EDMONTON, AB – June 20, 2016 - PACE Media launch

Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) clinic at the University of Alberta with Crohn’s and Colitis Canada have embarked on a monumental project to reduce chronic steroid use among Canadians living with Crohn’s disease and Ulcerative colitis.

The project is part of a new, unique, national Promoting Access and Care through Centres of Excellence (PACE) network which is the largest Canadian collaboration to improve care for Canadians with Crohn's disease and Ulcerative Colitis, two main forms of IBD.

Harvey Doerr (left), Chair, Board of Directors, Crohn's and Colitis Canada, with The Honourable Sarah Hoffman, Minister of Health of Alberta, patient Tiffany Cooper and Dr. Richard Fedorak, PACE lead at the University of Alberta have declared the creation of Canada’s unique national collaboration of Inflammatory Bowel Disease centres of Excellence

PACE unites leading Canadian researcher clinicians in order to combine areas of expertise. The centres in the PACE collaborative network are at University of Calgary, McMaster University in Hamilton, McGill University in Montreal, and the Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto.

PACE will immediately elevate access to quality care, advance best practices, standardize delivery of care and reduce chronic steroid use. Together, the centres of excellence can improve patient outcomes and care for Canadians living with IBD.

PACE Centre at the University of Alberta

PACE area of focus

Reducing chronic steroid use

• Chronic steroid use is alarmingly high. Too many Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis patients referred to an IBD specialist are on chronic steroid therapy
• The centre will develop IBD Clinical Care Pathways based on evidence and expertise to reduce chronic steroid use and improve patients' outcomes and provide efficient and effective IBD care

PACE leadership

Dr. Richard Fedorak is a recognized global expert in the IBD field leading the PACE centre in Edmonton, at the University of Alberta. He is a recipient of numerous awards, research fellowships and grants, He has an active basic gastrointestinal research laboratory in the area of mucosal immunology, inflammation, and membrane function and structure. In addition, he leads a large gastrointestinal disease clinical research group and several quality improvement initiatives. He has published over 400 peer-reviewed manuscripts and book chapters, produced two patents on colonic-specific drug delivery, and has lectured around the world.

PACE timeline

• This project has secured funding for the next four years, with the goal of continuing well beyond 2020. The University of Alberta IBD Clinic and centre will participate in quarterly reports with all centres under the leadership of Crohn’s and Colitis Canada
• The U of A centre will focus on reducing chronic steroid use for the next two years and will then adopt the specialties of the other centres in years three and four