Message from Norman Rosenblum, INMD Scientific Director
December 2022
It was a great pleasure to recently host an INMD Institute Advisory Board (IAB) meeting in Vancouver at the University of British Columbia (UBC). We were extremely grateful for the warm reception we received, despite the inclement weather! We kicked off the meeting with a Meet & Greet and Poster Session at the B.C. Children’s Hospital, which provided an inspiring glimpse of the research being undertaken by students and trainees working in the INMD mandate areas. Thanks to Dr. Rachel Fernandez, Associate Vice-President, Research & Innovation and Dr. Rickey Yada, Professor and Dean, Faculty of Land and Food Systems for welcoming the IAB to UBC and joining the IAB for dinner.
The meeting included a number of presentations, including one from CIHR’s Vice President - Research, Dr. Christian Baron, who updated the IAB on CIHR’s programs and peer review. Representatives from the Public Health Agency of Canada also presented to the IAB on the Framework for Diabetes in Canada and a discussion ensued about the research component of the Framework.
We were also extremely fortunate to have representatives from the Can-SOLVE CKD Network (Looking, Listening, Learning, Leading: Canadians Seeking Solutions and Innovations to Overcome; Chronic Kidney Disease) present to the IAB. Dr. Adeera Levin, Craig Setee, Graham Pollock, Mary Beaucage, and Arlene Desjarlais showcased outstanding examples of how patients and people affected by chronic kidney disease (CKD) have worked together to change kidney research in Canada. INMD staff and IAB members were especially grateful to Mary and Arlene, for sharing their personal stories and describing their work to improve research and care for people with CKD. This presentation left an indelible impression on all of us.
Finally, two recipients of the UK-Canada Diabetes Research Team Grants presented to the IAB: Dr. Ali McManus presented on her project entitled, Mobile Health Biometrics to Enhance Exercise and Physical Activity Adherence in T2D, and Dr. Josef Penninger on his project entitled, Bridging the gap to translation by understanding and preventing diabetic vascular complications using human organoid culture. The work undertaken by these research teams is extremely impressive and futuristic. You can read about these projects on the CIHR Faces of Health Research.
Thanks to all the individuals – students, faculty and members of the Can-SOLVE Network – who took the time to meet with us at UBC.
Wishing you all a wonderful holiday season,
Norman Rosenblum, MD, FRCPC, FCAHS
Scientific Director
Institute of Nutrition, Metabolism and Diabetes
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