A new institute at the University of Alberta will ensure health research gets to patients and communities faster.
The Dianne and Irving Kipnes Health Research Institute, established by a landmark $25-million gift from The Dianne and Irving Kipnes Foundation, will bridge the gap between scientific discoveries and health outcomes to improve health care for the people of Alberta and beyond.
"The Dianne and Irving Kipnes Health Research Institute will have a transformative impact for generations to come," says Bill Flanagan, U of A president and vice-chancellor.
"This remarkable investment will push the frontiers of knowledge, including exploring how artificial intelligence can help accelerate health-care solutions. It will exponentially increase what we can do as a university to improve lives in concrete ways."
The Kipnes Institute will bring together and support the U of A's world-renowned health experts from across different fields and areas of research. They will leverage Alberta's unique integrated health data system and the university's strength in AI to answer research questions and more rapidly turn their discoveries into practice, says Brenda Hemmelgarn, dean and vice-provost of the College of Health Sciences and dean of the Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry.
"It creates a health learning system, where use of data will guide decision-making, where AI will accelerate discovery, where clinical trials will validate breakthroughs and specialized programs will realize that full cycle from research to impact.
"The aim is to continuously improve health outcomes for Albertans and beyond, and it keeps the patient and the community at the centre of all we do," she adds.
The Kipnes Institute, based in the College of Health Sciences, will be situated in the newly renamed Dianne and Irving Kipnes Health Research Academy building, formerly known as the Edmonton Clinic Health Academy.
The meaningful impact the institute will have for patients reflects, in particular, the vision of the late Dr. Dianne Kipnes, who passed away in December 2024.
For Irving Kipnes, this institute is one more way that the University of Alberta matches up with his philosophy of giving.
"Philanthropy isn't just about writing a cheque — it's about believing in people, ideas and institutions. It's about helping them reach their full potential," he says. "When that belief in people is matched with resources, discoveries are made, opportunities expand and entire fields move forward faster than anyone thought possible."
The Kipnes Institute, under the vision of a director, will support key initiatives resulting in tangible benefits for patients through the power of AI applications, research to translate discoveries into applications for people and communities more rapidly, and a signature area of particular importance to Dianne Kipnes, dedicated to lymphedema therapies.
Driving discoveries through AI and data
Reflecting the U of A's strength as a top-ranked leader in AI and health in Canada, the Kipnes Institute will include the AI + Health Hub, positioning the university to help improve health care through data and evidence to inform decisions.
To help researchers expedite innovations in prevention, diagnosis, treatment and care, the hub will enable access to health data from Alberta — one of the few provinces with such an extensive and integrated network, Hemmelgarn notes.
"It's an unparalleled resource to utilize data and AI for driving discovery."
The recruitment of two Canadian Institute for Advanced Research Chairs, along with data analysts, will add to the U of A's existing expertise in AI, clinical research and health policy, speeding up development and use of technologies in everything from predicting length of hospital stays to modelling complex diseases.
Research for real-world impact
The Kipnes Institute is also home to a new Health Research Translation Unit that will provide the infrastructure and expertise researchers need to help get groundbreaking discoveries to patients more quickly and efficiently.
The unit will offer co-ordinated support for clinical trials, project management and data analysis, which reduces administrative work and quickens study timelines.
"Alberta will be the place where research discoveries reach patients in our communities not in decades, but in years or even months," Hemmelgarn notes.
