Researcher receives provincial funding for research on hip fracture prevention

A Department of Kinesiology researcher is aiming to reduce the risk of hip fracture – an all-to-common injury that can have fatal consequences.

Professor Andrew Laing is leading a research project that will model both hip fracture risk and the effects of prevention strategies. Laing’s research is funded by a $140,000 Early Researcher Award (ERA) from the Ontario Ministry of Research and Innovation.

Osteoporosis Canada reports that 28% of women and 37% of men who suffer a hip fracture will die within the following year. By modelling how factors including gender, age, and anthropometrics influence the risk of hip fractures, Laing’s team can then apply these models to various intervention approaches, from safety flooring to bone-strengthening interventions.

Such knowledge will inform policies and practices regarding hip fracture prevention, and will support innovation in flooring and injury prevention industries.

Ontario’s Early Researcher Awards is a world leading, multidisciplinary program that supports early career researchers through attracting the best and brightest researchers and keeping homegrown talent here, and investing in, generating and attracting a workforce with first-rate skills in science, engineering, creative arts, business and entrepreneurship. Nineteen Waterloo researchers received ERAs this week – more awards than any other institution that applied.