For Russ Jones, his wife June Jones and the rest of their family, some of the most exciting opportunities in health care are ones that don’t yet exist.
This perspective comes naturally to someone who spent years helping build one of Ottawa’s most successful technology companies. Russ was Shopify’s first chief financial officer, joining the company in 2011, and helped it become a publicly traded global business in 2015.
Today, he serves on the board of directors of The Ottawa Hospital Foundation, where he sees another ambitious transformation taking shape focused on research, innovation and the future of health care in Ottawa and beyond. It’s a future the Jones family wants to help build.
Advancing kidney research and supporting clinical fellowships
The Jones Family Foundation has donated another $10 million to support The Ottawa Hospital Foundation’s Campaign to Create Tomorrow and kidney research, bringing the family’s cumulative donations to an incredible $21 million. On Sept. 14, The Ottawa Hospital Kidney Research Centre was renamed The Jones Family Kidney Research Centre in recognition of the family’s longstanding commitment.
The family’s support will advance kidney research, clinical and research fellowships and help build the new hospital campus.
At the heart of the family’s generosity is kidney disease, a cause that is deeply personal. More than 30 years ago, June was diagnosed with kidney disease. She spent six months on dialysis before receiving a kidney transplant. After 15 years, the transplant failed and she returned to dialysis.
June’s high antibody levels make finding a compatible donor particularly difficult. Researchers are investigating whether personalized treatment could lower her antibody levels and reduce the risk of rejection, potentially opening the door to transplantation for patients who have few options.
Exploring personalized cell therapy for kidney disease
June has waited 13 years for another kidney. For the Jones family, this is where research becomes critically important. Researchers at The Ottawa Hospital are exploring whether personalized cell therapy could help patients like June become better candidates for transplantation.
“I know what it feels like to have your life changed by a transplant,” she explains. “After waiting so many years for another kidney, I hope this research can help open that door again – not just for me, but for other patients who are waiting as well.”
Though the research is still in its early stages, the Jones family support has given researchers the opportunity to pursue a new idea that could ultimately change what’s possible for patients living with kidney disease.
Investing in the people behind the innovation
The family’s gift will also support clinical and research fellowships, helping train the next generation of scientists and physicians.
After all, breakthroughs require more than technology – they need researchers willing to ask difficult questions, clinicians who can translate discoveries into patient care and funding to support these critical endeavours.
The family’s support also reflects a belief that the expertise and technologies being developed through kidney research, cell therapy and personalized medicine could contribute to new treatments for other complex diseases.
Building Ottawa’s next innovation ecosystem
For Russ and his family, the new hospital campus is an important part of that future. Being built with support from The Ottawa Hospital’s $500-million Campaign to Create Tomorrow, the new campus will strengthen connections between research, clinical care, education and technology, creating new opportunities for collaboration and discovery.
For a city with a strong technology sector, Russ says he believes that convergence creates an opportunity.
“The new hospital campus will attract some of the best researchers and clinicians and give them the space and resources to address some of healthcare’s most complex challenges,” he says. “As a family, this is what we want to help achieve. This is the
legacy we want to leave.”
The family’s latest gift builds on their longstanding support for kidney research. Since 2018, the Jones family has invested in research, clinical trials and cell manufacturing at The Ottawa Hospital.
After helping build a technology company that changed how businesses operate, Russ is now helping invest in a different kind of innovation – one that the Jones family hopes could change the lives of patients in Ottawa and beyond.
