On Thursday, September 1st, Ms. Wai Young, MP for Vancouver South, came to our department to make an announcement about the Canada Foundation for Innovation. The announcement is one part of a larger CFI announcement taking place across the country. The Canada Foundation for Innovation will invest $53 million to create the knowledge, solutions and new products and services that Canada needs to compete globally. This investment, made under the Canada Foundation for Innovation’s Leaders Opportunity Fund (LOF), will support 207 projects at 42 Canadian research institutions across Canada. John Hepburn, UBC VP Research, was on hand to explain the importance of the CFI program to our Department and the University.
Ms. Young was highlighting the work of Kristin Campbell, as one of twenty outstanding researchers who received Canada Foundation for Innovation funding recently. This infrastructure will allow Dr. Campbell and UBC to be leaders in the field of physical activity and cancer, with a unique focus on biomarkers in human intervention research focused on cancer rehabilitation and survivorship. Her CFI award will be used to purchase the first Bod Pod in BC, a system to accurately measure body composition without exposure to radiation that is required with the 
current standard measurement tool. She will also obtain a perometer to accurately measure limb volume, which is required for the next generation of research on breast cancer-related lymphedema and a cycle ergometer, to allow for safer graded exercise testing in individuals with balance and mobility issues than is possible using a treadmill walking test.
Kristin is one of many in our department who have benefitted from this funding this round and historically. Dr. Michael Hunt was also successful in obtaining funding this round. Dr. Hunt will be using his funds to equip his lab with state-of-the-art equipment that will allow simultaneous measurement and alteration of key joint kinematics and kinetics. The ability to accurately and efficiently combine joint kinematics with force platform and muscle activation technology greatly enhances the clinical applications of his research. His lab will be the only one in Canada with the combination of these pieces: a three-dimensional motion capture system capable of measuring movements (kinematics), forces (kinetics), and muscle activation patters during functional movements such as walking; a state-of-the-art real-time biofeedback system that enables the efficient collection and analysis of complex movement patterns and; a state-of-the-art audiovisual system to provide instantaneous audio and visual display of key variables relating to a patient’s movement pattern.