Medical research was the original goal of March of Dimes Canada, which was founded in 1951 as the Rehabilitation Foundation for Poliomyelitis with a mandate to fund research to prevent polio. With the discovery of the Salk vaccine in the mid '50s, the main focus of our organization changed, but our commitment to research remained. We continue to fund research through the following activities:
- The Jonas Salk Award, jointly presented by March of Dimes and Sanofi Pasteur for many years, acknowledges a Canadian scientist, physician or researcher who has made a new and outstanding contribution in science or medicine to prevent, alleviate or eliminate a physical disability.
- March of Dimes Canada Early Career Professorship in University of Toronto's Department of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy is a new and exciting initiative. This position is now endowed by March of Dimes Canada to provide a faculty member in the early stages of her or his research career with a well-established framework for investigating interventions and pathways to increase the independence and social integration of brain injury survivors.
MODC Funding History
March of Dimes Canada’s history in funding fellowships include the MODC/CIHR Biomedical and Rehabilitation Research Award that was established in 2002 through a partnership between March of Dimes and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and financed in part through the Rt. Hon. Paul Martin Sr. Biomedical and Rehabilitation Research Fund. The award supported new or significant contributions to science or medicine in the alleviation or prevention of a disabling condition. Eligible research related to the alleviation of physical disabilities, particularly work with the intended result of enabling adults with physical disabilities to participate more fully in community life. Two inaugural awards were presented in 2004, each consisting of an annual stipend of $38,000, plus a $3,500 research allowance per annum, for a maximum three-year period of support.
