Grant: Embedded Clinician Researcher Salary Award - Western Canada

Approximately 0.5% of Canadians are diagnosed with the inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD), which consists of Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis. In Canada, we lose over $3 billion a year from the cost of IBD. Because ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease are chronic, incurable diseases of the young, the number of people afflicted by IBD continues to steadily rise in Canada. The goal is to prepare Alberta's healthcare system to meet the challenges that patients with IBD and society will face over the next decade from the rising burden of IBD. We will address this challenge by building models that predict the future needs to care for patients with IBD and then implement innovations in healthcare delivery that will improve the quality of care for patients with IBD. This research program is a partnership with Alberta Health Service's Strategic Clinical Network in Digestive Health. The SCN in Digestive Health is an evidence-based province-wide initiative that will reduce variations in clinical practice and ensure equitable access to high quality care for every Albertan with IBD.