Dr. Frank Knoefel Appointed as Chair in Primary Health Care Dementia Research
11/08/2021
With an aging population in Canada, we can
expect the number of older adults who will experience dementia will increase,
making dementia and brain health research a critical focus at Bruyère. We are
pleased to announce Dr. Frank Knoefel has been appointed as the University of
Ottawa Brain and Mind - Bruyère Health Research Institute Chair in Primary Health Care
Dementia Research at Bruyère Health Research Institute.
“We are thrilled to have Dr. Knoefel accept
this Chair,” said Heidi Sveistrup, VP Research and Academic Affairs, Bruyère,
and CEO and Chief Scientific Officer, Bruyère Health Research Institute. “The
intersection of his experience as a primary care provider for older adults and
his extensive research portfolio is incredibly valuable in advancing research
that directly supports patients and caregivers across their journey through a
dementia diagnosis.”
“In Canada, the number of people diagnosed with
dementia has grown rapidly, creating a healthcare crisis that needs to be
addressed at multiple levels,” said Ruth Slack, PhD, Director, uOttawa Brain and
Mind Research Institute, Full Professor, Faculty of Medicine at the University
of Ottawa. “The uOBMRI is excited to announce the joint Chair in Primary Health
Care Dementia Research with Bruyère Health Research Institute appointed to Dr. Frank
Knoefel, a leader in this field. This is
a great opportunity for our institutes to work together to accelerate our
research programs in memory care and dementia prevention.”
Dr. Knoefel has
been a physician with Bruyère for 26 years, and was a part of the creation of
the smart apartment within the Bruyère Health Élisabeth-Bruyère Hospital 15 years ago. Since
then, the smart apartment has become an AGE-WELL national innovation hub, known
as the SAM3 (Sensors and Analytics to Monitor Memory and Mobility),
and Dr. Knoefel continues to work with AGE-WELL as the national lead of their
Cognitive Health and Dementia challenge area.
This Chair, created in partnership with the
University of Ottawa Brain and Mind Research Institute, the Department of
Family Medicine, and the Family Medical Associates of Ottawa, will be an
opportunity to expand upon Dr. Knoefel’s program of research, which focuses on
home monitoring technology as a mechanism for assessing functional ability in
older adults. The work on these sensor systems has grown impressively from its
first testing stages in the lab to being implemented in the community, clinical settings, and
retirement homes as it continues to advance and evolve through ongoing
research and partnerships with institutions like Carleton
and industry leaders such as Best Buy Health.
“As an Academic
Family Health Team, we are constantly striving to develop and implement new
best practice in primary care,” said Dr. Jolanda Turley, President of the
Family Medical Associates of Ottawa. “Supporting a research chair that is
centered on how we might provide diagnosis and treatment for older adults is
transforming care for our patients and team alike.”
“We are so delighted to be supporting the work
Dr. Frank Knoefel will pursue with this research chair,” said Dr. Clare Liddy, Chair
and Professor, Department of Family Medicine at the University of Ottawa. “His
clinical expertise as a family doctor combined with his dementia research focus
has the potential to significantly improve health care delivery for people
living with dementia in the primary care community.”