$250,000 donation to establish research fund at WRH

A significant donation to support training and research at Windsor Regional Hospital.

Dr. Fouad Tayfour and Dr. Barry Emara are donating $250,000 to launch the Tayfour-Emara Research & Education Fund.

The fund is designed to help put a renewed focus on research and training, leading to better patient care, while also attracting the next generation of physicians and healthcare providers to the region.

Dr. Wassim Saad, Chief of Staff and Vice President of Medical Affairs at Windsor Regional Hospital, says research is about improved patient care.

"We have to start recruiting the best and brightest," he says. We have to be able to retain the top talent that we already have so they stay here, we have to advance our education vision to ensure that those students and residents that are training in medicine, and in Windsor, want to come back and stay here."

Saad says one of the key pillars to recruitment is research and he can use this fund to assist those efforts.

"Every new physician we've recruited has asked the same question 'what are my opportunities for research? I've started a research project at my previous institution, I want to continue it here, can I continue it here? Or can I start up a new project?' Those questions have come from almost every single new recruit that we've had.," he says.

Saad says a lot of people think long-term when they think of research, but what some people fail to realize is that research opportunities attracts the best and brightest.

"These are people doing the research but from day one when they hit the ground and come to our community, they are looking after patients and that improves patient care right from the get go," he says. "So there's the immediate benefits you get from establishing a research presence and then there's the long-term benefits that you're going to get from doing the research."

Saad adds when he became chief of staff over two years ago, he established an Office of Research along with an Academic and Research Committee, which will play a role in selecting and supporting any potential research projects that will benefit from the fund.