The Centre for Health Innovation has a long history which began in 1968 when Dr. Charles Sorbie, the Head of Orthopaedic Surgery, recognized the need for a Bioengineer to implement current engineering expertise into orthopaedic and other surgical practices. Dr. Philip Lowe took on that role when he was appointed to the Division of Orthopaedics and the Biomedical Electronics Unit (which later became the Biomedical Engineering Unit), headed by Denis Lywood. Coinciding with this event was for formation of the Rheumatic Diseases Unit within the Department of Medicine. These developments led to inception of The Clinical Mechanics Group (CMG) that gained an international reputation for its research contributions in the area of orthopaedic biomechanics throughout the 1970s.
The CMG grew and was granted official university status in 1984. It’s founding researchers included Drs. Charles Sorbie and Derek Cooke (Department of Surgery, Division of Orthopaedics), Henk Wevers (Department of Mechanical Engineering) and Judy Durance (Department of Physical Medicine). In 1987, the CMG moved to the newly established Apps Medical Research Centre in Kingston General Hospital. The group grew to ten faculty members over the next decade and was funded in part by NSERC and MRC Grants.
Over time, with ongoing advances in musculoskeletal treatments integrating mechanical design, emergent biological techniques in regenerative medicine, information technologies and rehabilitation therapies, the group evolved to include researchers from a broader representation of disciplines interested in musculoskeletal research. These included biochemistry, chemical engineering, clinical psychology, computing science and information technologies, epidemiology, immunology, kinesiology, and rehabilitation therapy. Subsequent infrastructure resources were obtained to support this growth, and in 2002 the CMG became the Human Mobility Research Center (HMRC).
The HMRC was a collaborative model governed by Queen’s and Kingston General Hospital, with representation from the Faculties of Engineering and Applied Science, Health Sciences, and Arts and Science. The mission of the Centre was to help people live fuller, more mobile lives through the development of innovative and effective treatment strategies for bone and joint disorders caused by arthritis, osteoporosis, injury, and related problems.
After two decades of continuing to grow and foster collaborative research, the HMRC was in the position to leverage its unique interdisciplinary strengths to address the increasing complexity of today’s health and healthcare delivery challenges. In response, the HMRC once again evolved to become the Centre for Health Innovation (CHI).
The CHI will provide a multifaceted, radically interdisciplinary environment where numerous solutions-focused groups including clinician-scientists, basic scientists, social scientists, engineers, and humanities experts collaborate to tackle healthcare problems. By integrating insights from the frontlines of care to understand real-world experiences, the needs of patients and healthcare professionals, CHI will build an innovation platform that harnesses best-in-class health data to generate hypotheses, fuel understandings and monitor impacts. By engaging inspired investigators from multiple disciplines, who understand the creative and innovative power of inclusion, CHI will forge a path to the next generation of health solutions that will redefine better health for all.