IMHA On The Move - April 2011

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Table of Contents

A Message from the Scientific Director

Dr. Jane AubinApril is an important month for the IMHA community, as it is National Oral Health Month. The Canadian Dental Association (CDA) and others in the community have been busy promoting the importance of oral health to Canadians and organizing educational programs, events and activities. As the CDA points out, oral health is sometimes ignored and our mouth is often thought of as separate from the body. However, research shows a complex relationship between good oral health and the health of other organ systems and poor oral health and several other chronic diseases. For this and many other reasons, National Oral Health Month is a critical awareness initiative. Falling within Oral Health Month is National Dental Hygienists Week, which took place from April 10-16, 2011. This week featured events and initiatives designed also to increase awareness about preventative oral health care, and also promote understanding of the crucial role of dental hygienists in helping Canadians to maintain good oral health.
IMHA is committed to funding oral health research that will ultimately improve Canadians’ oral health and enhance quality of life. In 2008, IMHA funded four research projects through its Catalyst Grants in Disparities in Oral Health strategic initiative. A recent evaluation of the outcomes of these awards showed that the researchers have already achieved commendable outcomes and progress in reducing disparities in oral health and oral health care in Canada. The findings and their translation respond importantly to issues raised in two recent reports: the report published by Health Canada in 2010 on the findings of the oral health component of the Canadian Health Measures Survey 2007-2009, which highlighted amongst other issues disparities in oral health care; and the 2011 report from the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives entitled Putting our money where our mouth is: The future of dental care in Canada, which expands on the topic of access to dental care. Two of the several chapters of the latter report were authored by awardees of the Catalyst program and they emphasize knowledge to action.
CIHR and IMHA have also been busy since releasing the last edition of IMHA On The Move. At the end of March the International Review Panel met and reviewed CIHR, and the final report from this review will be presented to CIHR Governing Council in June 2011, after which it will be released to the public. I anticipate that the report will be very useful in highlighting what we are doing extremely well and in making recommendations for how CIHR can build further with its stakeholders to meet CIHR's mandate. I will continue to update our community with the progress and results of this review.
Another important event in April was an IMHA staff retreat, during which we discussed topics such as Operational Planning for 2011-2012, communications strategies, and upcoming events and strategic projects. One event discussed was the upcoming Inflammation in Chronic Disease Consensus Conference, scheduled to take place on May 17-18, 2011. You can be sure to read more about this conference in our upcoming May Newsletter. Until then, have an enjoyable and productive month!

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

Ask the Scientific Director

We invite you to send questions that you have about IMHA, to imha.iala.cihr.irsc@utoronto.ca. Each month, this section of the newsletter will feature the answer to one of these questions.

Skin Diseases and Conditions Program Outcomes

IMHA's Analysis and Evaluation Unit recently completed a preliminary draft report on the outcomes of the Catalyst Grant: Skin Diseases and Conditions (SDC) program funded by our strategic initiatives budget. Starting in 2008, the SDC program provided six one year grants of up to $100,000 to address skin health research within the context of any one of IMHA's priorities, and to provide an opportunity for the development of multi-disciplinary, trans-disciplinary, and/or international research teams, as well as the mobilization of research communities in particular priority areas involving the mechanisms, interventions, repair and regeneration, and prevention of skin damage and diseases.

Our evaluation of five funded research projects via an online survey and follow-up e-mails or phone interviews showed that the SDC program indeed served to catalyze new and innovative biomedical research with the potential to improve the health of Canadians with skin diseases and conditions. Many important new researcher collaborations were developed and a total of 39 knowledge creation and dissemination items (including articles, book contributions, oral presentations, and conference posters) are expected to result from the SDC-supported projects. Another important outcome of these projects was their contribution to the training of 31 students, including both undergraduates and graduates, in skin-related research areas. Some notable outcomes of the SDC-supported projects include: the generation of a patent that has been in-licensed to a start-up biotechnology company for the development of treatments for age-related skin conditions; a large private foundation investment to a skin cancer research team; the strengthening of two research programs (skin wound healing and Dupuytren’s disease) at one university; and a greater understanding of the molecular determinants of shingles leading to potential development of a new antiviral treatment strategies.

Finally, many of the research teams reported receiving additional funding opportunities or being in the process of applying for a CIHR or other grant to follow-up on the early (or associated) SDC-supported outcomes. This is important because one objective of the SDC program was to better position researchers for subsequent applications for funding. The final report on the outcomes of the Catalyst Grant: Skin Diseases and Conditions program will soon be available for distribution to multiple stakeholder groups.

Did You Know?

IMHA supports a spectrum of activities aimed at research development and knowledge translation/exchange via its Meetings, Planning and Dissemination (MPD) Grant and Institute Community Support (ICS) Program. IMHA has a priority announcement on the recently launched funding opportunity: Meetings, Planning and Dissemination Grant: Dissemination Events (Spring 2011 Competition). More information can be found on the CIHR website or in the Funding Opportunities section of this newsletter.

Good News Stories

Celebrating six top achievements of 2010 in Canadian health research

On March 21, 2011, CIHR and the Canadian Medical Association Journal (CMAJ) announced the 2010 six top achievements in Canadian health research that have had a significant impact on health, health care and health research. The six winning achievements were chosen based on the impact of the work on the health and wellbeing of Canadians and others worldwide, as determined by a peer-review panel of Canadian and international experts. Among these six achievements were two that fall under IMHA’s mandate: Model of care for hip and knee replacement, and Transforming orthopedic care in trauma. Drs. Cyril Frank and Mohit Bhandari, researchers honored for these two achievements respectively, took some time to speak with IMHA about their work and the CIHR/CMAJ awards.

Dr. Frank, together with Dr. Deborah Marshall, Dr. Peter Faris and Christopher Smith, was recognized for a collaborative effort, coordinated by the Alberta Bone and Joint Health Institute. Their research focused on developing cost-effective ways to treat severe osteoarthritis in the knee and hip. This work has helped reduce wait times and ensure quality of hip and knee replacements, and helped lead to the creation of the National Hip and Knee Knowledge Translation Network. Dr. Frank emphasized that the motivation behind this work was two-fold: to improve patient care, but also to show that research evidence has value and can translate into improvements in clinical care. Dr. Frank was tremendously honored by the acknowledgement of this work as one of the top achievements in Canadian health research, and sees this as recognition of the efforts of the entire team of people involved. In terms of the future, the team is working on using the same strategy to build care pathways in other areas, such as arthritis care.

Dr. Bhandari, Dr. Gordon Guyatt and Dr. Stephen Walter led a team of orthopedic surgeons and research coordinators to run the largest clinical trial of fracture care done to date, and also complete other trials addressing clinical gaps. Their work helped produce a transformational shift in the orthopedic community and the type of clinical trials that are performed. Dr. Bhandari stressed that this achievement could not have occurred without the mentorship and ongoing partnership between him and Drs. Guyatt and Walter, and also shares this success with the entire orthopedics community. In the future, this team is hoping to perform mega-trials, involving as many as 5000-10,000 patients. Dr. Bhandari is also committed to ensuring that results and data from these trials are translated into useful knowledge for patients.

IMHA is exceedingly proud of the accomplishments of these research teams and congratulates all those involved in the 2009-2010 top achievements in Canadian health research. We look forward to hearing about their future successes, and echo Dr. Bhandari's view that “this is just the beginning of the journey”!

Dr. Cyril FrankDr. Cyril Frank
Professor and Chief, Division of Orthopaedics, University of Calgary/Calgary Health Region; Alberta Heritage Foundation for Medical Research Scientist; McCaig Professor of Joint Injury and Arthritis Research; Director, McCaig Institute for Bone and Joint Health for the Faculty of Medicine and Calgary Health Region

Dr. Mohit BhandariDr. Mohit Bhandari
Canada Research Chair in Musculoskeletal Trauma and Surgical Outcomes; Professor, Department of Surgery, McMaster University; Chair of the Division of Orthopedic Surgery at McMaster University; Attending Staff, Hamilton Health Sciences Centre

Other News

CIHR Café Funding Opportunity
CIHR Café Scientifques are informal discussions of popular health issues that are of interest to the general public. While some cafés are organized by CIHR, others are through partnerships with non-profit organizations, universities, research centres, science centres, and museums. Partners can apply for funding to host a café, and if successful will receive $3000 in funding. Applications are due on June 30, 2011, and more funding opportunity details can be found on the CIHR website.

Submit Images to CIHR Flickr Gallery
CIHR has set up a Synapse Flickr gallery for youth, and is inviting researchers to send photos or images to be uploaded to this site. The goal is to promote health research among young Canadians, and photos and images will be shown to teachers and students across Canada. Images can be sent by email to social.media@cihr-irsc.gc.ca. For more information, please visit the CIHR website.

Application and Funding Policy News - Nominated Principal Investigators to Begin Reporting on Research Results as of March 31, 2011
As of March 31, 2011, CIHR will be asking Nominated Principal Investigators
(NPIs) to begin reporting their research results data via its new Research Reporting System (RRS). The reports will be used for a variety of internal and external purposes, including for CIHR’s accountability within the Federal Government and to Canadians for the funds it provides for health research. All NPIs on Open Grants and selected priority announcements where the authority to spend funds expires as of March 31, 2011 or later will have to submit reports via RRS. CIHR will inform the affected NPIs via e-mail on their requirement to complete a report, and the average time to complete a report is expected to be one hour. Where possible, data will be pre-populated to minimize input burden. Linkages with the Common CV and PubMed will be in place by Fall 2011.

National Physiotherapy Month
May is National Physiotherapy Month! More information can be found on the Canadian Physiotherapy Association website, and our upcoming May newsletter will highlight related work and events.

Upcoming CIHR Events

June 1, 2011

CIHR Institute of Musculoskeletal Health and Arthritis will host a Café Scientifique on skin health.

Location: Spirit of Newfoundland Productions, 6 Cathedral Street, Main Theatre: Masonic Temple, St. John’s, NL

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

Meetings of Interest

3rd Joint Meeting of the European Calcified Tissue Society & the International Bone and Mineral Society (May 7-11, 2011). Athens, Greece. For more details about this meeting, please visit the conference website.

17th Annual Canadian Connective Tissue Conference (May 27-29, 2011). Montreal, QC. For more details about this conference, please visit the CCTC website.

34th Conference of the Canadian Medical and Biological Engineering Society (June 5-8, 2011). Toronto, ON. For more details about this conference, please visit the Canadian Medical and Biological Engineering Society website.

Canadian Dental Hygienists Association National Conference (June 9-11, 2011). Halifax, NS. For more details about this conference, please visit the Canadian Dental Hygienists Association website.

Canadian Association of Occupational Therapists Annual Conference (June 15-18, 2011). Saskatoon, SK. For more details about this conference, please visit the Canadian Association of Occupational Therapists website.

Joint Annual Scientific Meeting of the Canadian Pain Society and the British Pain Society (June 21-24, 2011). Edinburgh, Scotland. For more details about this meeting, please visit the Canadian Pain Society website.

Canadian Dermatology Association 86th Annual Conference (June 22-26, 2011). Edmonton, AB. For more details about this conference, please visit the Canadian Dermatology Association website.

10th World Congress on Inflammation: Translating Basic Research to Patient Care (June 25-29, 2011). Paris, France. For more details about this meeting, please visit the Congress website.

Partner Corner

Arthritis Research Centre of Canada Video Series
The Arthritis Research Centre of Canada (ARC) has created a series of five videos that present arthritis knowledge and research in an entertaining and easily understandable format. The first of the five videos was released on March 24, 2011, and examines whether Glucosamine Sulfate is effective at relieving pain from knee osteoarthritis. To watch this video, please visit the ARC website.

United States Bone and Joint Decade/Initiative Grant Mentoring Program
Young investigators are encouraged to apply for the United States Bone and Joint Decade/Initiative (USBJD/I) grant mentoring program, which consist of workshops to provide early-career clinical investigators an opportunity to work with experienced researchers in the field to help them in securing funding and other skills required for pursuing an academic career. If selected to be in the program, young investigators will attend two workshops and work with faculty between workshops. The next workshop will be in Toronto on November 10-12, 2011. For more information, including how to apply, please visit the USBJD/I website.

Bloomberg-Manulife Prize for the Promotion of Active Health
The Bloomberg-Manulife Prize for the Promotion of Active Health is a new award that will recognize an investigator whose research over the last five years has contributed to understanding how factors such as physical activity, nutrition and psychosocial context influence personal health and well-being, and whose work has had a positive impact on the behavioral lifestyle choices of Canadians. Applications are due on May 20, 2011, and more information can be found on the McGill University website.

The Arthritis Society Walk to Fight Arthritis
The 2011 Walk to Fight Arthritis will be held on May 15. In its inaugural year, The Walk drew thousands of enthusiastic participants to 17 locations across Canada and raised nearly $1 million for arthritis research and care. The next edition of The Walk promises to be even more successful, as it expands to 25 communities. “Everyone who takes part has a connection to arthritis. They’re walking for a friend, a family member or themselves,” says Tanya Henry, The Arthritis Society’s Senior Manager of National Events. “It’s especially gratifying to see the elation of people with arthritis when they cross that finish line.” For more information and to register, please visit The Arthritis 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.

Funding Opportunities

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

Institute Community Support: Travel Awards for Students and Post-Doctoral Fellows
The deadline for the IMHA travel award is May15th. These awards provide a maximum of $1,000 to research trainees to assist with the costs of presenting their research at national or international conferences that fall under IMHA's mandate.

Meetings, Planning and Dissemination Grant: Dissemination Events (Spring 2011 Competition)
The Meetings, Planning and Dissemination Grant: Dissemination Events (Spring 2011 Competition) funding opportunity was launched on April 14, 2011. The objective of this program is to support events/activities that contribute to the dissemination, exchange and uptake of research evidence. IMHA has a priority announcement on this funding opportunity, and applications are due on June 15, 2011. For more information, please visit the CIHR website.

24 Planning Grants Available for CIHR’s Roadmap Signature Initiative in Community-Based Primary Healthcare
The CIHR Institute of Health Services and Policy Research (IHSPR) and the Office for Patient-Oriented Research are pleased to make 24 Planning Grants available as part of a major ten-year initiative to fund research that supports the delivery of high-quality community-based primary healthcare (CBPHC) across Canada. Offered under the Meetings, Planning and Dissemination Grants program, these $25,000 Planning Grants will support researchers to come together to build active and meaningful collaborations and to understand the existing CBPHC research landscape, including needs and priorities, before embarking on a full CBPHC Team Grant application in fall 2011. To apply for the Planning Grants please visit the CIHR website. For more information about the CIHR Roadmap Signature Initiative in CBPHC please RSVP for a Webinar on May 17 at 1pm EST, and visit the CIHR website.

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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