New chair a first

Kidney research attracts investment of $7.2 million

The Kidney Foundation of Canada has announced the creation of the largest research chair in the history of the University of Calgary’s Faculty of Medicine—and the first chair of its kind in kidney research in Canada.

The chair will be funded through a unique partnership between the Kidney Foundation and Reach!, the joint fundraising initiative of the Calgary Health Region and the U of C.

To date $3.2 million has been raised for the chair including a leadership gift from long-time kidney health supporters, Roy and Vi Baay of Calgary, who donated a gift of $1 million. Once matching funds from the Government of Alberta are invested, the Roy and Vi Baay Chair in Kidney Research will total $7.2 million.

“As Vi and I looked back on our lives in this province, we knew we wanted to give something to Albertans,” says Roy Baay, who was diagnosed with kidney disease in 1988. “Thanks to the efforts of my doctor and a new treatment, I was given a second chance. Maybe with this donation, Vi and I can help others beat their kidney health problems as well.”

The Roy and Vi Baay Chair in Kidney Research will be an internationally recognized leader in kidney research and patient care, and will attract additional experts in the field to Calgary, says Dr. Nairne Scott-Douglas, medical director of the Southern Alberta Renal Program for the Calgary Health Region.

Dr. Tom Feasby, dean of the Faculty of Medicine, says the new chair will help the faculty built upon a critical mass of expertise in kidney disease. “This is a tremendous investment in kidney research, education and clinical care. It will mean Albertans will have access to the very latest developments in kidney research and care.”

Kidney disease can strike anyone at any age; each day an average of 14 Canadians learn their kidneys have failed. Kidney disease is on the rise, and southern Alberta has one of the highest rates in Canada.

“The Kidney Foundation of Canada’s commitment to research has yielded important advancements in the treatment and care of people affected by kidney disease,” says Dr. Julian Midgley, president of the Kidney Foundation of Canada, Southern Alberta Branch and chief of pediatric nephrology at the Alberta Children’s Hospital. “As part of a national kidney research agenda, the Southern Alberta Branch is very pleased to partner with the University of Calgary and the Calgary Health Region through the Reach! campaign.”

Ken King, co-chair of Reach!, says the chair in kidney research is a key project of the Reach! campaign.

“The Kidney Foundation of Canada is an important community partner and their efforts, in conjunction with Roy and Vi Baay, speak to the power of partnership,” he says. “This very generous gift will help bring together the best and the brightest to challenge the advancement of kidney disease.”