IMHA On The Move - November 2010

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Table of Contents

A Message from the Scientific Director

Jane Aubin

November has been a busy month for IMHA, beginning with IMHA staff gathering together with the Institute Advisory Board (IAB) members in early November to review and evaluate IMHA activities and strategies. We were pleased to welcome all members, both old and new, to the first IAB meeting since the appointment of our new Chair, Phillip Gardiner, and Vice Chair, Monique Gignac, on September 1, 2010 (see photo of the IAB below). Discussions were lively and helpful around such issues as IMHA's ongoing SWOT analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats) and environmental scanning activities, the International Review Panel (IRP) Report and IRP site visit that will occur in February 2011, and positioning ourselves for 2013, the end of our current Strategic Plan, and beyond. IAB members also discussed the development of a proposed inflammation in chronic disease initiative led by IMHA in partnership with other CIHR Institutes and external partners. Stay tuned for more information as discussions proceed.

photo of the IAB

Standing (from left to right): Allan Stordy, Monique Gignac, Aileen Davis, Earl Bogoch,
Erna Snelgrove-Clarke, Alain Moreau, Debbie Feldman, Jeff Dixon
Seated (from left to right): Lucie Germain, Marc D. McKee, Phillip Gardiner, Jane E. Aubin,
John Esdaile, Youwen Zhou, Joy MacDermid
Absent: Klaus Wrogemann

The Board meeting was preceded by a Café Scientifique that took place in Toronto on November 3, 2010 (see photo on page 3). This Café featured three expert researchers who spoke on the topic of the challenges - for workers and employers - of chronic muscle and joint problems in the workplace, many of them the result of inflammation. The exchange of ideas between the expert panel and the audience on this important subject was interesting and informative for all - an example of knowledge translation to and from the public.

Pain was an important topic for participants at the Café and, as we have noted before, is related to virtually all of the diseases and conditions under IMHA's mandate. November 7-13, 2010 was National Pain Awareness Week, which reminds us again of the many Canadians who are living with chronic conditions that result in pain and the researchers who are working to alleviate this burden.

Speaking of research and knowledge translation, November is Osteoporosis Month in Canada, and I had the pleasure of participating in the recent launch of Osteoporosis Canada's 2010 Clinical Practice Guidelines for the Diagnosis and Management of Osteoporosis in Canada. Widespread implementation of the guidelines - which move the focus away from treating bone mineral density and onto identifying people at risk of fracture from weak bones (fragility fractures) - will have a profound impact on prevention and treatment of osteoporotic fractures. Read more about the Guidelines on page 2.

I wish everyone a pleasant and productive November.

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

Research Ambassadors Knowledge Translation Award

This year, IMHA introduced a new award, entitled the "IMHA Research Ambassadors Knowledge Translation Award", in order to encourage CIHR applicants to write excellent lay abstracts. Given to Principal Investigators who submitted a superior lay abstract for an IMHA-funded grant or award, this award acknowledged lay abstracts that were well written, easily understood by a lay audience, comprehensive and highly informative. Judging was done by the IMHA Research Ambassadors, a panel of non-scientist consumers identified by health charities relevant to IMHA, and who are members of IMHA's Knowledge Exchange Task Force.

This award was created to assist with an overall goal of CIHR, which is to foster knowledge translation from scientific research into improved health for Canadians, more effective health services and products, and a strengthened health care system. It is important that researchers be able to communicate their work to a general audience and a variety of stakeholders. IMHA hopes that this award will encourage success in this area.

We would like to congratulate the following Principal Investigators who wrote abstracts chosen for this award: Douglas W. Hamilton (UWO), Joanna E. Sale (St. Michael's Hospital), and Hubert B. Labelle (Saint-Justine Hospital). IMHA would also like to give an honorable mention to the next three abstracts, which were strong as well. These were written by Guy A. Rouleau (U of Montreal), Dilson E. Rassier (McGill), and Dieter P. Reinhardt (McGill). IMHA looks forward to continuing to acknowledge excellent lay abstracts in the upcoming years.

Did You Know?

According to Osteoporosis Canada, almost 2 million Canadians are living with osteoporosis. Treatment of osteoporosis and its associated fractures costs $1.9 billion annually for the Canadian health care system. Beyond the economic cost of this disease is the human cost: 80% of hip fractures are related to osteoporosis, and up to 20% of hip fractures result in death.

Good News Stories

Canadian researcher receives the Lawrence G. Raisz Award at ASBMR

Dr. David Goltzman

Please join IMHA in congratulating Dr. David Goltzman, who was recently recognized with the Lawrence G. Raisz Award at the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research 2010 Annual Meeting. Dr. Goltzman is at McGill University, where he is a Professor in the Departments of Medicine and of Physiology and the Director of the Centre for Bone and Periodontal Research. He is also a Senior Physician in the Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Department of Medicine at McGill University Health Centre. Dr. Goltzman studies the hormonal regulation of mineral and skeletal homeostasis, and has an impressive list of publications and awards. Dr. Goltzman's qualifications and achievements made him a perfect candidate for this award, given to someone with outstanding achievements in preclinical and translational research. In an interview with him, Dr. Goltzman spoke of how flattered he was to receive the award, and how touched he was due to his personal connection with Lawrence G. Raisz. Similarly to Dr. Raisz, Dr. Goltzman is a clinician scientist and a dedicated teacher and mentor. Dr. Goltzman noted that this award fits with Dr. Raisz's appreciation for all aspects of research, and signals that "there really is a continuum between preclinical basic research and translation that needs to be emphasized more and more". Dr. Goltzman finds it very rewarding that his research, which began with his interest in basic mechanisms, has clinical relevance and population health applicability. Congratulations, Dr. Goltzman, and we look forward to hearing about your future research and successes!

Other News

Catalyst Grant - Bone Health

In March, IMHA launched the "Catalyst Grant – Bone Health" to encourage and stimulate new and established investigators to undertake new, high priority research challenges in the field of bone health. We are pleased to announce that 18 grants have been awarded which will enable researchers to generate preliminary data, validate methodology or tools, and/or explore novel research ideas in bone health. IMHA, in partnership with the Institute of Gender and Health, invested $1,628,054 in the eighteen catalyst grants. The list of recipients for each competition can be viewed on the CIHR-IMHA web site.

Upcoming CIHR Events

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

Meetings of Interest

CAN CARES (Jan. 22, 2011). London, Ontario, Canada.
For more details about this session, please visit the Canadian Arthritis Network website.

Canadian Rheumatology Association (CRA) Annual Meeting (Feb. 11-15, 2011). Cancun, Mexico. For more details about this conference, please visit the Canadian Rheumatology Association website.

9th Annual Cochrane Canada Symposium (Feb. 14-15, 2011). Vancouver, BC, Canada. For more details about this symposium, please visit the Symposium website.

Partner Corner

New psoriasis website launched by Canadian Skin Patient Alliance
On October 28, 2010, coinciding with World Psoriasis Day, a new website called Psoriasis Revealed was launched by the Canadian Skin Patient Alliance. This website is a great resource for psoriasis patients and for anyone interested in learning more about this condition. We are proud to announce that the website features a video of Allan Stordy, one of IMHA's Advisory Board (IAB) members, in which he gives a personal account of what it is like to live with psoriasis. Allan brings the consumer voice to IMHA's IAB discussions, and his insights and the video remind us of the importance of translating our research into new treatments and care models.

2010 Clinical Practice Guidelines launched by Osteoporosis Canada
On October 12, 2010 Osteoporosis Canada released the 2010 Clinical Practice Guidelines for the Diagnosis and Management of Osteoporosis in Canada. There have been many changes in the study of osteoporosis since launching the last guidelines in 2002. This document is an important advancement in guiding physicians, patients and the general public on how to maintain strong bones, and prevent and treat osteoporotic fractures.

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.

My Needs vs. Yours: Can the Workplace Handle Chronic Disease?

Rick Singleton, Monique Gignac, Pierre Cote and Patrick Loisel

Rick Singleton (moderator) and three experts, Monique Gignac (Vice Chair of IMHA Institute Advisory Board), Pierre Cote and Patrick Loisel discuss issues relating to chronic muscle and joint problems in the workplace at a Café Scientifique in Toronto on November 3, 2010.

IMHA Funding Opportunities

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

Important changes to the cut-off time for CIHR funding opportunities
As of January 3, 2011, the cut-off time for CIHR funding opportunities will change from 11:59 p.m. EST to 8:00 p.m. Est. The cut-off time remains 11:59 p.m. for opportunities with deadlines before or on January 2, 2011. For questions regarding this change, please contact CIHR's Information Service at 1-888-603-4178 or info@cihr-irsc.gc.ca.

Rare Diseases Emerging Teams
The Rare Diseases Emerging Teams: Translating Basic Biology to Enhanced Patient Care program was launched in October 2010. This funding will support interdisciplinary research teams that focus on understanding rare diseases, translating this knowledge to clinics and populations, or addressing health services and social issues. For more information on this opportunity, please visit the CIHR website.

Institute Community Support: Travel Awards for Students and Post-Doctoral Fellows
The next deadline for the IMHA travel awards is January 15, 2011. These awards provide a maximum of $1,000 to research trainees to assist with the costs of presenting their research at regular interval meetings that fall under IMHA's mandate.

NIDCR Behavioral or Social Intervention Planning and Pilot Data Grant
The National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has launched a funding opportunity for which non-U.S. organizations are eligible to apply. This grant will provide support for planning studies of behavioral or social interventions relevant to oral, dental or craniofacial health. For more information, please visit the Grant Announcement.

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
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