Heart Beat for the Future

With a view to fostering the Montreal Heart Institute’s innovative approach and contributing to its sustainable development, the MHI Foundation launched the Heart Beat for the Future campaign in 2006 to partially meet the financial requirements of the Institute’s Investing in Excellence development plan.

Heart Beat for the Future Co-Chairs André Desmarais, Serge Godin and Michael J. Sabia were delighted that the capital campaign’s objective of $60 million exceeded all expectations. Thanks to the generosity of the Foundation’s donors, results were at $70 million in 2009.

But, given that it is more and more difficult for government to meet the needs of an aging population and of a younger generation which is increasingly at risk due to lifestyle habits, the Institute has asked the Foundation to increase its funding to complete Investing in Excellence.

Message from the Co-Chairs

André Desmarais

Serge Godin

Michael J. Sabia

We are deeply honoured to serve as co-chairs of the Montreal Heart Institute Foundation's Heart Beat for the Future campaign.

A distinguished centre of excellence in care giving and knowledge transfer in the field of cardiology, the Montreal Heart Institute (MHI) is an undisputed leader in Canada, a respected partner worldwide and an unmistakable point of reference of which we are proud.

Yet, the MHI's major accomplishments cannot eclipse the fact that cardiovascular disease remains a major cause of death in Quebec and Canada. We urge you to address this pressing societal issue by contributing to the MHI’s projects through the Heart Beat to the Future campaign.

The MHI needs strategic funding to advance research in cardiology and to maintain its position as an international leader in both technological development, and basic and clinical research.

The MHI must also actively pursue its mission of training our brightest young professionals in an environment that measures up to the top academic training centres in the world. Furthermore, as a proven leader in the prevention of cardiovascular disease, the MHI intends to completely fulfill its responsibility in building awareness and providing services in the community.

The Montreal Heart Institute also needs to renovate its infrastructure and purchase state-of-the-art medical equipment if it is to continue providing Quebecers with ultra-specialized and minimally invasive care.

We heartily endorse these objectives and call on your generosity to enable the MHI to meet the Heart Beat for the Future challenge. Let's join forces to actively contribute to its development and growth, for our own well-being and

Investing in Excellence

Through the Heart Beat for the Future campaign, the Institute can pursue its goal of providing highly specialized services that foster cardiovascular health in Quebec. To that end, the MHI has developed a 10-year strategic plan, Investing in Excellence, which focuses on four basic components: Patient Care, Research, Training and Prevention.

1. Patient Care to better meet the needs of the Quebec population
   • Build a new surgery wing with seven state-of-the-art theatres
   • Expand and upgrade the emergency unit
   • Solidify and upgrade outpatient services
   • Acquire highly specialized medical equipment
2. Research to maintain its position as a world leader in the emerging sciences
   • Build a major international centre for pharmacogenomics research that focuses on providing personalized medication therapy based on the patient’s genetic profile
   • Expand by more than 50% the Research Centre’s current surface area
   • Create new research chairs in fields such as pharmacoproteomics, prevention of cardiovascular ageing, regenerative medicine and tissue engineering, cardiac transplantation and cardiac insufficiency
3. Training to ensure the future of cardiology and to attract and retain our most promising young specialists.  Building a Training Centre for Excellence in Cardiovascular Health will provide comprehensive, state-of-the-art infrastructure and equipment, including:
   • A multimedia auditorium with a seating capacity of 250
   • A simulation laboratory in critical cardiovascular care
   • Teaching facilities adapted to modern training methods
   • Teleteaching equipment
   • Online training
4. Prevention to foster recovery, limit cardiovascular disease and build awareness
   • Expand the EPIC Centre to integrate a new area dedicated to leading-edge prevention training
   • Develop prevention awareness tools for health professionals such as physicians, nurses, dieticians and kinesiologists