CIHR-Institute of Nutrition, Metabolism and Diabetes (INMD) Institute Advisory Board Meeting Highlights - May 2010
May 12th-14th, 2010Iqaluit, Nunavut
Wednesday May 12, 2010: JOINT INMD- Institute of Aboriginal People's Health (IAPH)
The Institute of Nutrition, Metabolism, and Diabetes (INMD) held their 29th Institute Advisory Board (IAB) Meeting in Iqaluit, Nunavut. INMD partnered with the CIHR Institute of Aboriginal People's Health (IAPH) and held a one day joint Institute Advisory Board Meeting.
The meeting commenced with a dinner with local dignitaries and the two Institutes' Boards. The joint meeting was attended by Dr. Alain Beaudet, President of the CIHR. Dr. Beaudet provided a presentation and participated in an interactive discussion about how Institutes could align themselves to the CIHR 5 year strategic plan, Health Research Roadmap: Creating innovative research for better health and health care (Roadmap). There was also discussion about the role of Institute Advisory Board members.
Guest presenters at the joint IAB meeting were:
- James Ford, Assistant Professor from McGill University who studies the Human dimensions of global environmental change with a focus on Aboriginal People.
- Natan Obed, Director of Social and Cultural Development for Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated, the representational organization for the beneficiaries of the Nunavut Land Claim agreement.
- Gail Turner, member of the IAPH IAB, who is the Director of Health Services with the Nunatsiavut, Department of Health and Social Development whose presentation was entitled "Food Insecurity-One Community's Story".
- Alain Beaudet- CIHR President, who discussed how the CIHR Strategic Plan: Health Research Roadmap: Creating innovative research for better health and health care, aligned with the Institutes. He then fielded questions from the IAB's of both INMD and IAPH.
The afternoon concluded with the sharing of Strategic Plans and Priorities of the two Institutes. Malcolm King, Scientific Director of IAPH presented the IAPH Strategic Plan and Philip Sherman, Scientific Director of INMD, presented the new INMD Strategic Plan.
Thursday May 13, 2010: INMD 29th Institute Advisory Board (IAB) Meeting
1. Reflections on Day 1
Many Board members expressed their appreciation for the opportunity to meet with another Institute Advisory Board. There are common areas where the two Institutes should work together. Some of the key issues that were identified as relevant to INMD include diabetes, obesity, food security, and health services/continuum of care.
2. Operational Planning
P. Sherman noted that he received very positive feedback from the CIHR Vice-Presidents and other Scientific Directors when he presented the new INMD Strategic Plan to Scientific Council (SC). The French and English electronic versions of the new INMD Strategic Plan are available on the CIHR-INMD web site. P. Sherman reported that at a Scientific Council (SC) Retreat in Gatineau, Québec, March 29 -30, 2010, a new process for identifying strategic investments was initiated. SC evaluated over 60 potential strategic initiatives that the institutes and others within CIHR had submitted.Thirteen were identified to move forward and be developed as Concept Papers. Scientific Directors were identified as leads and co-leads to develop the Concept Papers. The Concept Papers will be submitted for review by the Sub-Committee on Planning and Partnerships (SPP) and by SC at the end of June, 2010.
Pan- CIHR initiatives now require a Concept Paper, a Business Case, and approvals from SPP and SC. Negotiations with partners will occur at the stage of the Business Case development to determine if external funders are willing to contribute to the initiatives.
3. Strategic Objectives
For each of INMD's Strategic Priorities, the IAB identified two to four Strategic objectives and potential partnership opportunities, which would provide vehicles to accomplish these objectives. The acronym SMART was used to develop these strategic objectives: Specific, Measureable, Achievable, Realistic, and Time-sensitive. The IAB discussed some of the outcomes INMD could achieve with the strategic plan, such as an increase in capacity and number of researchers, increases in the amount of funding in a particular area in CIHR open operating grant competitions, increases in the number of publications by CIHR-funded researchers, increases in the scientific impact of publications by CIHR-funded researchers, improvements in health care delivery services, influencing health policy decision-making, and, ultimately, improving the health status of the population, all of which align with Roadmap.
4. International Review
Each of the Institutes will be reviewed and will have a member from the International Review Team on the Institute Review Panel. P. Sherman reported that the names for the CIHR International Review would be announced shortly. He asked the Board for suggestions of names for the Institute Review Panel. The criteria are as follows:
- A. Two (2) researchers with direct knowledge of CIHR/Institute program and peer review. Criteria: multidisciplinary perspective and balance, knowledgeable in peer review, NOT a past IAB member.
- B. Four (4) researchers at different stages of career. Criteria: knowledge of field and Institute, balance of research theme, gender, geography, knowledge users, leadership.
- C. Four (4) stakeholders relevant to Institute. Criteria: knowledge users and partners on key strategic initiatives.
There was brief discussion about Institute Advisory Boards being under review, and a request to reduce the number of members of IABs across CIHR.
4. Lectureship
Jeffrey Johnson, University of Alberta and INMD IAB Member, provided a compelling lectureship entitled "Population-based studies in diabetes: epidemiology, pharmacoepidemiology and health services research"
5. INMD Implementation Plan
There was then discussion about Concept Papers. The IAB asked P. Sherman what strategic priority INMD should put forward for next year. The IAB agreed that Food and Health is unique and something that INMD could lead. SPOR (Strategy for Patient-Oriented Research) is another area the IAB would like to see INMD provide leadership to be sure that INMD mandated areas are represented. Chronic Disease was another area of interest, because it is in Roadmap and links to INMD's Strategic Plan.
P. Sherman said that he will find out if Concept Papers can be shared with IABs, and then will distribute them if permitted to do so. It was decided to move forward with the Food and Health priority.
6. Forward Meeting schedule
IAB meetings scheduled for the future are:
- Oct 4- 6, 2010, Memorial University, St. John's, Newfoundland (Note: a Café Scientifique on vitamin D is planned for October 6th)
- February 24 - 25, 2011, University of British Columbia, Vancouver (Note: a Café Scientifique on environment, genes and digestive disease is being planned for Friday February 25th)
- October 2011 (dates to be determined), University of Guelph, Guelph
- May 2012 (dates to be determined), University of Alberta, Edmonton
- October 2012 (dates to be determined), York University, Toronto