INMD IAB Highlights - February 2010
February 17-18, 2010Hamilton, Ontario
The Institute of Nutrition, Metabolism, and Diabetes (INMD) held their 28th Institute Advisory Board (IAB) Meeting in Hamilton, Ontario at McMaster University. The meeting commenced with a poster session, combined with a Meet and Greet session, which was held on campus February 16, 2010. The Poster session provided the IAB members with an opportunity to engage with new researchers. Poster session presenters included students from McMaster University, Brock University, University of Guelph, and Waterloo University.
This is the first IAB meeting that INMD invited guest observers for the first day of the Advisory Board meeting. Kevin Glasgow and George Tolomiczenko from Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of Canada attended as well as Paul Shay and Wim Wolfs from the Kidney Foundation of Canada. These observers attended the Meet and Greet session and first morning of the IAB meeting.
Guest presenters at the IAB meeting were:
- IAB Member, Dr. Murray Huff (University of Western Ontario) gave an interesting and compelling talk on his research entitled: “The discovery of flavonoids for the prevention of metabolic disease, obesity and atherosclerosis – A paradigm for translational research.”
- Dr. Sonia Anand, from McMaster University gave an insightful presentation entitled: “Overweight and Obesity in Ethnic Communities in Canada - finding causes and solutions” which highlighted the cross-pillar nature of her approach to studying the causes and management of obesity.
INMD Strategic Plan – Update
P. Sherman presented a draft of the updated 5 year Strategic Plan of INMD to CIHR’s Scientific Council in December, 2009. It received a positive response from the members of Scientific Council. The President of CIHR, Dr. Alain Beaudet, approved the new INMD Strategic Plan on February 1, 2010 and offered his comments. [INMD hosted several Strategic Planning Summits to engage stakeholders and utilized on-line surveys to seek input into the development of the new Strategic Plan.]
The Strategic Plan is currently being translated and, once complete, then it will be posted on the INMD website and circulated widely. P. Sherman will be revisiting the communities he initially consulted in the Summits last year to present the new Strategic Plan.
CIHR Strategy on Patient - Oriented Research (SPOR)
P. Sherman presented on the CIHR Strategy on Patient-Oriented Research (SPOR). The goal of this strategy is the improvement of health outcomes through research, with the aim to enhance clinical applications and economic impact of health innovations and to provide health professionals and decision-makers with information on how to deliver high-quality care and services in a cost-effective manner. The strategy implies a continuum from “first in patients” studies to how new and old drugs, devices, and procedures are integrated into health systems. P. Sherman explained the four components of the strategy:
- Improve the research environment and infrastructure
- Set up mechanisms to better train and mentor health professionals and non-clinicians
- Strengthen organizational, regulatory, and financial support for multi-site studies
- Support best practices in health care
P. Sherman encouraged IAB members and meeting observers to read the SPOR discussion document and complete the survey, which is posted on the SPOR web site.
INMD CIHR Activity - Report Backs
Board members reported on Events relevant to INMD that they attended since the last IAB meeting.
Café Scientifique – D. Lillie
INMD hosted a Café Scientifique on disordered eating on November 10th, 2009 in Toronto at Workman Arts. D. Lillie attended as the INMD IAB representative. The Café was called The Stranger in the Mirror - is it time to change the way we view disordered eating? The event was held in conjunction with the Rendezvous with Madness Film Festival. The film Alice or Life in Black and White was screened, followed by a panel discussion of experts moderated by the Vice-Chair of the Mental Health Commission of Canada, Dr. David Goldbloom. The event successfully engaged the public and stimulated dialogue about research and eating disorders.
IMHA Bone Health Consensus – L. Grossman/S. Atkinson
L. Grossman and S. Atkinson attended the IMHA-led Bone Health Consensus meeting. The Institute of Musculoskeletal Health and Arthritis (IMHA) convened a large consensus conference focused on osteoporosis to set a bone health research agenda for Canada.
ICRH Biomarkers Workshop – S. Atkinson/ E. Roberts
E. Roberts, S. Atkinson, and P. Sherman attended the Institute of Cardiovascular and Respiratory Health (ICRH) led Biomarkers workshop. E. Roberts reported that Biomarkers is currently front and centre in the minds of many investigators and the workshop provided an opportunity to refine and define the focus of biomarker research. S. Atkinson said there could be opportunities in the future to partner internationally with respect to the BOND Initiative (Biomarkers of Nutrition for Development) that the U.S. National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) is leading.
IHSPR Primary Healthcare Workshop – J. Johnson
J. Johnson attended the CIHR Primary Healthcare Summit: ‘Patient-Oriented Primary Healthcare – Scaling Up Innovation’ led by the Institute of Health Services and Policy Research (IHSPR). INMD hosted a Workshop planned by D. Lillie, P. Bélanger, and J. Johnson entitled Are we Implementing Evidence-based Care with a Focus on the Patient?, which showcased diabetes as a model of care for other chronic diseases.
INMD/ICRH Developing a Research Agenda to Support Sodium Reduction in Canada Workshop – D. Bichet
D. Bichet attended the national workshop: Developing a Research Agenda to Support Sodium Reduction in Canada led by INMD and ICRH. It was a timely workshop, as the New England Journal of Medicine recently published a study that projects that a national effort in the U.S. to reduce daily salt intake by 3 g (1200 mg of sodium) could reduce the annual number of new cases of coronary heart disease (CVD), resulting in significant savings in healthcare costs. D. Bichet said that this was an exciting Workshop. Participants included researchers, policy makers, and representatives from the food industry and voluntary health organizations. International speakers highlighted the UK experience, which demonstrated that an initial drop in salt levels in foods is relatively easy, but the challenge is in the next phase of targeted reductions, and a compelling presentation on macrophages and skin lymphatic regulation of salt and blood pressure control.
A number of individuals and organizations were involved in the planning and funding this workshop. INMD acknowledges the generous support of many partners, including the Kidney Foundation of Canada (represented at the meeting). As a result of the workshop, INMD will be pursuing partnership opportunities with NSERC. There are opportunities for basic research and applied research, and the food Industry expressed an interest in participating. The Sodium Working Group, Chaired by Health Canada, will issue a report later this calendar year. The first draft document from the Workshop is being prepared and when it is available it will be posted on-line on the CIHR INMD website.
Upcoming INMD Activities
INMD will be sponsoring and participating in the following workshops:
- CIHR Epigenetics, Environment and Health Workshop
April 7th-9th, 2010
Queen’s Landing, Niagara-on-the-Lake, ON
- CIHR Monogenic and Genetically Complex Rare Diseases Workshop
April 27th, 2010
One King West Hotel, Toronto, ON
Operationalizing the INMD Strategic Plan
P. Sherman gave a presentation on Operationalizing the Strategic Plan, to set the context for small group break-out sessions. He outlined CIHR strategic directions, discussed the foundational principles, and how the INMD strategic priorities relate to the INMD mandate. He explained how strategic initiatives need to align with CIHR strategic research priorities, and how initiatives need to be achievable and have impact.
Board members subdivided into small groups and then reported back with ideas of areas where INMD could launch a level 4 initiative based on one of the new INMD Strategic priorities.
Grants and Awards
P. Bélanger gave a presentation on Targeted Initiatives. He discussed priority announcements and partnered funding opportunities including ones in progress, opportunities that are developing, as well as partnerships that have been proposed.
Ethics
Robert Haché, the INMD IAB Ethics Delegate, led a discussion on Ethics at CIHR. The Senior Policy Advisor Hanan Abdel-Akher joined this portion of the meeting by teleconference and went through a slide presentation based on the revised draft of the Tri-Council Policy Statement: Ethical Conduct for Research Involving Humans. This is the Tri-Council Policy Statement’s second draft. The Tri-Council is made up of CIHR, NSERC, and SSHRC. The unified policy covers all fields of research involving humans. A final draft will be ready for April 30, and consideration for approval by the agencies in summer of 2010.
International Review of the CIHR
P. Bélanger gave a presentation on the CIHR International review. He is a member of the CIHR Subcommittee on Performance Measurements (SPM) that will play an important role in preparing CIHR for the ten year International Review. The head of the blue ribbon panel is Dr. Elias Zerhouni, former Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). There will be a review of CIHR overall, as well as each of the 13 institutes The purpose of the review is to determine whether CIHR has been effective in fulfilling its mandate, as outlined in the CIHR Act, and to identify ways CIHR can improve in achieving its mandate.
Highlights of the 2005 review of INMD included:
- Carefully monitor the results of the single strategic priority.
- Endeavour to reach out to the full range of researchers and stakeholders in its community.
- Look for opportunities to support further knowledge creation in other domains within its mandate beyond obesity/healthy body weight.
- Continue to contribute to the implementation of CIHR’s overall ethics mandate.
Forward Planning
INMD IAB meetings scheduled for the future are:
- May 2010: Iqaluit, Nunavut
- October 2010: Memorial University, St. John’s, Newfoundland
- February 2011: University of British Columbia, Vancouver, B.C.
- May 2011: York University, Toronto, Ontario
- October 2011: University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario
Next Meeting
The next IAB of the INMD will be a joint meeting with the Institute of Aboriginal People’s Health (IAPH) in Iqaluit, Nunavut, May 11-14, 2010.