IMHA Strategic Plan 2002-2005

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Pathways To Health: Advancing The Science of Arthritis, Rehabilitation, Bone, Muscle, Skin and Oral Health

2002-2005
Institute of Musculoskeletal Health and Arthritis
Summary Report

Table of Contents

 

Message From The Scientific Director

We are very pleased to present the first Strategic Plan for the Institute of Musculoskeletal Health and Arthritis (IMHA) for the years 2002-2005. While we acknowledge the participation of many persons and organizations in the development of the Strategic Plan, we are clearly treading on new ground. At present, we are in the transition phase moving from establishing our roles and responsibilities to the more complex task of developing and implementing a Strategic Plan. This process is both exciting and challenging. It provides the opportunity for new thinking and with it new accountabilities for innovation and results. We are hopeful the Strategic Plan will provide the direction required to become the main meeting ground for all of those who have an interest in IMHA and its research priorities.

The Strategic Plan represents our best efforts, at this point in time, to match our remarkable scientific strengths and opportunities with public health need which we recognize as being a statistical representation of one person's experience with musculoskeletal, skin and oral/dental conditions multiplied many times over. Over the next several years, IMHA will provide the leadership necessary to collaborate and expand our scientific knowledge as it relates to arthritis, rehabilitation, bone, muscle, skin and oral health. The Strategic Plan is a critical first step in providing the direction required to ensure that our research priorities, strategies and actions achieve their intended results.

IMHA has an important responsibility to assist in formulating CIHR's research agenda by identifying the goals and outcomes needed to address the changes inherent in our aging society. Today, IMHA's research findings are transforming knowledge; not only in the way musculoskeletal health care is delivered, but also in terms of creating an improved system of health for all Canadians. With your help, we believe that we can add significant value to all stakeholders in the Canadian health research community by providing new information, new financial resources, strategic leadership, recognition of our people and achievement of our vision.

We hope this Strategic Plan will stimulate the thinking of all our stakeholders, including related and other researchers, practitioners, governments and the interested public. We applaud the hundreds of thousands of Canadians and their families who are struggling to live with musculoskeletal, skin and oral/dental conditions, and especially those who are pressing us to address the gaps in our knowledge regarding the origin, diagnosis, treatment and prevention of these diseases. Their influence on our strategic direction and our research priorities has been substantial.

Cyril B. Frank
Scientific Director
Institute of Musculoskeletal Health and Arthritis


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Vision, Mission, and Guiding Principles

Vision

IMHA's vision is to sustain health and enhance quality of life by eradicating the pain, suffering and disability caused by arthritis, musculoskeletal, oral and skin conditions.

Mission

IMHA's mission reflects that of CIHR's - to excel, according to internationally accepted standards of scientific excellence, in the creation of new knowledge in all areas relevant to arthritis, rehabilitation, bone, muscle, skin and oral health, and to translate that new knowledge into improved health for Canadians, more effective health services and products, and a strengthened Canadian health care system.

Guiding Principles

IMHA:

  • Fosters a culture of inquiry and cooperation that will provide the integration of research across all pillars of IMHA and its foci.
  • Encourages cooperation as it strives to involve the participation of the stakeholders including related and other researchers, practitioners, governments, consumers and the public.
  • Embodies leadership to create new knowledge in all areas relevant to IMHA and to ensure results can be translated into improved health and quality of life.
  • Focuses outward to communicate and promote the value of IMHA and its research, researchers, people and vision to other researchers, partners and supporters of IMHA.
  • Promotes research excellence and integrity to build and sustain capacity across all pillars of IMHA and its foci to build an international reputation for research excellence.
  • Stimulates and fosters innovation in research and its application within IMHA and with the other 12 Institutes of CIHR.
  • Embodies the highest standard of honesty, integrity and ethics.

Accountability

The leadership of IMHA, including its Advisory Board, will be responsible for achieving the results of the Strategic Plan. Performance agreements linked directly to the Vision of the Strategic Plan, through goals and strategies with discrete measures and indicators, will form the basis for accountability. The Strategic Plan's performance will be measured on an ongoing basis providing a focal point for efforts directed towards achieving IMHA's mission. IMHA will utilize CIHR's Planning, Reporting and Accountability Structure (PRAS) as its formal performance measurement framework. Accountability will be achieved through open and transparent processes that facilitate review, input and feedback on performance and results from all stakeholders.


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Research Priorities

To achieve its vision, IMHA will focus on four research priorities:

1. Injury, Immunity, Inflammation, Repair and Tissue Engineering

Inflammation is the body's response to injury and a primary tool for repairing damage. Although it's not fully understood why the immune system malfunctions, we do know that this breakdown can lead to a variety of immune-related diseases. Through research, we hope to find mechanisms to treat inflammation, block pain and locate the triggers that cause the body to elicit an immune-related response. Research will be conducted to find new and innovative ways of repairing injuries such as the growth of new tissue and to better understand, at a molecular level, what makes us susceptible to injury. Through strategic initiatives, IMHA will focus on supporting new areas of inquiry to facilitate improved quality of life.

2. Pain, Disability and Rehabilitation

Every year, a huge number of Canadians are afflicted with pain in and around their muscles, bones, joints and teeth. Others suffer from the disabling effects of burns, skin diseases and accidents. These are all complex problems requiring a cross-disciplinary team approach. Today, researchers are seeking to treat pain and decrease disability using a variety of techniques from new drugs and lifestyle counseling to biofeedback and exercise. Work is also being done to develop new rehabilitative devices such as braces, implants and even prosthetic limbs that will ultimately improve overall quality of life. IMHA's strategic initiatives will focus on building knowledge and translating research that will make health gains in the populations served.

3. Mobility, Fitness and Exercise

While it's common knowledge that physical activity is an integral part of a healthy lifestyle, how much is really needed? Does an injury require rest or exercise? What are the impacts of immobilization? What are the mechanisms by which muscle adapts to different forms of exercise and inactivity? Some of the most exciting research in this area is being conducted today by the Canadian Space Agency. The results of investigations like these will be supported through IMHA strategic initiatives and will hopefully provide answers to some of these complex questions.

4. Biomaterials and Devices

In the past decade, great strides have been made in developing artificial devices (artificial joints, wheelchairs, braces and implants) that have improved quality of life. In the new millennium, technology will play an even greater role. Three-dimensional computer generated organs, prosthetic limbs capable of simulating the sense of touch and biomaterials that can serve as artificial tissues (or provide scaffolds for bonding artificial materials to bones, skins, muscles, joints and teeth) are just over the horizon. These and other applications of technology transfer will be supported through the strategic initiatives of IMHA.


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A Primer: An Introduction to IMHA's Strategic Initiatives

One of the best ways to translate IMHA's vision into action is through the use of a planning tool called the Balanced Scorecard. The Balanced Scorecard is a popular strategic planning tool designed to optimize an entire organization by ensuring its efforts are balanced internally as well as externally. IMHA's Balanced Scorecard is aligned with the five outcome categories identified by CIHR as critical for success. All corresponding strategic initiatives and actions resulting from these outcome categories will be measured using the CIHR approved formal performance measurement system.

The Balanced Scorecard outcome categories for IMHA are:

Outstanding Research: IMHA's contribution to the global pool of health-related knowledge, its contribution to the development of a national research agenda, the priorities in IMHA-health research and the ethical standards defining IMHA-health research.

Excellent Researchers and a Robust Research Environment: IMHA's contribution to an ever-expanding pool of highly trained and highly capable researchers and other research personnel. This also includes an assessment of IMHA's contribution to the development and maintenance of a robust, international attractive environment for health research in Canada.

Partnerships and Public Engagement: IMHA's role in the development and strengthening of partnerships and linkages between participants in Canada's health innovation system and the results of these partnerships and linkages. This will go further than money to include processes to help set the research agenda, to build research capacity and infrastructure, to make effective use of resources, to build interdisciplinary team approaches to research and to share best practices in research support, evaluation and impact.

Translation and Use of Knowledge: IMHA's leadership role, processes and functions in the communication, dissemination and uptake of research knowledge and expertise resulting from the use of research knowledge and the impact resulting from its use.

Organizational Excellence: IMHA's leadership, processes and coordination with regard to health research, innovation in programs, activities and policies related to organizational effectiveness and the quality of the work environment. For each outcome category in the Balanced Scorecard, IMHA has identified strategic initiatives and actions that will be pursued from 2002-2005 to achieve both the vision of IMHA and the mission of CIHR.


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Outstanding Research

Strategy 1: Provide direction and clarity regarding research pursuits based on priorities

As the national leader in the areas of arthritis, rehabilitation, bone, muscle, skin and oral health, IMHA will promote activities that will identify and support initiatives in its four Research Priorities.

In order to achieve this strategy, IMHA will develop and implement different forums to clarify what research is to be undertaken and to expand the potential for collaboration to build on our strengths and capitalize on IMHA's research investments.

Activities:

  • Identify and implement consensus conferences, workshops and/or conference calls for each focus area in order to develop strategies for implementing the Institute's research priorities. This will include the development of a resource allocation plan.
  • Identify and prioritize topics and important research questions from stakeholder constituencies for RFA development through workshops and consensus conferences.
  • Identify and promote research in vulnerable populations through think tanks and consensus conferences.

Excellent Researchers and a Robust Research Environment

Strategy 2: Build and enhance the human resource research capacity

Injuries and diseases of bones, joints, muscles, teeth and skin are extremely common and have a major impact on quality of life. As the population grows and ages, there will be an increasing demand for research focused on preventing, treating, rehabilitating, and ultimately curing painful, limiting and disfiguring conditions and their resulting physical and social disabilities. The complexity of this research will require a human resource research capability that can:

  • Lead in the development of human resource capacity, across all four research pillars, so that research results can be translated into more effective health services and products and a strengthened health care system.
  • Establish and support training and retention programs that build capacity in order to ensure sustainability in all areas of IMHA-related research.
  • Educate and develop highly qualified personnel who can tackle the research priorities and play an important role in creating a better system of health care; and
  • Develop innovative options and tools for new and existing, senior and international research that permit expansion of current fields of inquiry and create opportunities for new ones.

Activities:

  • Develop health professional training programs in each of IMHA's areas of focus so that IMHA's research priorities can be matched with experienced health professional resources.
  • Implement workshops and grantsmanship initiatives to improve awareness of funding opportunities and potential collaborations for trainees and current faculty. Engage in facilitating partnerships with small universities with the desired outcome of encouraging new members.
  • Develop new programs designed to attract and retain new researchers in new and existing areas of study identified through IMHA's research priorities. Establish annual training grants for fellows and postdoctoral researchers and investigate the feasibility of an IMHA fellowship in rural/remote health.

Partnerships and Public Engagement

Strategy 3: Pursue opportunities for IMHA in international collaboration and partnerships in health research

As IMHA moves forward, it is essential to engage multiple stakeholders who have a vested interest in musculoskeletal health and arthritis. Partnerships are viewed as an important means of fulfilling IMHA's vision and of creating and translating new knowledge by bringing research communities together to address IMHA's research priorities. IMHA's strategies must focus on early engagement and buy-in from stakeholders if we are to be successful in making IMHA's vision a monumental force in Canada. Working together as a collective force with common strategies and activities will empower the Institute as a national network, and enhance its ability to compete on an international scale for worldwide recognition.

Stakeholder engagement will be accomplished by:

  • Pursuing partnerships within a framework endorsed by CIHR's Governing Council and its 12 Institutes.
  • Seeking out information that determines the national and international research landscape so research priorities are coordinated, focused and integrated for the public good.
  • Building a strong liaison with sister institutes such as NIAMS at the National Institutes of Health, as well as other research organizations.
  • Building the tools required to strengthen our communities and undertaking a myriad of activities collectively such as: knowledge translation; defined research priorities and strategies; determining new and innovative funding mechanisms; and identifying the tools and programs that will chart the course in building a vibrant research community.
  • Positioning IMHA as the main meeting ground for arthritis, rehabilitation, bone, muscle, skin and oral research in Canada.
  • Cooperating with all partners, while focusing on consumers and advocacy groups, to create useful benchmarks and outcome measures to set objectives and to evaluate the health of IMHA populations.

Activities:

  • Support two consensus conferences per year for the purposes of bringing stakeholders together on issues that cross Institutes, and engaging partners in addressing research priorities that will help build national and international recognition.
  • Develop information and target stakeholders to develop partnership arrangements and networks that will support IMHA's overall strategy for addressing IMHA's research priorities.
  • Develop an appropriate communications strategy that outlines IMHA's strategic vision, and its partnership message criteria, terms and conditions.
  • Review potential partners. Identify specific values each partner could bring to IMHA and its research priorities.
  • Communicate IMHA's vision and promote networks of researchers, practitioners, advocacy and patient groups to develop, implement and fund research initiatives.
  • Pursue partnerships and networks to access current and new sources of funding for IMHA research priorities. Identify, establish and achieve funding targets.

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Translation and Use of Knowledge

Strategy 4: Promote and develop processes to measure the translation and use of knowledge

Many different research stakeholders within and outside IMHA are involved in creating and disseminating new knowledge. In order to do this effectively and track the value and usefulness of this knowledge, new systems of accountability are required to monitor knowledge exchange and effectiveness.

Knowledge exchange is a two way street. Target populations need to be able to access the information they need. But they also need to participate in developing the research agenda and priorities that create new knowledge. Systems and processes need to be developed to accomplish this discussion. In so doing, IMHA will:

  • Implement processes, systems of input and feedback to identify the needs of populations, their research interests and IMHA's ability to respond to these requirements.
  • Develop databases, targets and measures to track the use and translation of knowledge for applied, translational and private research for all stakeholders.

Activities:

  • Evaluate stakeholder needs and expectations to develop the means to transform scientific knowledge into understandable information to meet distinct uses by stakeholders.
  • Develop training and input opportunities with consumers and the patient public, as well as other stakeholders, to formulate IMHA research priorities and agendas.
  • Develop a communications strategy and tools to promote and support leading research and researchers, in each of IMHA's areas of focus to build opportunities for the translation and use of knowledge.
  • Implement databases and measurement systems within IMHA, in concert with CIHR, to track the use of IMHA-developed knowledge and the application of that knowledge.

Organizational Excellence

Strategy 5: Provide innovation in programs and manage IMHA in an organized and efficient manner

A well-functioning organizational structure is required to support IMHA in achieving its vision and research priorities. While the Strategic Plan will establish priorities, a strong, accountable organization is required to address the key processes of the organization, the human resources and leadership required to manage it, and the project management and communications skills required to make it succeed. IMHA will lead by:

  • Implementing the Strategic Plan and developing infrastructure, processes and systems that support CIHR policies as well as the other 12 Institutes.
  • Implementing policies, procedures and systems of feedback that provide continuous information that enables evidence-based-decision making.
  • Creating and managing a communication strategy that promotes a common message, knowledge and understanding of IMHA's vision, research priorities, strategies and activities with all stakeholders.

Activities:

  • Create and implement a survey designed to measure IMHA's performance, identify opportunities for improvement and provide input for organizational, strategic and operational processes. Measure approval and develop ways for IMHA to act on stakeholder feedback.
  • Identify an appropriate source of data for IMHA to create a system of performance benchmarks for quantification of the Strategic Plan from a clinical, economic and quality of life perspective. Measure stakeholder involvement at all levels of IMHA.
  • Implement organizational best practices to streamline operations and an information system to meet the functional and reporting needs of IMHA.
  • Develop a comprehensive communications and marketing strategy for IMHA. Utilize the communications and marketing strategy to guide partnership endeavors, funding opportunities and knowledge exchange with stakeholders.