Dr. Shernaz Bamji
President, The Canadian Association for Neuroscience
Disorders that affect the brain and nerves are the leading cause of disability and the second cause of death worldwide. There’s an urgent need to develop innovative treatments and cures for hundreds of brain diseases and injuries that affect millions of Canadians.
Researchers in universities across Canada receive public funding — they work for you and for all Canadians. Discoveries that lead to therapies and new breakthroughs stem from years of research to understand the basic science of how the brain works. The Canadian government has a very important role to play in supporting basic research.
According to the latest data from the OECD, Canada is the only country in the G7 whose investments in research and development have steadily declined in the last 15 years. To meet the growing challenge posed by neurological conditions, the Canadian government needs to significantly increase its funding for health research.
Canada has a rich and diverse community of brain scientists, who approach this challenge from different angles. We have of course neurologists and brain surgeons who treat patients directly, but the development of innovative treatment avenues relies on new research.
Canadians can reach out to the government and tell them that health research matters to them and that it should be a budgetary priority in Canada.
Now is the time to increase investment in health research to support laboratories and highly qualified personnel who will make life-changing discoveries to promote brain health in Canada.
