E-newsletter – July 2011

In this issue of Grey Matters

• Message from the Scientific Director
• Incoming Scientific Director
• Kudos
• Institute News
• Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging (CLSA) News
• Rising Stars
• Student and Trainee Opportunities
• Current Funding Opportunities
• Did You Know?
• Send Us Your News

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Message from the Scientific Director

Dear Colleagues and Friends,

In this, my final Grey Matters message as Scientific Director of the Institute of Aging, I am pleased to report on the achievements of the past few months. These are fittingly representative of the Institute's many successes over the last decade, and specifically of the 7.5 years of my tenure. Highlights of recent activities relating to the Institute's long-standing and on-going commitments in supporting the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging (CLSA), in research in strategic areas of cognitive impairment (CIA) and in Mobility in Aging (MIA), and in building research capacity in aging in Canada, are presented in this issue.

The CIHR 10-year International Review process has now concluded. The Expert Review team report for each Institute and the International Review Panel report for CIHR will soon be available on CIHR's website. The Institute of Aging received a highly favourable review, with our focus on research capacity development and success in advancing the CLSA, receiving particular notice. The Expert Review Panel also acknowledged the critical role of the Institute in fostering the CLSA to its status as an internationally-recognized venture with enormous promise.

It is my great pleasure to announce that my successor as Scientific Director of the Institute of Aging is Dr. Yves Joanette of the University of Montreal. Many of you will know Yves as an internationally-recognized neuroscientist in areas of communication abilities and cognitive impairment, a member of the IA's Inaugural Institute Advisory Board (2001-2005) and as the former Scientific Director of the Institut universitaire de gériatrie de Montréal. A brief biographical sketch and message from Yves are in this issue.

As the Institute of Aging now winds down its operations at UBC, and prepares to transfer to the University of Montreal, it is an appropriate time to reflect on what has been accomplished, and what yet lies ahead for the IA. While space here does not permit these reflections based on my two terms of Scientific Director of the IA, I have written an article "Ten Years of the CIHR Institute of Aging: Building on Strengths, Addressing Gaps, Shaping the Future", published in the June 2011 issue of the Canadian Journal on Aging. I thank the editors of the CJA for that opportunity.

I am indebted to the 43 individuals who have served on the Institute of Aging's Advisory Board since I first became a member of the IAB in 2001. I am especially grateful to Dorothy Pringle, Howard Bergman and Jane Rylett, who served as IAB Chairs while I have been SD. I also acknowledge the tremendously hard-working and dedicated IA staff. Marian Chong-Kit, Susan Crawford, Lynda Callard, Bonnie McCoy and Rowena Tate in our Vancouver office, and Linda Mealing, Sharon Nadeau, Michelle Peel and Erica Dobson in Ottawa, have been the true 'heart and soul' of the IA, supporting and enabling our researcher, trainee and stakeholder communities. It has been a genuine pleasure to work with them.

Serving as Scientific Director of the Canada's national Institute of Aging has been the greatest privilege of my academic career. It has provided tremendous opportunity to meet so many talented and dynamic individuals who I would otherwise not have known. As I return now to my academic appointment at the University of British Columbia and to engaging more fully as a researcher in aging, I look forward to crossing paths with many of you again. There is, yet, much work to be done, both in the creation of new knowledge about aging, and in the application of that knowledge to enhance the health and quality of life of aging and elderly Canadians. For indeed, the future is Aging!

Incoming Scientific Director

Dr. Yves Joanette will take-up the position of Scientific Director of the CIHR Institute of Aging, in addition to serving as the new Executive Director for the CIHR International Collaborative Research Strategy for Alzheimer's Disease, on August 1, 2011. Currently a professor at the University of Montreal's Faculty of Medicine, Dr. Joanette served most recently as President and Chief Executive Officer at Fonds de la Recherche en Santé du Québec, as well as Chair of the agency's Board of Directors from 2009 to 2011. He was the Director of the Centre de recherche de l'Institut universitaire de gériatrie de Montréal (CRIUGM) between 1997 and 2009, and was also the Director of the University of Montreal's School of Speech Therapy and Audiology and CRIUGM's Associate Director of Clinical Research.

Following his doctorate in neurological sciences from the University of Montreal (1980), Dr. Joanette went on to postdoctoral training in neuropsychology and behavioural neurology in Marseille, where he was a founding member of the Human Neuropsychology Laboratory at École des hautes études en sciences sociales (1982). For his outstanding professional achievements, Dr. Joanette has earned numerous distinctions, including the Club de recherches cliniques du Québec André-Dupont prize and an honorary doctorate from Université Lumière de Lyon, France.

As a member of IA's inaugural Institute Advisory Board (IAB), Dr. Joanette knows the Institute well. He co-hosted IA's inaugural Summer Program in Aging in 2006 and made significant contributions to enhancing strategic priorities in research on cognitive impairment, mobility, and health services, and in championing the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging.

"I am honoured and delighted to have this opportunity to serve the aging research community," says Dr. Joanette. "I look forward to working with the other Scientific Directors, the CIHR team, and all the Institute of Aging stakeholders and partners to drive forward the programs that will allow Canada to advance its research and innovation agenda for the benefit of Canadians. By working together, we can build upon the outstanding foundations set by the Institute's inaugural Scientific Director Réjean Hébert and current Scientific Director Dr. Anne Martin-Matthews."

Kudos

CIHR-IA Betty Havens Award for Knowledge Translation

IA congratulates Dr. Debra Morgan, University of Saskatchewan, who is the recipient of the 2011 CIHR-IA Betty Havens Award for Knowledge Translation in Aging. This $50,000 award honours the distinguished life and career of the late Betty Havens, a pioneer in gerontology who made significant contributions to health services research and its translation, towards improving the quality of life of older Canadians. The award recognizes outstanding achievements and excellence in knowledge translation in aging at a local or regional level, and provides financial support to further foster excellence and innovation in knowledge translation activities. The award will be presented at the Canadian Association on Gerontology Annual Meeting (CAG-ASEM) in Ottawa, October 21-23, 2011.

Institute News

Health Research Cooperation between Canada and the European Union (EU)

Dr. Anne Martin-Matthews participated in a Canada-European Union (EU) Health Roundtable from March 21-22, 2011 in Brussels. Discussions included exchanges on healthy aging, cognitive impairment in aging and opportunities with CIHR's International Collaborative Research Strategy for Alzheimer's Disease, Mobility in Aging, infrastructure supporting aging research, building research capacity, and health services and systems for an aging population.

(left to right)
Dr. Anthony Phillips, Scientific Director, CIHR's Institute of Neurosciences, Mental Health and Addiction; Sharon Irwin, Science and Technology, Counsellor; Dr. Anne Martin-Matthews, Scientific Director, CIHR-IA; Dr. Paul Lasko, Scientific Director, CIHR's Institute of Genetics; Dr. Nancy Edwards, Scientific Director, CIHR's Institute of Population and Public Health; Alain Hausser, Minister-Counsellor, Deputy Head of Mission; Catherine Dickson, Counsellor and Section Head, Trade, Investment and Science & Technology; Jean-Pierre Rodrigue, Senior Policy Analyst, International Relations branch, CIHR.
Photo taken at the official residence of the Canadian Ambassador to the EU

Agreement signed between CIHR-IA, CIHR and Alzheimer Society of Canada (ASC)

The CIHR-Institute of Aging (IA), CIHR and the Alzheimer Society of Canada met on March 27th at the Alzheimer's Disease International meeting in Toronto, to formalize a joint commitment to support, promote and advance research on Alzheimer's disease and related dementias. Through the CIHR International Collaborative Strategy for Alzheimer's Disease, with IA as the lead Institute, all parties agreed work closely over the next five years to address the growing Canadian and international health care crisis associated with Alzheimer's disease.

(left to right)
Dr. Anne Martin-Matthews, CIHR-IA Scientific Director; Debbie Benczkowski, Acting CEO, Alzheimer Society of Canada; Dr. Alain Beaudet, President, CIHR

CIHR-IA Réjean Hébert Prize

Heather Waymouth of Queen's University was the 2011 winner of the CIHR-IA Réjean Hébert Prize in Geriatric Research, selected in partnership with the Canadian Geriatrics Society (CGS). This is a $1,000 award for the best research presentation at the CGS Annual Scientific Meeting by a Medical Resident in a core residency training program. Heather, whose presentation was titled, "Predictors of discharge destination from inpatient geriatric rehabilitation: a prospective cohort study", was awarded the prize by Dr. Angela Juby, CGS President, and IA Advisory Board member, Dr. Gary Naglie, representing the Institute.

(left to right)
Dr. Kenneth Madden, Editor of the Canadian Geriatrics Journal and Chair, CGS Scientific Review Committee; Heather Waymouth; Dr. Gary Naglie; Dr. Angela Juby

Collaborative research funding with European Research Area in Ageing 2

The Institute has recently announced a funding commitment to support international collaborative research through the European Research Area in Ageing 2 (ERA-AGE2). This exemplifies the value IA has placed on innovative partnerships with regions with both research expertise and policy experience linked to rapidly aging populations. We have worked successfully with China, Japan, France and the UK, and, with this funding opportunity, are now embarking on broader, multi-country collaborations.

Mobility in Aging workshop

(left to right)
Dr. Karim Miran-Khan, Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute; Dr. Christian Duval, Université du Québec à Montréal; Dr. Marcel Émond, Université du Québec; Dr. Maria Victoria Zunzunegui, Université de Montréal; Dr. Anne Martin-Matthews, CIHR-IA Scientific Director; Dr.Stephen Robinovitch, Simon Fraser University; Dr. Brian Maki, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre

Strengthening its network of mobility researchers, IA hosted a workshop (May 9-10) for members of the nine Emerging Teams and seven Demonstration Projects funded under its Mobility in Aging (MIA) strategic initiative. A knowledge translation event kicked-off the program, in which MIA Principal Investigators presented their work to an audience of 120 health care professionals at the annual Toronto Sunnybrook Falls and Mobility conference. The second day was dedicated to engaging the PIs, along with their trainees and research administrators, in an examination of knowledge translation and evaluation, along with the critical elements of a formal MIA network.

FICCDAT

Two knowledge translation events were held in connection to IA's participation in the Toronto Festival of International Conferences on Caregiving, Disability, Aging & Technology (FICCDAT) in June. Both meetings were aligned with IA's Mobility in Aging (MIA) initiative, with a specific focus on age-supportive built environments.

A Café Scientifique, titled "Good Places to Grow Old: Does your neighbourhood influence your health?" took place at the Toronto Metro Central YMCA on June 8th. This highly successful Café was the result of a partnership among IA, the Division of Aging and Seniors of the Public Health Agency of Canada (DAS-PHAC), the Ontario Seniors' Secretariat, the Canadian Urban Institute, and the Walk-the-Talk emerging team funded by IA as part of its MIA initiative. Close to 50 older Toronto residents exchanged ideas on what makes an age-supportive city, with researchers, representatives of the City of Toronto Community Development office and the City Planning Division, as well as a member of Toronto City Council.

The Institute, along with the DAS-PHAC and the Canadian Association on Gerontology, co-hosted a workshop titled, 'Fostering Knowledge Development and Exchange on Age-Supportive Communities', on June 9th in Toronto. Research evidence and knowledge gaps concerning age-supportive community policy and programming were explored by a small group of invited researchers and decision makers. This discussion was part of a larger project being undertaken by the partners to develop an agenda for further knowledge development and a platform for evidence-sharing in support of the national Age-Friendly Communities initiative.

Quebec Network for Research on Aging (RQRV) hosts SPA 2011

IA's 2011 Summer Program in Aging (SPA 2011), held in partnership with the Quebec Network for Research on Aging, marked a return to the province of Quebec, where the first SPA was held in 2006. The SPA experience was enhanced by the bilingual nature of the program, with half of the 47 participants representing the province of Quebec, and the other half representing the ROC (rest of Canada). The success of this unique program was largely due to the expertise of the SPA 2011 Chair, Dr. Pierrette Gaudreau (RQRV's Director) and the SPA 2011 Program Coordinator, Dr. Guylaine Ferland. Their dedication and warmth created an environment in which learning, cultural exchanges and networking flourished.

Thanks are also due in great measure to the mentors, whose willingness to share with candour their vast knowledge and insights on succeeding as an academic, was greatly appreciated by all involved. The 2011 mentors were:

• Dr. Sylvie Belleville, University of Montreal
• Dr. Richard Boyer, University of Quebec at Montreal
• Dr. Alex Clark, University of Alberta
• Dr. Yves Couturier, University of Sherbrooke
• Dr. Isabelle Dionne University of Sherbrooke
• Dr. Carol Greenwood, University of Toronto
• Dr. Frédéric Picard, Laval University
• Dr. Anne Martin-Matthews, University of British Columbia
• Dr. Dot Pringle, University of Toronto
• Dr. Susan Slaughter, University of Alberta
• Dr. Walter Wittich, University of Montreal

Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging (CLSA)

CLSA Update

Development projects in the creation of the CLSA platform continue. A pilot of home interviews was recently conducted in Hamilton and Montreal. The Data Collection Site (DCS) Pilot will begin in August, again in Hamilton and Montreal, to assess the Standard Operating Procedures, timings and flow of participants, to prepare for the full 30,000 person Comprehensive Cohort, for which recruitment begins in August 2011.

The DCS's will collect nutrition, physical, clinical data, & biological specimens from the 30,000 study participants in the Comprehensive Cohort. These persons are to be recruited within 25 to 50km radius of 11 DCS's, located in Victoria, Vancouver, Burnaby, Calgary, Winnipeg, Hamilton, Ottawa, Sherbrooke, Halifax and St. John's.

The CLSA has also launched a comprehensive new website.

Data Harmonization Roundtable

National and international experts in population research, data standardization, data archiving and data integration across a variety of disciplines, participated in the 2-day Ottawa Data Harmonization Roundtable, convened by IA. The meeting was a partnership with the CIHR Institutes of Genetics and Population and Public Health, along with SSHRC and Genome Canada, aiming to identify the essential elements of a Canadian data harmonization initiative. Two of Canada's research assets - its status as an international leader in the development of data harmonization knowledge, and its expanding wealth of population data – were acknowledged as sound rationale for embarking on a national harmonization initiative. Participants urged the research funders to work collaboratively towards the establishment of a cross-disciplinary national data harmonization platform and support infrastructure. The full report of this March 28, 2011 roundtable will be available on the IA website in the near future.

SMAART

Fifty emerging and established researchers explored techniques for the analysis of longitudinal data in aging, at the University of Victoria Centre on Aging-hosted training program, 'Statistical Methods in Aging, Analytical Research Training (SMAART)' in May. This 4-day workshop was the first of many proposed capacity-building programs, designed to prepare Canadian researchers to make the most of the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging data as it becomes available. IA would like to recognize Drs. Holly Tuokko, Scott Hofer and Michael Kobor for their inspiration in the production of this successful program.

Rising Stars

CIHR-IA Recognition Prize in Research on Aging

Awardees are identified by CIHR as the highest ranking candidate in the field of aging in each of the CIHR New Investigator, Fellowship and Doctoral Research Awards. The prize consists of a supplement to the research allowance component of $10,000 for the New Investigator Award, $5,000 for the Fellowship Award, and $2,500 for the Doctoral Research Award.

The prizes for the 2010 Fall competition will be awarded at the Canadian Association on Gerontology Annual Meeting (CAG-ASEM) in Ottawa, October 21-23, 2011. We congratulate the winners:

• Teresa Liu-Ambrose, PhD, University of British Columbia
  New Investigator Award
  For her project:Role of exercise on cognition and function in seniors with vascular cognitive impairment

• Anne Stephenson, PhD, Women's College Hospital (Toronto)
  Fellowship Award
  For her project: Effects of Dementia and Dementia Treatment on Chronic Obstructive Airways Disease

• Sophie Benoit, Université du Québec à Montréal
  Doctoral Research Award
  For her project: L'étude des gradients temporels relatifs au rappel des connaissances sémantiques sur les personnes célèbres dans le trouble cognitif léger et la maladie d'Alzheimer débutante

*Research project titles are listed in the language in which they were provided.

CIHR-IA Age+ Prize

The CIHR Institute of Aging Age+ Prize recognizes excellence in research on aging carried out in Canada by graduate and postdoctoral students and clinical residents from all disciplines, working in the field of aging. It is awarded to the author of a published, scientific article on aging. The Institute of Aging is pleased to announce the latest winners:

• Shannon Koussaie, Élisabeth Bruyère Research Institute
  Shannon Koussaie and Natalie A. Phillips. Age-related Differences in Interlingual Priming: A Behavioural and Electrophysiological Investigation. Aging, Neuropsychology, and Cognition. DOI: 10.1080/13825585.2010.510555

• Martin Picard, McGill University and Darmin Ritchie, University of Calgary
  Martin Picard, Darmin Ritchie, Kathryn J. Wright, Caroline Romestaing, Melissa M. Thomas, Sharon L. Rowan, Tanja Taivassalo and Russell T. Hepple. Mitochondrial functional impairment with aging is exaggerated in isolated mitochondria compared to permeabilized myofibers. Aging Cell (2010) 9, pp1032–1046 DOI: 10.1111/j.1474-9726.2010.00628

• Geoffrey Power, University of Western Ontario
  Geoffrey Power, Brian H. Dalton, David G. Behm, Anthony A. Vandervoort, Timothy J. Doherty, and Charles L. Rice. Motor Unit Number Estimates in Masters Runners: Use It or Lose It. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise DOI: 10.1249/MSS.0b013e3181d6f9e9

For information and how to apply for the Age+ Prize, visit the IA website.

Student and Trainee Opportunities

• Age+ Prize

  The Age+ Prize is aimed at graduate students, postdoctoral fellows and residents from all disciplines, working in the field of aging. Applications are accepted 3 times a year. Approximately 10 to 15 awards are offered annually to meritorious authors of published, scientific articles on aging.
  Next application deadline: October 1, 2011

• Travel Awards in Aging

  Please visit the CIHR Funding Opportunities in early August for details on this funding opportunity (application deadline, application instructions, etc.).

For all the funding opportunities for trainees offered by the Institute of Aging, visit the Students and Trainees web page.

Current Funding Opportunities

• Operating Grant - Priority Announcement

  Priority Announcements on CIHR Operating Grant competitions offer additional sources of funding for highly rated applications that are relevant to specific CIHR research priority areas or mandates. IA will fund applications that are determined to be relevant to the Institute of Aging Research Priority Themes. The maximum amount awarded for a single grant is up to $100,000 per annum for up to one year.
  Registration deadline: August 15, 2011

• The Voluntary Sector Outreach Prize

  The Voluntary Sector Outreach Prize aims to develop communications-related partnerships with Canadian voluntary sector organizations. Proposals may be targeted to a specific audience who would benefit from being better informed about the impacts of health-related research (e.g., improving communications with front-line physicians, policy-makers etc), or the scope could be more general for the greater public (e.g., proposing an event associated with a national or international initiative dedicated to increasing awareness). The competition is open to Canadian-based non-governmental and/or voluntary sector organizations sharing common priorities with the Institute of Aging (IA). Proposals may be officially submitted by single organizations, or in partnership. IA will award up to four prizes of up to $10,000 each for successful aging-relevant proposals under this initiative.
  Application deadline: September 9, 2011

• Team Grant: Knowledge Synthesis Grant - Priority Announcement

  The Canadian Institutes of Health Research's new Evidence-Informed Healthcare Renewal (EIHR) initiative will support researchers and decision makers to work together to advance the current state of knowledge, generate novel and creative solutions, and translate evidence for uptake into policy and practice to strengthen Canada's healthcare systems. The EIHR initiative's first set of funding opportunities, Knowledge Synthesis grants, will support innovative syntheses that advance the current state of knowledge and contribute to evidence-informed decision-making within EIHR's three priority areas. Under this opportunity, the Institute of Aging will support applications proposing syntheses that address the aging of the Canadian population and/or health and care services for older Canadians.
  Application deadline : October 3, 2011

• Team Grant: Joint Call for Applications in Ageing Research

  IA has partnered with the European Research Area in Ageing (ERA-AGE 2) on an open call for multidisciplinary research applications on 'Active and Healthy Ageing Across the Life Course'. The call is dedicated to the achievement of enhanced and healthy ageing and, in particular, to address the major priority established by the AHAIP (Active and Healthy Ageing Innovation Partnership) of a 2 year increase in healthy life expectancy in the European Union by 2020. Multidisciplinary research groups representing 3 to 5 funding countries can submit pre-proposals to investigate specific research questions related to this call. . Full information about the call and all the related documents are available on the ERA-AGE website, and on the CIHR website.
  Pre-proposal deadline: October 3, 2011

For all CIHR funding opportunities, visit the CIHR Funding Database.

Did you know?

Just like fine wine, love gets better with age, study finds

Canadian research suggests that older couples may actually be more in love than younger couples. CIHR-funded psychologist Dr. Gilles Trudel and his team at the University of Quebec at Montreal (UQAM) have found older couples in their retirement years are much more likely to report higher levels of satisfaction with their love lives than younger couples.

Source: Postmedia news March 31, 2011

Send Us Your News

The Institute of Aging would like to hear from you. Send us an e-mail at ia-iv@cihr-irsc.gc.ca, if you have interesting research news you would like to share.
Also let us know if you would like more information about the Institute of Aging.

CIHR - Institute of Aging
Room 97, 160 Elgin Street
Ottawa, ON
K1A 0W9
Tel: 613-946-1270
Fax: 604-954-1800
Email: ia-iv@cihr-irsc.gc.ca