On July 26, during an event showcasing Canada’s leadership in research on age-related neurodegenerative diseases, Maggie Chi, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Health, announced a federal investment of $44.8 million, awarded through the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), to advance research on major neurocognitive disorders and healthy aging. This funding is part of the CIHR Brain Health and Cognitive Impairment in Aging (BHCIA) Research Initiative.
The Canadian Consortium on Neurodegeneration in Aging (CCNA) was therefore able to award funding to 16 new research teams, including the pan-Canadian AQUILA team led by Dr. Patrick Archambault and co-led by Dr. France Légaré.
AQUILA Living Lab – “Améliorer la qualité de vie des personnes âgées vivant avec une maladie neurodégénérative par l’étude de la mise à l’échelle d’outils soutenant les transitions de soins au sein des communautés francophones au Canada” (Improving the quality of life for older adults living with neurodegenerative disease by studying the scaling of tools supporting care transitions within Francophone communities in Canada). This team project aims to adapt, deploy, and evaluate concrete knowledge tools that will improve care transitions for people living with age-related neurodegenerative disease and their caregivers. This funding will not only make it possible to establish the pan-Canadian living lab approach initiated in the CONSTELLATIONS Living Lab, but also to tangibly integrate and mentor numerous students within Francophone communities, and to strengthen essential interprovincial collaborations to break down health system silos and sustainably improve care transitions for Francophones in Canada.
Funding: $1,075,000
Duration: 4 years – 2025-2029
Team members and collaborators:
Patrick Archambault, Nominated Principal Investigator, Université Laval, QC
France Légaré, Principal Investigator, Université Laval, QC
Danielle de Moissac, Principal Investigator, Université de Saint-Boniface, MB
Lise Bjerre, Principal Investigator, University of Ottawa, ON
Stéphanie Collin, Principal Investigator, Université de Moncton, NB
Marie Laflamme, Caregiver Partner, Quebec, QC
Brigitte Leger, Caregiver Partner, Winnipeg, MB
Denis Prud’homme, Co-investigator, Université de Moncton, NB
Solange van Kemenade, Co-investigator, University of Ottawa, ON
Antoine Groulx, Co-investigator, Université Laval, QC
Sharon Strauss, Co-investigator, University of Toronto, ON
Jaspreet Khangura, Co-investigator, University of Alberta, AB
Arlene Bierman, Co-investigator, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, MD, USA
Anne-Marie Savard, Co-investigator, Université Laval, QC
Sébastien Savard, Co-investigator, University of Ottawa, ON
Antoine Desilets, Collaborator, Société Santé en français
Sonia Nadeau, Collaborator, Alzheimer Society Chaudière-Appalaches, QC
Jennifer Zelmer, Co-investigator, University of Victoria, BC
Mwali-Nachishali Muray, Co-investigator, University of Ottawa, ON
Maude Laberge, Co-investigator, Université Laval, QC
Gabrielle Chicoine, Collaborator, Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute, ON
El Kebir Ghandour, Co-investigator, Université du Québec à Rimouski, QC
Simon Berthelot, Co-investigator, Université Laval, QC
Anne Totten, Co-investigator, Oregon Health & Science University, OR, USA
Stephan Hardy, Collaborator , Collectif LGBTQ+ du Manitoba
Unité de soutien SSA Québec, QC
Réseau Vitalité, NB
Healthcare Excellence Canada
RésoSanté Colombie-Britannique, BC
Martyne Audet, Research Coordinator, CISSS de Chaudière-Appalaches Research Center, QC
