The development of the OneMatch Stem Cell and Marrow Network name was based on extensive research that included focus group testing across the country and online surveying. The new visual identity ranked highest for representing an organization that: matches donors with patients/recipients; helps save lives; is professional, national and trustworthy; and would cause Canadians to seek more information about the organization.

"Our primary objective in creating a new identity is to inspire more people
-- particularly younger Canadians of diverse backgrounds --
to sign up as potential stem cell donors," says Sue Smith, Executive Director, OneMatch. "By testing our brand concepts with internal and external stakeholders, the OneMatch identity came out a clear winner."

- Did you know that in Ontario, for example, people with diabetes make up six per cent of the population, they account for 43 per cent of heart failure cases, 30 per cent of strokes, and 51 per cent of new dialysis patients? And the numbers are growing. Each year, more than 60,000 people are diagnosed with diabetes. A recent study showed a 31 per cent increase in diabetes cases over five years in Ontario, and the numbers are expected to grow even faster in coming years throughout Canada.

- Over 2 million Canadians are affected by diabetes. Every eight minutes someone in Ontario is diagnosed with diabetes.

What CDA is doing in the field of research?

- We are pleased to announce our research commitments have exceeded $83 million in research funding over the past 30 years. This money is used nationally to fund a wide variety of diabetes research initiatives, from leading edge insulin research to applied research that could directly benefit Canadians living with diabetes.

- Over 6 million will be put towards research across Canada by the Canadian Diabetes Association. There are 5 researchers in Ottawa were funded in 2007. Your support will go to work immediately to sustain groundbreaking research that will improve care and ultimately, eliminate diabetes.

- At the Children's Hospital Eastern Ontario, Dr. Kristi Adamo is leading a study to evaluate obese children visiting their clinic. The evaluation will include blood testing, psychological testing, and assessment of activity levels, fitness levels, and eating habits. We will follow these children for 1 year. Relevance to Diabetes: This study will help us better understand how blood glucose control problems develop in obese children. The results may help us find better ways of preventing and treating obesity-related complications in this high-risk group.

- The Clinical Practice Guidelines for the Management of Diabetes in Canada developed by the Canadian Diabetes Association are evidence based clinical care guidelines for diabetes. These guidelines are used by doctors not only in Canada but are a standard of care for health care professionals around the world.

By combining the practice, science and teaching of cardiovascular medicine, we apply the latest insights, newest technology and most advanced expertise to deliver outstanding patient care, train the best cardiac specialists, coach allied health institutions in cardiac best practices, and pursue breakthrough research.

We serve the local, national and international community through cross-disciplinary cardiac caring, teaching and discovering, while placing the highest priority on the improved detection, management and prevention of cardiovascular disease.

We shape Canadian and global health care practices and standards by rethinking how cardiac care is administered, by developing and proving new therapies, and by putting proven treatment and prevention methods into wider use. We consider the human and economic toll of cardiovascular disease in shaping public and economic health policy, education and research.

Our Vision

The University of Ottawa Heart Institute strives to revolutionize our understanding and treatment of heart disease, and to play a leading role in eradicating it altogether.

Cardiovascular disease is a leading cause of death in Canada and around the world. While survival rates are gradually increasing, the effects of heart disease and the need for long-term medical treatment diminish the quality of life for many people. We aim to develop effective, efficient and lasting heart disease management strategies.

We are at the forefront of modern cardiovascular science and medicine to understand better the causes of heart disease, including population risk factors, genetic predisposition and lifestyle. When heart disease is no longer considered an inevitable consequence of genetics or aging, it is ultimately preventable.

We seek to make a lasting contribution by developing new knowledge and translating discoveries into advanced treatment, detection and prevention of heart disease.

Facts and Figures about the Heart Institute

Last year, the Heart Institute performed more than:

• 22,000 X-rays
• 9,200 stress tests
• 13,000 echocardiograms
• 37,000 electrocardiogram
• 2,800 cardiac computerized tomography
• 6,000 angioplasties to improve blood flow to the heart in 2007, compared with 1,300 in 2000
• 300 ablations to repair arrhythmia or irregular heart rhythm
• 6,000 coronary angiograms to test for blow flood to the heart
• 400 pacemakers implanted
• 280 defibrillators to even out an irregular heartbeat
• 240 'Code STEMI' heart attack patients, rushed into the Heart Institute for emergency angioplasties to open blood flow

Research: Someday physicians will diagnose and treat heart disease even before symptoms appear. Cardiovascular medicine is seeing a revolutionary change. That can only happen because of research and discovery - whether inside laboratories or inside the patient clinics at the Heart Institute where physicians, nurses, chemists and other researchers are learning to understand the root causes of heart disease.

• Research: Someday physicians will diagnose and treat heart disease even before symptoms appear. Cardiovascular medicine is seeing a revolutionary change. That can only happen because of research and discovery - whether inside laboratories or inside the patient clinics at the Heart Institute where physicians, nurses, chemists and other researchers are learning to understand the root causes of heart disease.
• In another laboratory, scientists are investigating how estrogen - generally known as the female hormone - can be stimulated inside the body to fight off the ravages of hardening of the arteries that lead to atherosclerosis. Researchers at the Heart Institute are examining estrogen activity in blood vessels to see how the effects of heart disease can be modified.
• The Heart Institute is leading a research team to Newfoundland to examine the accuracy of measure central body fat - the 'spare tire' that can settle around the abdomen and upper body - as a determining factor for heart attack, stroke, diabetes or atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries).