IMHA Strategic Plan 2008-2013

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Table of Contents

Scientific Director's Message

Arthritis, skin, oral and musculoskeletal diseases are often chronic, painful and disfiguring; together, they represent a huge economic and social burden of illness in Canada. While rarely fatal, the costs of these diseases and conditions extend beyond economic, costing Canadians the chance to enjoy a healthy and active lifestyle as well as to contribute to society-at-large through work and volunteerism.

Since it was launched in 2001, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research Institute of Musculoskeletal Health and Arthritis (IMHA) has set the bar high, by aiming to "eradicate pain, suffering and disability caused by arthritis, musculoskeletal (MSK), oral and skin conditions." Through its funding opportunities, IMHA has facilitated important research in everything from repairing salivary glands to addressing wait times for knee replacement. Workshops and conferences such as the 2002 Osteoarthritis Consensus Conference have become a launching pad for national research agendas in Canada. The Institute has become the focal meeting point for all research and knowledge translation partners in arthritis, bone, muscle, skin, oral health and rehabilitation sciences. We are funding and accelerating outstanding research that could one day solve Canada's - and the world's - most complex health issues. While much has been accomplished, there is still much to be done and the Institute Advisory Board is cognizant that investments remain balanced and sustained to yield benefits from initial scientific investments

According to the World Health Organization's health statistics reports, each year close to two million people die globally as the result of inactivity and 35 million die of non-communicable diseases where physical activity could have played a role in prevention. These numbers will continue to climb unless knowledge is translated into action. In Canada, our population is growing and aging, and Canadians are living an increasingly sedentary lifestyle. We have to act now to lessen the future burden of disease. Active living is the cornerstone of achieving healthy skin, teeth, bones and muscle. Physical activity has also been proven to reduce a host of diseases and conditions that do not fall under IMHA's mandate, such as depression and neural deficiencies, but which can benefit from our work in this area.

In August 2007, IMHA's Institute Advisory Board (IAB) met to plan the second phase of the Institute's growth. IAB members agreed that, to maximize the impact of IMHA's strategic research dollars, it was important to prioritize and partner strategically, and to focus the Institute's time and efforts on a few key items over the next five years.

After much deliberation, IAB members decided upon "physical activity and mobility across the lifespan" as the flagship theme for 2008-13. From its inception, the Institute has made physical activity and mobility a core research priority. This priority has worked in tandem with the two other priorities - tissue injury, repair and replacement and pain, disability and chronic disease - as they are all intricately linked.

Having chosen to focus additional attention on its physical activity, mobility and health theme, I would like to stress that all IMHA's research foci under its mandate will continue to be relevant and addressed as per our mandate and the 2006 International Review Panel recommendations. Indeed, progress towards ameliorating the health challenges under IMHA's mandate require inter-disciplinarity and cross-foci collaboration. IMHA represents a diverse but often interlinked research community. Through careful planning, we will continue to build capacity to address needs and challenges in our smaller communities such as oral health, skin and MSK rehabilitation, as well as support the larger ones of arthritis, bone and muscle.

I am confident that these next five years will be an exciting time for the Institute. Our flagship priority will enable us to reach out to new strategic partners, find new ways to work with existing ones and create new funding opportunities that will move research forward. As we achieve scientific milestones, we will continue to support knowledge translation strategies and activities to improve health, and health care products and services.

In closing, I would like to thank my predecessor, Dr. Cy Frank, for his exceptional leadership as Scientific Director during IMHA's first six years. I would also like to thank the members of the IAB, both past and present, for their insight, enthusiasm and tireless contributions to the Institute and its broad community of stakeholders. In particular, I would like to recognize Dr. Juliette Cooper for her guidance as the past IAB chair and Dr. Richard Ellen, the current chair, who will lead the Board and help us implement the recommendations of this 2008-2013 Strategic Plan.

Jane E. Aubin, PhD
Scientific Director
Institute of Musculoskeletal Health and Arthritis

About IMHA

The Institute of Musculoskeletal Health and Arthritis (IMHA) was created in 2001 as one of the 13 Institutes of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR). CIHR Institutes work together to set national research agendas across disciplines, sectors and regions. CIHR's mandate is to "excel in the creation of new knowledge and its translation into improved health for Canadians, more effective health services and products and a strengthened Canadian health care system."

IMHA, like the other CIHR Institutes, is responsible for promoting and supporting research excellence and the highest ethics across four themes: biomedical, clinical, health systems and services, and population and public health. IMHA focuses on six equally important research areas: arthritis, musculoskeletal (MSK) rehabilitation, bone, skeletal muscle, skin and oral health.

The Institute is based at the University of Toronto and led by a Scientific Director, Jane E. Aubin. An Institute Advisory Board (IAB) provides direction and guidance. IAB members meet twice annually to plan and discuss research priorities and provide the perspectives of and feedback from their respective research communities. The IAB has balanced representation from several consumer groups and an ethics subcommittee to further strengthen decision-making.

IMHA's Mandate

The Institute's mandate is to support research and knowledge translation (KT) activities to enhance active living, mobility, movement and oral health; and identify the causes, and strategies for prevention, screening, diagnosis, treatment, support systems and palliation for a wide range of conditions related to bones, joints, muscles, connective tissue, skin and teeth.

IMHA's Mission

The Institute'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, MSK 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.

IMHA's Vision

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

IMHA's Values

At its core, IMHA has a set of values that shape decision-making in both the grand scheme and in daily operations. Our research and knowledge translation activities will value the following:

  • Internationally-recognized excellence in musculoskeletal health, arthritis, MSK rehabilitation, oral and skin health research.
  • Innovative approaches to address research questions that will help set research agendas responsive to the health challenges, needs, concerns and priorities of Canadians and their global community.
  • Collaborative partnerships that build on each partner's strengths and focus on the public good as the paramount criterion for decision-making.
  • Interdisciplinarity and inclusivity of IMHA research teams.
  • Sustainability in funded research projects to provide the greatest return to Canadians.
  • Transparency and accountability to guarantee that IMHA is answerable for all its activities and decision-making.
  • Scientific integrity of investigators and partners.
  • High ethical standards in the conduct of research, including ensuring that the research process recognizes, protects and respects its subjects, especially the more vulnerable members of our society.
  • Accelerated application of knowledge for the benefit of Canadians.
  • Esprit de corps to foster a sense of community among IMHA's stakeholders.

Research Landscape

The role of all CIHR Institutes is to define key research themes that align with the needs and efforts of all members of the research community. Over the years, IMHA has used a variety of means to bring together all stakeholders, including voluntary health organizations, researchers and trainees, industry representatives, policy makers and research users (including patients) to set "big picture" research priorities that reflect the needs of all Canadians. These include workshops and conferences, as well as a model of dialogue valued by IMHA, the consensus conference, which has proven to be particularly effective in setting goals that shape the national research agenda. Based on all of these methods of consultation, IMHA set three overarching research priority areas:

  • Physical activity, mobility and health
  • Tissue injury, repair and replacement
  • Pain, disability and chronic disease

Historically, as noted in Figure 1, below, IMHA has made significant investments that have led to important outcomes, particularly in tissue injury, repair and replacement and pain, disability and chronic disease and in building capacity and momentum in physical activity, mobility and health.

Figure 1. Proportional distribution of funding of across IMHA's Strategic Research Priorities

The First Five Years

IMHA's inaugural strategic plan, "Pathways to Health: Advancing the science of Arthritis, Rehabilitation, Bone, Muscle, Skin and Oral Health," outlined its goals and directions for the first five years.

The first plan aimed to provide direction based on priorities obtained through consensus conferences; build and enhance the human resource research capacity through initiatives such as professional training programs in each focus area; pursue opportunities for IMHA in international collaboration and partnerships in health research and promote and develop processes to measure the translation and use of knowledge.

Some of IMHA's highlights over the past years include:

2002 - The Osteoarthritis Consensus Conference, the first of IMHA's successful consensus conferences is held in Toronto.

2003 - Quality of Life Awards created to acknowledge six investigators across the foci as the best in Canada, according to peer review of their research.

2004 - Knowledge Exchange Task Force is created to empower a group of patient/consumers to become "research ambassadors."

2004 - IMHA hosts a skin research priorities workshop in Toronto.

2005 - Summer Internships in Musculoskeletal Research are launched to provide students with opportunities to hone their research skills within IMHA's mandate.

2005 - IMHA partnered in the Summit for Standards for Arthritis Prevention and Care, a nation-wide initiative to improve arthritis care.

2006 - IMHA holds its "Muscles: From molecules to mobility" workshop in Quebec to chart the course of muscle and MSK rehabilitation research in Canada.

2003-2007 - Several consultations with dental research communities led to identification of oral health disparities as a serious health care issue.

2007 - The Institute organizes a "Train the Trainer Workshop" designed to teach knowledge translation principles to trainees and their supervisors.

Preparing to Move Forward

In preparing to move forward into its next phase of development, IMHA consulted with its stakeholders throughout 2007. IMHA also conducted a SWOT analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats) across all foci to identify strengths upon which to capitalize and areas for improvement, as well as to inform target setting and program outcomes and impacts. From these various activities emerged a sense of where IMHA's strengths lie and where opportunities exist to sustain its position as a national leader.

Strengths and Successes

  • Since its inception, the Institute has invested in research excellence across all three priority themes and has been at the forefront of translating research into action.
  • The research themes have a strong consumer component and the Institute actively seeks consumer participation in research activities.
  • IMHA research is conducive to interdisciplinary work, leading to innovative and transdisciplinary approaches to create new scientific insights.

Opportunities

  • There is a need for more researchers to focus attention on health systems factors that are relevant to the musculoskeletal system, skin and oral health services and strategies as well as on those consequences for population and public health.
  • Across all IMHA foci, there is a need for research in health systems and services and in population and public health, as well as a need for more clinician-scientists to engage in IMHA-funded research.
  • While IMHA has made great strides in knowledge translation, the Institute must continue to support the uptake of knowledge in terms of new products, policies and clinical practices.
  • Research activity in physical activity, mobility and health remains under-represented within the research priorities and there is a need to build capacity in this area.

A Flagship Theme - Physical Activity, Mobility and Health

After consultation and consideration of its strengths and opportunities, IMHA's Institute Advisory Board (IAB) has decided that now is the time to make "physical activity, mobility and health" its flagship theme for 2008-13.

Physical activity and mobility is all about preventing disease and improving quality of life. The objective is to prevent problems before they begin. While physical activity, mobility and health will be highlighted, research in the other two theme areas plays a crucial role in achieving flagship objectives. Simply put, Canadians cannot achieve optimum physical fitness if they are injured or in pain. Physical fitness can both improve tissue injury and help repair and manage chronic disease. Research in these latter two areas not only supports physical activity and mobility initiatives, but also tackles other complex health-care challenges, such as healing burn wounds and uncovering the mechanisms underlying tissue damage, inflammation and pain.

Research undertaken under the physical activity, mobility and health theme may include:

  • Uncovering the optimal combination of exercises and dosage that will treat and possibly even reverse arthritis, thereby reducing the need for treatments such as hip replacements.
  • Designing ways to mimic the vibrations of exercise that have been proven to increase bone mass and treat osteoporosis.
  • Determining how the impact of extreme heat, cold and ultraviolet radiation from outdoor activity can be lessened on our skin.
  • Uncovering the biomechanical and biochemical signals that prompt our muscles to respond to weight-bearing exercise.
  • Discovering and alleviating the causes of debilitating orofacial pain and temporomandibular disorders (TMD) that impede functional jaw movements, chewing and swallowing.
  • Exploring how current and emerging rehabilitation therapies and technologies can be used by those with physical challenges or multiple chronic conditions to participate in and reap the benefits of physical activity.

Research Priority Area Summaries

IMHA has three research priorities areas that align activities across the foci. Activities to be undertaken in each area between 2008 and 2013 are described below.

1. Physical activity, mobility and health

Physical activity is a vital part of a healthy lifestyle, but there remain significant knowledge gaps in the relationships among physical activity, mobility and health at every level. Research under this theme ranges from the cellular behavior of joint tissues to the psychosocial aspects of exercise, activity and sports on populations. Activities may also include:

  • Investigating the prevention or reversal of diseased tissues through physical activity and mobility.
  • Applying physical medicine and rehabilitative strategies to tissue injuries in order to restore maximal function.
  • Investigating issues related to access and delivery of health services and treatments that enhance physical activity, mobility and health.
  • Examining the personal and environmental factors that influence uptake and maintenance of a healthy lifestyle.
  • Evaluating mechanisms for translating evidence into sustainable public policy.

2. Tissue injury, repair and replacement

Injuries to bones, joints, muscles, teeth and skin are common, often slow to heal, and can have lifelong consequences. Advances in regenerative medicine, tissue replacement and restoration of function represent some of this decade's most exciting scientific discoveries, but there is much to be learned in the biological, clinical, psychological, health services and population-based aspects of injury and repair. Research areas in this theme may include:

  • Exploring the cellular and molecular events associated with inflammatory responses.
  • Developing clinical studies to assess the efficacy and effectiveness of tissue-engineered repairs.
  • Investigating models of care to improve access for tissue repair and replacement in conditions affecting the musculoskeletal systems, oral and skin conditions.
  • Identifying and focusing on vulnerable/at risk populations for tissue injury and diseases of the musculoskeletal systems, skin and oral origins.

3. Pain, disability and chronic disease

Eradicating pain and disability is central to IMHA's vision. The primary focus of this theme is to better understand genetic and environmental causes of pain and disability and design optimal treatments for all IMHA disease areas. Also important is to explore the relationship between chronic diseases and conditions within the Institute's mandate (e.g. skin, muscle, bone and joint diseases and diseases that compromise oral health). Research under this strategic research priority may include:

  • Studying the interaction between genetic predisposition, environmental factors and etiology of musculoskeletal, oral and skin diseases.
  • Investigating novel agents and approaches in the prevention and management of disability, chronic diseases and pain.
  • Elucidating common risk factors that focus on the relevant co-morbidities for pain, disability and chronic disease.
  • Developing systems and monitoring outcomes to measure the effectiveness of KT initiatives to enhance the uptake and utilization of research in pain, disability and chronic disease.

The creation and application of knowledge to further all of IMHA's foci and strategic priorities will be supported by three strategic directions that align with those in CIHR's next strategic plan. In each area, IMHA has set objectives, developed strategies to meet those objectives and outlined anticipated results. The Institute routinely uses SWOT analysis to fill capacity gaps and to ensure directions, investments and partnerships are strategic and relevant.

Strategic Direction 1: Research Excellence with Impact

Promote and support continued research excellence in the three research priority areas

Since the beginning, IMHA has funded the top researchers and research collaborations across its mandate. Uncovering the mechanisms behind its related diseases and conditions is painstaking and complex work that requires a huge human resource capacity. The work is not solely the responsibility of the research community - other stakeholders such as community groups and patients play a vital role in the creation of new ideas and new goals in scientific discovery.

1.1 Objective: To seek and support the best ideas and the best researchers across the foci.

Strategies: Over the next five years, IMHA will:

  • Identify and fill capacity, research and funding gaps within IMHA's mandate through a consultative and evaluative approach.
  • Attract and retain the best researchers through innovative funding opportunities and career development programs.
  • Support mentorship and training initiatives for emerging researchers and trainees.
  • Ensure that funded research promotes sustainability and can evolve to meet new health challenges.

Expected results:

  • The best researchers are supported in IMHA priority areas.
  • Excellent research continues seamlessly - activities incorporate past successes to meet emerging areas and new health challenges.
  • Increased number of IMHA trainees and researchers in Canada.
  • A research environment that promotes new ideas and research excellence at all levels, from trainee to established researcher.

1.2 Objective: To identify and support research that will have the most impact on the health of Canadians.

Strategies: Over the next five years, IMHA will:

  • Monitor funded research success through regular evaluations of short, medium and long time frames.
  • Host consensus conferences and workshops to set research agendas which address health challenges through innovative approaches and methodologies.
  • Establish new mechanisms for stakeholder feedback to identify and prioritize funding needs and opportunities.
  • Fund projects that aim to address, understand and reduce health disparities in vulnerable populations and reduce the burden of chronic disease.

Expected results:

  • Research activities will be harmonized with the needs of Canadians.
  • IMHA research will respond quickly to emerging health care challenges.

Building on success: Supporting the next generation of researchers

In 2004, IMHA partnered with Pfizer Canada to create the IMHA/Pfizer Summer Internships in Musculoskeletal Health. The internships offered young researchers the chance to undertake research projects under the mentorship of established health researchers. When IMHA did a survey of outcomes, project supervisors reported that 70 per cent of students who have participated in the program remain in the field of MSK health. Says one supervisor: "The scholarship from IMHA was a catalyst for her to make the decision to go into graduate school." This partnership with industry is just one example of how the Institute can work to support the next generation of researchers.

Strategic Direction 2: Canadian Health and Health Care System Priorities

Address Canadian health research challenges in oral health, skin and musculoskeletal health and arthritis with solution-driven initiatives

Each year, IMHA invests $8 million to tackle Canada's formidable health challenges. Partnerships with research organizations and other institutes enable the Institute to leverage these resources, expand its knowledge base and maximize research dollars. Through partnerships, funded research is not only strategic but also has more impact by way of a multi-disciplinary approach.

2.1 Objective: To provide leadership and cohesion in research pursuits related to priorities.

Strategies: Over the next five years, IMHA will:

  • Facilitate the establishment of multi-disciplinary research teams across the foci through new programs, partnerships and funding.
  • Mobilize researchers to address health research challenges in priority areas.
  • Increase support of health system research through innovative models of care and other initiatives.
  • Continue to conduct consensus conferences, workshops and other kinds of fora to align research initiatives with areas of need.
  • Promote and facilitate opportunities for international scientific collaboration and exchange.

Expected results:

  • Increased innovative solutions to health care challenges.
  • Inclusive involvement of IMHA stakeholders in setting research priorities.

2.2 Objective: Engage new partners to increase capacity and resources in oral health, skin and musculoskeletal health and arthritis research.

Strategies: Over the next five years, IMHA will:

  • Work with other CIHR institutes to explore potential synergy in research pursuits.
  • Engage various research groups, institutes and consumer/patient organizations through consensus conferences and workshops.
  • Create a communications plan that will identify and target potential and current health research partners.
  • Establish funding opportunities in partnership with other health organizations to foster a multi-disciplinary approach to health care research.

Expected results:

  • Engagement of stakeholder groups in research agenda setting.
  • Pooled resources and efforts in research activities, avoiding duplication and ensuring efficiency.

Building on success: A decade of partnerships

The Bone and Joint Decade is a global effort designed to raise awareness and take action on bone and joint disease and injury. The initiative comprises 46 countries, the World Health Organization and more than 750 organizations and associations around the world. IMHA has used the momentum and profile of this international effort as a springboard to aid in the establishment of a collaborative network of 20 national agencies with a direct interest in the field. In 2009, the Institute will bring together partners in a Bone Health Consensus Conference, with the aim of setting priorities, forming new partnerships and creating an overall national research agenda in this area.

Strategic Direction 3: Health and Socio-Economic Benefits

Advance IMHA's vision through research that sustains health and quality of life for all Canadians

The creation of new knowledge is only part of solving Canada's most pressing health challenges. Without knowledge translation, scientific breakthroughs would remain in research laboratories and never reach patients or influence health policy. In accordance with CIHR's mandate, IMHA must translate new scientific knowledge into improved health for Canadians, more effective health services and products and a strengthened Canadian health-care system.

3.1 Objective: To encourage the engagement of researchers in knowledge translation activities and tools.

Strategies: Over the next five years, IMHA will:

  • Promote involvement of research users in the research process.
  • Identify opportunities to highlight IMHA's research successes.
  • Consult regularly with researchers and patients/patient consumer groups across the foci to identify opportunities for KT training, knowledge exchange, synthesis and dissemination.
  • Implement measurement systems and databases to track IMHA-generated knowledge.
  • Create a strategy that will facilitate the commercialization of new research.

Expected results:

  • More IMHA-funded research will shape health policy and will be translated into new products and services.
  • Increased number of KT initiatives within the Institute.

3.2 Objective: To enhance collaboration and engagement of IMHA stakeholders in the knowledge translation process.

Strategies: Over the next five years, IMHA will:

  • Develop a strategy to integrate partners at all levels in the research process and facilitate stakeholder input in the end uses of research.
  • Develop a strategic plan to guide the continued activities and efforts of the Knowledge Exchange Take Force (see below).
  • Strengthen and create new KT partnerships through workshops and consensus conferences.
  • Identify and fund research opportunities with a strong emphasis on knowledge translation with various stakeholders.

Expected results:

  • A more streamlined approach to KT by capitalizing on and integrating IMHA's current KT strengths.

Building on success: IMHA's Knowledge Exchange Task Force

The Knowledge Exchange Task Force (KETF) was launched in 2004 by IMHA and is unique to the Institute. Composed of patient representatives across the foci, KETF helps to bridge the gap between available health research information and the patients and health-care professionals who need this information to make the most informed decisions about health-care options. KETF also aims to help influence health research priorities in Canada.

Steps to Success: Enabling Directions

Having mapped its strategic directions over the next five years, IMHA must also have the tools in place to support its five-year plan. The Institute has identified two areas that will enable it to evolve and achieve its future goals: effective partnerships and public engagement and organizational excellence.

Partnerships and Citizen Engagement - Partnerships with all IMHA stakeholders - researchers, health-care providers, policy makers, the Canadian public, the private sector and patients/patient groups - will ensure that all energy and efforts can work towards a shared vision. IMHA will achieve this through:

  • Consultation: Engaging all stakeholder groups to shape the Institute's priorities and actions.
  • Consensus: Setting a national research agenda by acting as the focal meeting point for all research under IMHA's mandate.
  • Communication: Developing communication and outreach strategies to further strengthen the consultation and consensus cycle.

Organizational Excellence - A strong and accountable organization will ensure that IMHA reaches its goals and like all CIHR Institutes, operates responsibly on behalf of all Canadians. The Institute is committed to excellence in both daily operations and larger-scale planning and will continue to self-evaluate and analyze successes and weaknesses, individually and collectively within the CIHR structure. IMHA strives not only to meet stakeholder expectations, but to exceed them through:

  • Flexibility and responsiveness: Ensuring that IMHA can act quickly and decisively on the knowledge garnered through partnerships and public engagement.
  • Measuring and reporting on results: Developing metrics and international benchmarks to measure our success.
  • Embodying the highest standards of ethics: Consulting with an ethics subcommittee to ensure that decision-making takes into account all ethical considerations.
  • Policy leadership: Ensuring that IMHA-funded research informs health policy and the development of a national science policy.

Conclusion

The next five years will be an exciting time for IMHA. The first five years built a strong foundation of knowledge across the foci and the Institute will continue to build on this knowledge as it moves forward to solve Canada's health challenges. Under its new flagship theme, "physical activity and mobility across the lifespan," Institute initiatives will be focused and strategic and enable us to make a real impact in the lives of Canadians. Research in the other two priorities areas will work to reinforce our efforts in ensuring that we are all active and mobile. We will also continue to monitor the landscape in all our foci and priorities to identify and address emerging health challenges.

As a leader in knowledge translation, IMHA welcomes and encourages stakeholder input. While the 2008-13 Strategic Plan is meant to provide a framework for the next five years, it is also designed to be a fluid document that will evolve through feedback and consultation. With the help of all its stakeholders, IMHA strives towards eradicating the pain, suffering and disability caused by arthritis, musculoskeletal, oral and skin conditions.

Contact:
Jane E. Aubin, PhD
Scientific Director
jane.aubin@utoronto.ca

Appendix: Institute of Musculoskeletal Health and Arthritis Advisory Board

Chair:

Ellen, Dr. Richard
Professor, CIHR Group in Matrix Dynamics
Director: STIHR, Cell Signalling in Mucosal Inflammation & Pain
Faculty of Dentistry, University of Toronto

Vice-chair:

Singleton, Dr. Rick
Director of Pastoral Care
Memorial University

Members:

Albagli, Ms. Michelle
Executive Director
Canadian Dermatology Association

Bogoch, Dr. Earl
Medical Director, Mobility Program
St. Michael's Hospital

Cohen, Dr. Lois K.
Consultant
National Institute for Dental and Craniofacial Research
National Institutes of Health

Davis, Dr. Aileen
Senior Scientist
Outcomes and Population Health
Toronto Western Research Institute

Dutz, Dr. Jan
Associate Professor, Div. Dermatology
University of British Columbia

Esdaile, Dr. John
Professor of Medicine, Division of Rheumatology
Department of Medicine, University of British Columbia

Gardiner, Dr. Phillip
307 Max Bell Institute
University of Manitoba

Germain, Dr. Lucie
Professor, Faculty of Medicine
Scientific Director of Laboratoire d'organogénèse expérimentale (LOEX)
Laval University

McGibbon, Dr. Chris
Professor, Institute of Biomedical Engineering
University of New Brunswick

McKee, Dr. Marc D.
Professor, Faculty of Dentistry
Associate Dean (Research)
McGill University

Morrice, Mr. Denis
Ambassador, Bone and Joint Decade
Consultant, Canadian Skin Patient Alliance

Snelgrove-Clarke, Ms. Erna
Assistant Professor
School of Nursing, Dalhousie University

Stordy, Mr. Allan
Director, Canadian Skin Patient Alliance

Wrogemann, Dr. Klaus
Professor and Associate Head
Biochemistry & Medical Genetics
University of Manitoba