IMHA On The Move - September 2010

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Table of Contents

A Message from the Scientific Director

Jane Aubin Pain often dominates the lives of people living with chronic conditions. Despite this, and the significance of pain to IMHA consumers and stakeholders, understanding the causes and management of chronic pain is still limited. Thus, IMHA remains committed to its strategic priority in Pain, Disability and Chronic Disease, and is encouraged by events such as the recent 13th World Congress on Pain, organized by the International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP). It was very exciting to witness more than 6000 international researchers gather together in the heart of Montreal, in late August-early September, 2010.

Equally exciting is the quality of pain research that takes place in this country. I want to recognize and congratulate Dr. Christine Chambers, from Dalhousie University, who was awarded the prestigious IASP Ulf Lindblom Young Investigator Award for Clinical Science during the Congress. Read more about her outstanding research on pain in children in Good News Stories.

Musculoskeletal (MSK) diseases and conditions are amongst the most painful, and their prevalence is enormous and increasing in Canada and elsewhere. Recognizing this, 2009-2010 was named the Global Year against Musculoskeletal Pain.

As noted in our August newsletter, the number of Canadians with arthritis - and pain - continues to grow, as highlighted in the message from Leona Aglukkaq, Minister of Health, recognizing September as Arthritis Awareness month. I want to take this opportunity to thank all of the researchers, funding and knowledge translation partners, volunteers, consumers and others who devote their time and energy to improving the lives of those who live with arthritis. That there is an enormous thirst for more information on arthritis and pain was demonstrated by the overwhelming interest in this topic at the recent CIHR-sponsored Café Scientifique held in Montreal on August 31, 2010. I was delighted to hear the buzz created by over 120 (standing room only!) members of the public who engaged the expert panelists in a lively two hours of knowledge exchange. This month, the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) will host a public awareness initiative on their website to raise awareness of arthritis prevention, management and treatment options. IMHA will also support our other partners, The Arthritis Society and The Canadian Arthritis Network, in their awareness campaigns to promote arthritis research.

This month, IMHA also welcomes three new Institute Advisory Board (IAB) members, Drs. Jeff Dixon, Alain Moreau and Youwen Zhou (see Other News). We are delighted that these researchers have agreed to serve on the IMHA IAB and we look forward to working with them over the next three years.

As always, if you have any questions or comments about the work of the Institute, please do not hesitate to get in touch with me or one of the staff.

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

Did You Know?

The 2010 Report on the Findings of the Oral Health Component of the Canadian Health Measures Survey 2007-2009 reported that adult Canadians have an average of 0.58 teeth that are decaying but untreated, 12% avoid certain foods because of problems with their teeth or mouth, 12% had ongoing pain in their mouth in the past year, and 6% of adults do not have any of their natural teeth. In our recent survey of the four Catalyst Grants in Disparities in Oral Health that IMHA funded, we learned of results with important implications for improving access to oral health care.

Disparities in Oral Health

IMHA's analysis and evaluation team recently completed a preliminary report of the outcomes of the Seed Grant: Disparities in Oral Health (DOH) program funded by our strategic initiatives budget. The DOH program provided one year grants of up to $100,000 between 2007-2009 to promote team building and networking to address research questions tackling disparities in oral health and/or gaps in oral health services among vulnerable populations, including inter-relationships between oral health and general health and well-being.

Our analysis of the four funded projects showed that the DOHa program contributed to knowledge creation with potential to improve oral health and oral health care of vulnerable Canadian populations and had important impacts that would very likely not have resulted from oral health research funded via an open competition process. For example, the program successfully promoted the building of multidisciplinary, multi-sectoral teams and collaborations, research results were disseminated to a broader array of stakeholders and knowledge users as compared to the control group, and the teams are expecting to build on the significant interactions developed to translate research knowledge in oral health disparities to make it more useful to health care professionals, health service decision-makers and individuals representing under-privileged groups, and to contribute substantially to the development of community-based dental clinics.

The final report of the outcomes of the Seed Grant: Disparities in Oral Health (DOH) program will be available soon for distribution to multiple stakeholder groups. Amongst these is the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences, which is sponsoring and has initiated an assessment on improving access to oral health care for Canadians. Chaired by Dr. Paul Allison, a recipient of one of the Seed Grants, the assessment panel includes individuals with diverse expertise and from a wide variety of academic and non-academic backgrounds. The panel also includes international expertise concerning the field of dental services delivery from the USA and UK. The task of the panel is to make recommendations aimed at improving access to oral health care services particularly for vulnerable groups living in Canada. The work of the panel is financed through a number of grants from Canadian dental faculties, several research granting agencies, including IMHA, a dental licensing body and some donations from the private sector. The panel is expected to meet in the winter and then again in the spring and their report is expected to be published in approximately 1 year's time.

Good News Stories

Dalhousie researcher awarded prestigious international young investigator award

Christine Chambers Dr. Christine Chambers, an Associate Professor of Pediatrics and Psychology and Canada Research Chair in Pain and Child Health at Dalhousie University, was recognized internationally at the 13th World Congress on Pain on August 29 - September 2, 2010 in Montreal, with her receipt of the International Association for the Study of Pain's (IASP) Ulf Lindblom Young Investigator Award. Dr. Chambers studies the influences of developmental and social factors on pain in children, and she kindly took some time to speak with IMHA about her research, and her reaction to receiving this award. There were over 6000 international researchers at the Congress, which reminded Dr. Chambers of how broad the field of pain is. She stated that "the fact that they felt [her] contribution to pediatric pain research was worthy of the award was a real honour". Dr. Chambers emphasized the increasing importance of ensuring that research done in the field of pediatric pain translates into public knowledge and improvements in patient care. Dr. Chambers is committed to knowledge translation, as well as mentoring the excellent trainees that she feels fortunate to work with. Dr. Chambers has "a fantastic job, and [she] sees it as a huge privilege to be able to ask interesting and important questions, and answer them." Congratulations, Dr. Chambers, and may you continue to ask and answer interesting questions!

Other News

CIHR's September Research Profiles - Inflammation

When inflammation goes wrong, it can cause disorders ranging from rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis, and periodontal disease to heart disease, obesity, diabetes, and even some cancers. CIHR's September "Research profiles - A swelling problem" highlights four excellent and diverse CIHR-funded inflammation researchers. It also provides an overview by Jane Aubin that underlines the need for more interdisciplinary approaches to identify aspects of inflammation that are common to many chronic diseases and conditions.

New IAB Members

Dr. Alain Moreau is an Associate Professor in the Faculty of Dentistry (Stomatology Department), cross-appointed to the Biochemistry Department in the Faculty of Medicine at the Université de Montréal. He is the Assistant Director – Academic Affairs of Sainte-Justine University Hospital Research Centre and Co-director of the Dentistry Department. Dr. Moreau is also responsible for the development of the research program in pediatric rehabilitation at Marie Enfant Rehabilitation Center, which is part of Sainte-Justine University Hospital. Dr. Moreau is a recognized authority on molecular genetics of idiopathic scoliosis with other research interests including the genetic causes of osteoarthritis and the molecular mechanisms implicated in inflammation and pain as well as the normal and pathological regeneration of musculoskeletal tissues.

Dr. Jeff Dixon is a Professor in the Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, and Division of Oral Biology in the Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry at The University of Western Ontario in London, Ontario. His research focuses on cellular and molecular mechanisms regulating bone formation and resorption. Dixon is Co-Director of the multicentre Joint Motion Program -- a CIHR Strategic Training Program in Musculoskeletal Health Research and Leadership. He is past-president of the Canadian Association for Dental Research and, from 2001-2009, served as Director of the CIHR Group in Skeletal Development and Remodeling, an interdisciplinary team focusing on basic and applied aspects of musculoskeletal and dental health research.

Dr. Youwen Zhou is an Associate Professor of Dermatology at the University of British Columbia and the Curriculum Director for the CIHR Skin Research Training Centre, based in Vancouver, British Columbia. His research focuses on how gene mutations and expression abnormalities cause skin diseases such as hyperhidrosis, vitiligo and rosacea. Other areas of his research include skin cancers such as melanoma and skin lymphoma.

Update: Strategy on Patient-Oriented Research

Recently, several stakeholders have asked me for an update on the CIHR Strategy on Patient-Oriented Research (SPOR). First, let me thank the IMHA community for the helpful comments during the consultation phase on SPOR; many of you sent me suggestions and I know many also submitted comments through CIHR's web survey. The consultation is now closed, but interested stakeholders can still send comments on SPOR by emailing: SPOR.consultation@cihr-irsc.gc.ca.

SPOR is now entering Phase II of its activities, and there will be additional information as plans progress. However, many of you have asked me about SPOR-related funding opportunities. SPOR is not a single initiative but is an overall strategy with multiple initiatives already launched. For example, SPOR is a partner on the Medical Imaging Clinical Trials Network RFA launched at the end of July 2010. SPOR is also a partner on the Network Catalyst RFA launched in August 2010.

IMHA will continue to provide updates as they are available, and we will post information on SPOR-related and other IMHA-relevant funding opportunities in each newsletter.

Upcoming CIHR Events

  • November 3, 2010
    IMHA and the Canadian Arthritis Network will co-host a Café Scientifique on ethical issues and workplace disability.
    Location: Gladstone Hotel, 1214 Queen Street West, Toronto, Ontario

    For more information on these upcoming Cafés, please visit the CIHR Café Scientifique website.

Meetings of Interest

  • The American Society for Bone and Mineral Research Annual Meeting
    (Oct. 15-19, 2010)
    Toronto, Ontario, Canada

    Mark your calendars for the ASBMR 2010 Annual Meeting, the premier scientific meeting discussing the latest concepts and innovations in bone and mineral research. To register now, please visit the ASBMR registration website.

  • Canadian Arthritis Network Annual Scientific Conference
    (Oct. 28-30, 2010)
    Lac-Leamy, Gatineau, Québec

    For more details about the conference, please visit the Canadian Arthritis Network website.

  • Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology Annual General Meeting - Exploring the Routes to Health and Fitness
    (Nov. 3-6, 2010)
    Toronto, Ontario, Canada

    For more details about the conference, please visit the CSEP website.

Cochrane Corner

News Flash - IMHA is pleased to announce the addition of the IMHA Cochrane Corner to our website.

Cochrane Canada is offering a Late 2010 Webinar Research Series on topics related to systematic reviews. To register, please fill our our registration forms.

IMHA Funding Opportunities

For information on current funding opportunities, please visit IMHA's Funding Opportunities.

Partner Corner

Partnership

In an effort to improve our understanding of arthritis by supporting research and promoting the translation of research into policy and/or new practices, The Arthritis Society and IMHA forged a partnership on the Winter 2010 Operating Grants Priority Announcement competition. Through this partnership The Society successfully funded seven Operating Grants in the area of Arthritis for a total investment of $2.4 million over three years. A complete list of the recipients can be found on The Society's website.

Call for Success Stories

Do you have a story that has helped sustain health and enhance quality of life by eradicating the pain, suffering and disability caused by arthritis, musculoskeletal, oral and skin conditions? IMHA would like to celebrate our partners' success stories in our monthly newsletter. To nominate a success story, please submit a short essay (maximum 2,000 words) that describes the achievement and the rationale for its significance to IMHA at IMHA@cihr-irsc.gc.ca.

Contact IMHA

CIHR - Institute of Musculoskeletal Health and Arthritis
Department of Molecular Genetics
Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto
The Banting Institute
100 College St., Room 207B
Toronto, ON, M5G 1L5
Tel: 416-978-4220
Email: IMHA@cihr-irsc.gc.ca
Contact IMHA

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