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| Crohn's and Colitis Canada | |
|---|---|
| Name | Crohn's and Colitis Canada |
| Formation | 1974 |
| Type | Nonprofit organization |
| Purpose | Support research, advocacy, patient services for inflammatory bowel diseases |
| Headquarters | Canada |
| Region served | Canada |
Crohn's and Colitis Canada. Crohn's and Colitis Canada is a national Canadian charity dedicated to improving the lives of people affected by inflammatory bowel diseases through research, patient programs, advocacy, and public awareness. The organization operates across provinces and territories, collaborating with academic institutions, hospitals, and community partners to fund research, provide education, and influence public policy.
The organization traces its origins to grassroots support networks formed in the 1970s alongside contemporaries such as Inflammatory Bowel Disease Research Foundation advocates who paralleled initiatives at McGill University and University of Toronto. Early chapters engaged clinicians from institutions like Toronto General Hospital, Montreal General Hospital, and St. Michael's Hospital and connected with researchers at Mount Sinai Hospital (Toronto), University of British Columbia, and McMaster University. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s the charity expanded its footprint, building partnerships with foundations including the Wellcome Trust, Crohn's & Colitis Foundation (US), and provincial health bodies such as Ontario Ministry of Health and Alberta Health Services. Influential medical figures associated indirectly through funded work included investigators at Harvard Medical School, Stanford University School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, and Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. The organization participated in multicenter collaborations with networks like the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and global consortia including the Human Genome Project investigators and researchers at Karolinska Institutet. Milestones included national patient registries developed in conjunction with hospitals such as Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre and research centers like Institut de recherches cliniques de Montréal.
The charity’s mission mirrors objectives seen in entities such as Canadian Cancer Society and Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada by funding biomedical research, providing patient services, and advocating for policy changes at levels including House of Commons of Canada and provincial legislatures like the Legislative Assembly of Ontario. Its activities span research grant programs similar to those administered by Medical Research Council (United Kingdom), education campaigns akin to initiatives by American Gastroenterological Association, and community outreach comparable to programs run by United Way Centraide Canada. Programmatic collaborations have involved partners such as Vancouver General Hospital, The Ottawa Hospital, SickKids Hospital, and research institutes like Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences.
Funding programs provide peer-reviewed grants modeled on mechanisms used by organizations like National Institutes of Health, Wellcome Trust, and European Research Council. The organization has supported investigators at academic centers including Queen's University, University of Calgary, Dalhousie University, and Université de Montréal, and clinical trials in partnership with pharmaceutical stakeholders resembling collaborations seen at Pfizer, AbbVie, and Amgen. Grant recipients have included principal investigators affiliated with laboratories at The Rockefeller University, Massachusetts General Hospital, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, and Imperial College London. The charity’s grants have funded projects in immunology labs linked to researchers at EMBL, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Broad Institute, and genomics groups at Wellcome Sanger Institute. It has also supported epidemiological studies utilizing datasets from institutions like Statistics Canada and registry work comparable to efforts by European Crohn's and Colitis Organisation investigators.
Patient programs include peer support networks, educational resources, and transition-of-care initiatives similar to services offered by Mayo Clinic, Cleveland Clinic, and Johns Hopkins Hospital. The charity produces materials for patients and caregivers distributed through clinic partners such as Montreal Children's Hospital, Stollery Children's Hospital, and BC Children's Hospital. Educational events have featured collaborations with professional societies like the Canadian Association of Gastroenterology, American College of Gastroenterology, European Society for Paediatric Gastroenterology Hepatology and Nutrition, and patient advocacy networks including Global Alliance for Chronic Diseases. Outreach leverages partnerships with community organizations such as YMCA, Canadian Red Cross, and veterans’ organizations like Royal Canadian Legion for broader access.
Advocacy efforts target legislative and regulatory change at forums like Parliament of Canada and the Senate of Canada and engage with policy actors including Health Canada, Canadian Agency for Drugs and Technologies in Health, and provincial ministries such as the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care (Ontario). Campaigns have drawn comparisons to advocacy strategies used by Amnesty International, Canadian Medical Association, and Doctors Without Borders for patient rights, access to biologic therapies, and insurance coverage. The organization has provided testimony and submissions to inquiries and panels resembling processes before Standing Committee on Health (Canada) and regulatory reviews by Patented Medicine Prices Review Board. Coalitions have included groups like Canadian Digestive Health Foundation and disability advocates represented by organizations such as Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages in cross-sector initiatives.
Prominent fundraising events organized across Canada mirror models like charity runs and walks popularized by Toronto Marathon fundraisers and national campaigns such as those run by Canadian Cancer Society's Relay For Life and Heart&Stroke Big Bike. Signature events include community runs, galas, and peer-to-peer campaigns engaging corporate sponsors similar to partnerships with firms such as RBC, BMO Financial Group, and TD Bank Group. Major-city events have taken place in urban centers such as Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal, Calgary, Edmonton, Ottawa, Halifax, and Winnipeg often in coordination with venues like Scotiabank Arena and Rogers Centre.
The charity is governed by a volunteer board of directors and senior leadership teams reflecting governance practices seen at nonprofits like United Way Worldwide and World Wildlife Fund Canada. Its fiscal oversight involves audit committees and external auditors analogous to those engaged by institutions such as KPMG, Deloitte, and Ernst & Young. Operational divisions include research, patient services, fundraising, communications, and policy, working with academic partners including Canadian Institutes of Health Research, hospital research offices such as Mount Sinai Hospital Research Institute, and community chapters modeled after networks like Volunteer Canada. Strategic planning aligns with frameworks used by organizations such as Institute for Healthcare Improvement and Canadian Strategy for Cancer Control.
Category:Health charities in Canada