INMD Newsletter - July 2009
- Profile on Dr. Eve Roberts, IAB Chair
- The Open Operating Grant Program (OOGP)
- Stakeholder Summits
- Other CIHR News
- Feedback on the INMD Newsletter
- Contact INMD
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Profile: Dr. Eve Roberts, Institute Advisory Board (IAB) Chair
Dr. Roberts was educated at Bryn Mawr College and the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Her postgraduate training included residency in Medicine at the Johns Hopkins Hospital and research training relating to hepatic pathophysiology and pharmacology in Toronto. She trained in hepatology at the University of London. "I had the privilege of training in Hepatology with Professor Dame Sheila Sherlock at the Royal Free Hospital." she said.
Dr. Roberts joined the staff of the Hospital for Sick Children in 1984 to focus on paediatric hepatology. "This was very exciting because paediatric hepatology was just beginning to take off!" She was appointed Senior Scientist in the Research Institute in 1990 and Professor of Paediatrics, Medicine and Pharmacology at the University of Toronto in 1998. She has been president of the Canadian Association for the Study of the Liver and Chairman of the Board of the Canadian Liver Foundation.
Her clinical research interests include a broad spectrum of pediatric liver disorders. Dr. Roberts was among the first to describe non-alcoholic fatty liver disease in children and investigate its disease mechanism and possible treatment. She was the principal clinician-researcher on the research team which identified the gene abnormal in Wilson disease. As a translational clinician-scientist, she studied the regulation of human hepatic cytochromes P450, and more recently, mechanisms of liver cell damage in Wilson disease. With her colleague Dr. Bibudhendra Sarkar, she developed metalloproteomics as a new approach for studying hepatic copper disposition.
"I have served on the INMD IAB since 2003 and been Chair for the past three years. It has really been interesting to contribute to the growth and development of INMD." Dr. Roberts said. She is extremely proud of the work the IAB did to ensure a smooth transition during the period in which the institute transferred to Toronto under the direction of the new Scientific Director, Dr. Phil Sherman.
In 2007, Dr. Roberts and her family moved to Halifax. She is currently studying at Dalhousie University for a doctorate in Philosophy of Biology relating to theory of knowledge in systems biology.
Dr. Roberts has been the recipient of many awards in her career, including most recently a 2009 President's Award at Dalhousie University. Dr. Roberts's talents are not limited to science: in May she performed in the chorus of Opera Nova Scotia's production of TheRake's Progress.
The Open Operating Grant Program (OOGP)
OOGP is the largest funding program at CIHR, with over 3600 investigator-initiated applications per year. These applications are reviewed by 46-50 individual committees. Committees and their mandates are updated yearly to reflect the breadth of topics for applications received. On June 24, 2009, the OOGP committees and mandates were updated. Below are some changes that have occurred for the committees directly aligned with INMD:
Clinical Investigation – C (CIC)
Clinical and clinically-relevant studies in metabolic and endocrine disorders; gastroenterology, hepatology, nephrology, urology, haematology and related viral and microbial pathologies.
Diabetes, Obesity, Lipid and Lipoprotein Disorders (DOL)
Molecular, cellular and whole organism studies of carbohydrate, lipid and energy metabolism as related to both fundamental and translational biology of diabetes, obesity, insulin resistance and dyslipidemia. Protein Metabolism.
Note: Population studies and human studies related to nutritional aspects of obesity and diabetes, or the relation between diet and health should be referred to the committee on Nutrition, Food & Health (NUT). Studies on the immunology of type 1 diabetes should be referred to the committee on Immunology and Transplantation (IT).
Experimental Medicine (EM)
Cellular physiology and molecular biology with a focus on disease in the following systems: haematology, gastroenterology, nephrology, urology, and hepatology.
Note: Clinical and clinically-relevant studies should be referred to the Clinical Investigation-C (CIC) committee.
Nutrition, Food & Health (NUT)
Human nutrition through the life span. Dietetics. Obesity, including evaluations of new glucose and weight-lowering drugs. Energy balance and nutrition. Health consequences of specific diets and dietary supplements, nutritional factors in the etiology of metabolic and gastrointestinal disorders, the epidemiological association between dietary habits and disease incidence. Food intolerance and allergy. Nutrition-related education and health promotion. Diabetes prevention and education. The influence of socioeconomic, cultural, and political factors on nutrition of the individual and the community. The impact of nutrient intake on disease response, work performance, and behaviour. Population and life cycle nutrient use and requirements. Pathogenesis of nutrient imbalance. Non-oral feeding strategies. Food production techniques, and food handling and safety. Probiotics. Nutrigenetics and nutrigenomics.
If you have any questions, contact Nathalie Gendron, Deputy Director, CIHR.
Stakeholder Summits
INMD has been hosting stakeholder summits to acquire feedback on a new strategic plan for the Institute. More summits are in the planning stages for the fall to include other members of our community. They will be featured in future newsletters.
Nutrition Summit
Quebec City - May 31, 2009
Digestive Health Summit
Chacago - June 2, 2009
Population Health Summit
Winnipeg - June 8, 2009
Other CIHR News
The Open Operating Grand Program: Committees and mandates were updated.
Emerging Team Grants: Microbiome Initiative
Funding Opportunities: INMD is proud to announce that we are both leading and partnering a few initiatives
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