Message from Dr. Alain Beaudet, CIHR President, about IA’s Transition

At the end of July 2011, Dr. Anne Martin-Matthews, Scientific Director of CIHR's Institute of Aging (IA), will conclude her term. Although this transition is still months away, I would like to thank Dr. Martin-Matthews for her outstanding contributions to health research in Canada.

Over the last seven years, under Dr. Martin-Matthews' leadership, IA has addressed significant health priorities related to aging and old age, with a strategic emphasis on cognitive impairment in aging and on mobility in aging. Her keen understanding of the critical importance of multidisciplinary research as a driver of innovation, fostered unique collaborations that are creating new knowledge while building research capacity and engaging research users at all stages. The result is a strong and vibrant research community in aging in Canada, enhanced by IA's focus on strategic international alliances and promotion of stakeholder and citizen engagement.

With vision and tenacity, Dr. Martin-Matthews championed the development and launch in 2009 of the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging (CLSA), one of CIHR's Major Strategic Initiatives. The CLSA, one of the most comprehensive studies on aging ever undertaken, will follow approximately 50,000 Canadian men and women between the ages of 45 and 85 for a period of at least 20 years. It will collect data on key genetic, biological, clinical, psychological, social, and economic aspects of aging. The CLSA will be a legacy research platform for Canada and will significantly advance our understanding of adaptation and transitions in health from middle to very old age.

Over the coming year, IA staff in Vancouver and Ottawa, the Institute's Advisory Board, and senior CIHR management in Ottawa will be working to ensure that this transition proceeds as effectively as possible.

Recruitment for a new Scientific Director for IA will begin shortly. I am confident that the next Scientific Director will continue to provide the necessary vision and leadership to further build support for research into the causes, prevention, screening, diagnosis, treatment, support systems, and palliation for a wide range of conditions associated with aging in Canada and to accelerate the effective translation of research knowledge for the benefit of Canadians.

Sincerely,

Alain Beaudet, M.D., Ph.D.
President, Canadian Institutes of Health Research