December 2016                                                Vol. 10

 
 
One of the real joys of the holiday season is to take the opportunity to say thank you to our supportive community who has made 2016 such a productive year. Thank you and best wishes for a wonderful holiday and a very happy new year.
CANCER RESEARCH CONFERENCE A BIG SUCCESS

On Saturday, November 19, 2016, WCRG hosted its 3rd Biennial International Cancer Research Conference at Caesars Windsor. The conference was attended by over 160 scientists, clinicians, nurses, research associates, administrators and students who came together from Windsor-Essex, our neighbouring communities of London and Michigan and other Canadian research institutions to share their latest research findings.  

The conference featured two keynote speakers, Dr. Elizabeth Eisenhauer from Queen's University and Kingston General Hospital (Kingston, ON) and Dr. Shoukat Dedhar from the University of British Columbia and the BC Cancer Agency (Vancouver, BC). 

Check out the conference program, some pictures from the day and the media coverage.   
WCRG RESEARCHER SNAPDSHOT 

WCRG has partnered with snapd Windsor to highlight our WCRG cancer researchers through a feature called "WCRG Researcher Snapdshot". Interviews can be found in the print edition of snapd Windsor and on the WCRG website. The goal of these "Snapdshots" is to raise awareness about the cancer research conducted in Windsor-Essex and stimulate new research collaborations. Be sure to pick up the latest edition of snapd Windsor! See the five researchers featured in 21016 on the WCRG website.
WCRG BENEFITS FROM CAESARS CONCERTS FOR A CURE
Caesars Windsor just concluded it's 4th Concerts for a Cure, a unique fundraising initiative during Breast and Prostate Cancer awareness months. For every show ticket purchased in October or November, Caesars Windsor donated $1 to Cancer Awareness. WCRG is honoured to be one of this year's beneficiaries along with the Pajama Angels. The funds will go directly to support cutting-edge equipment for cancer research. Read more    
2016 SEED4HOPE AWARDS
Drs. Michael Dufresne, Josee Jarry, Sindu Kanjeekal and John Hudson  
On October 26th, the  Windsor Cancer Centre Foundation, announced the 2016 Seeds4Hope awards. Congratulations to this year's Seeds4Hope recipients, Dr. Josee Jarry, Dr. Sindu Kanjeekal and Dr. John Hudson. Read more about these awards. 
 
The  Windsor Cancer Centre Foundation, together with the  University of Windsor,   Windsor Regional Hospital and the Windsor Cancer Research Group also held its 3rd annual Seeds4Hope Community Seminar Series. The seminar showcases the cancer research supported by the local Windsor-Essex Seeds4Hope grants. This year's presenters were three previous grant recipients: Dr. Andrew Swan, Dr. Lisa Porter and Dr. John Hudson (co-presented by Dr. Sindu Kanjeekal). Thank you to our presenters and to all who attended!  
BUILDING RESEARCH COLLABORATIONS
THINK TANKS
In 2016, WCRG developed a Cancer Research Think Tank series that brings pe o p l e together to s hare research ideas in an effort to build collaborative projects and increase the number o f cancer research grant submissions. In 2016, we hosted 3 Think Tanks that included over 70 research ers from a variety of disciplines and institutions. All Think Tank outcomes and updates can be found on our website. 

VISIONING SESSION
On December 14th, WCRG participated in a visioning session hosted by Windsor Regional Hospital Programing and Services Steering Committee - which oversees planning for the new Windsor-Essex Hospitals System. It was an exciting morning that marked the first step in leaders coming together to create a vision for health education and research in the Erie St. Clair LHIN. Read more.