Latest news with #VGH
CBC
2 days ago
- Health
- CBC
$60M donation will fund cardiovascular institute at Vancouver General Hospital
Social Sharing The head cardiologist at Vancouver General Hospital says a $60 million donation toward a new cardiovascular health institute and innovation fund will have a life-saving impact around the world. Dr. David Wood, head of cardiology at the hospital, said Thursday that $35 million is earmarked for the new institute, while $25 million is for a new "innovation fund" to immediately bolster research, while attracting top talent in the field from all over the world. Angela Chapman, president of the VGH and UBC Hospital Foundation, said the donation from the Dilawri Foundation is the largest in the hospital foundation's history. "That innovation fund, $25 million, completely changes the game," Wood said. WATCH | New, innovative cardiac care centre coming to Vancouver: $60M donation expected to make Vancouver a world leader in cardiac care 20 hours ago Duration 1:44 A new, innovative cardiac care centre is coming to Vancouver General Hospital thanks to a record-setting philanthropic gift from a Canadian company. As Chad Pawson reports, the new centre aims to be one of the best in the world. Wood said the fund will allow him and colleagues to quickly implement new ideas without having to wait for government funding, including from the United States. He said the infrastructure to support research in the U.S. "has completely changed." "The [National Institutes of Health], the funding of research, the [Food and Drug Administration] getting new technology devices approved is now dramatically different than it was six months ago," he said. "I feel very bad for some of my colleagues across the border." Wood said the funding is a "transformative gift" that will help attract top foreign talent, and he said he had already received "hundreds of resumés." Chapman said the land for the Dilawri Cardiovascular Institute on West 12th Avenue in Vancouver is currently being rezoned, with a plan to begin construction in 2027 and complete it within three or four years. "It's a big project, so it has a lot of different components that are going to take time. The rezoning is one of them," she said. "We've been working with the city since we started to purchase the land." She said the city has been "incredibly supportive of the project." Ajay Dilawri, whose family company owns dozens of car dealerships, said the foundation made the donation after his father sought out treatment for heart issues around the world. Dilawri said his father was 90 years old at the time, and the "overwhelming response" from health professionals, including at the Mayo Clinic in the United States, was that he needed "invasive" and complex open-heart surgery. But Dilawri said Wood and his team proposed a different plan. "They were very confident that they had the expertise to avoid open-heart surgery and do a procedure that was not as invasive," Dilawri said. "Obviously, it was a sigh of relief. We were so grateful because, again, at his age, there could be complications and the risk factor is quite a bit higher. It was a godsend. It was an absolute feeling of relief."
National Post
2 days ago
- Health
- National Post
Dilawri Foundation makes historic $60-million donation to VGH, UBC
Article content Four and a half years ago, Ajay Dilawri's father, Ram Dilawri, began experiencing heart troubles. Article content The Dilawris, founders of Dilawri Automotive Group, the largest automotive dealership in Canada, immediately began consulting with experts at leading heart institutes across the U.S. and around the world, most of whom recommended complex open-heart surgery. Article content Article content Article content 'My father was looking for another, less-frightening option,' said Dilawri. Then they heard about Dr. David Wood, head of the division of cardiology at Vancouver General Hospital and the UBC Hospital. Article content 'We heard that if anyone could save my father's life without open heart surgery, it would be him.' Article content Article content The donation, a gift from the Dilawri Automotive Group's charitable foundation, is the largest in VGH and UBC Hospital history, and will fund the new institute, led by Wood. Article content 'Like so many families, ours has been personally touched by heart disease,' said Dilawri. 'It's a cause that hits close to home.' Article content Wood's vision, of a leading cardiovascular institute in Vancouver, was bold. Article content 'Why can't we create the Mayo Clinic of the North right here in Vancouver?' Wood said at Thursday's event. Article content Article content Article content Article content Wood said the institute will have 15 centres that will be ready to treat patients immediately, and will include centres for Indigenous heart health, women's heart health, youth heart health, and core research areas such as a centre for AI, data science and imaging, as well as the centre for cardiovascular innovation. Article content 'We are going to transform how we care for patients. Replacing heart valves on patients, and going home three hours later — using new technologies to treat heart rhythm problems before they become permanent, so you can go on to live a long and healthy life, minimally invasive heart surgery using robots and small incisions,' said Wood.
Yahoo
09-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Italian gas grid operator Snam to acquire stake in OGE for $1.02bn
Italian gas grid operator Snam has signed an agreement with Infinity Investments, an investment vehicle of Abu Dhabi's Investment Authority, to acquire a 24.99% stake in Vier Gas Holding (VGH), which fully owns Open Grid Europe (OGE), for €920m ($1.02bn). OGE is Germany's largest independent gas transmission company, overseeing a network that spans approximately 12,000km. The company has an annual offtake volume of around 21 billion cubic metres (bcm) and serves more than 400 end customers. This acquisition gives Snam a minority share in OGE, allowing it to participate in the German gas market and potentially expand its presence in Europe's energy infrastructure. Snam has also entered into a separate share purchase agreement with Belgian transmission system operator Fluxys to sell a 0.5% stake in VGH following the completion of the deal. This will result in Snam and Fluxys holding almost equal shareholdings in VGH. The transaction is expected to close in the third quarter (Q3) of the current year. Snam CEO Stefano Venier said: 'Upon completion of this acquisition, Snam will become the first-ever Italian energy player to make a sizeable entry into the German energy infrastructure space. 'The acquisition strengthens Snam's position as Europe's largest gas infrastructure operator and is fully in line with our strategy, which focuses on the development of a pan-European, multi-molecule network located along the key European energy corridors, and in particular its most relevant corridor, running from southern to northern Europe.' OGE's assets are strategically important to the European gas market, with 17 interconnections to seven bordering countries, particularly Germany, the largest market in Europe. The German market is expected to maintain strong demand for gaseous fuels, partly due to the development of the hydrogen market. The acquisition will extend Snam's gas pipeline network to more than 40,000km. It will also enhance Snam's involvement in the energy transition, particularly in the German Hydrogen Core Grid, aligning with the company's strategy to integrate with key hydrogen projects such as SoutH2Corridor, H2Med and SEEHyC. Venier expressed the company's ambitions to grow further within Europe, specifically targeting "the southernmost part of the Mediterranean area", while indicating that there are no plans to expand to other parts of the world. The acquisition will be financed through Snam's existing financial flexibility or hybrid financing instruments. Snam has engaged JPMorgan as its financial advisor and White&Case as its legal advisor for this transaction. In October 2024, Snam announced an investment of €14.5bn to adapt its infrastructure for the energy transition. "Italian gas grid operator Snam to acquire stake in OGE for $1.02bn" was originally created and published by Offshore Technology, a GlobalData owned brand. The information on this site has been included in good faith for general informational purposes only. It is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely, and we give no representation, warranty or guarantee, whether express or implied as to its accuracy or completeness. You must obtain professional or specialist advice before taking, or refraining from, any action on the basis of the content on our site.
