61777
604 319-7533 (cell)