posted on Dec. 8: Childhood disability research at McMaster gets boost

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BY Veronica Billard, Health Sciences Public Relations

December 8, 2000

A $750,000 gift from the Jack and Ina Pollock Charitable Foundation will help to fund research at McMaster in the field of childhood disability.

The donation, announced on campus yesterday (Thursday, Dec. 7), will benefit three key areas of research at CanChild:

* the effectiveness of children's rehabilitation services;


* measurement of children's rehabilitation;


* the life experiences of children with disabilities and their families;

and will help support the creation of a chair in disability research.

“There are over 500,000 children and youth in Canada with disabilities that affect, in some way, their participation in daily activities. Families of children with disabilities experience increased rates of stress and can benefit from research, resources and information that will lead to improved outcomes for their children,” said Mary Law, associate dean of rehabilitation science. “Projects funded by this generous support will lead to new discoveries about effective interventions for children and youth with childhood disabilities, and the efficient and timely dissemination and use of research information in health care practice.”

McMaster University is a world leader in the area of childhood disability research. The CanChild Centre for Childhood Disability Research led by Law and Peter Rosenbaum, professor of pediatrics, is recognized nationally and internationally as a research Centre of Excellence. The CanChild Centre has influenced the field of childhood disability research significantly over the past 10 years.

Founded in 1997, the Pollock Foundation has continuously supported the School of Rehabilitation Science with particular interests in childhood disability research and the creation of the CanChild Program.

“Donald and Anne Pollock, as trustees of the Jack and Ina Pollock Charitable Foundation named for Donald's parents, continue the Pollock family history of being great friends and supporters of McMaster's Faculty of Health Sciences,” said Peter George, president and vice-chancellor of McMaster University.