ICR’s Institute Advisory Board meets in sunny Saskatoon
Message from the Scientific Director, Dr. Fei-Fei Liu

This month, CIHR-ICR had its Institute Advisory Board (IAB) meeting in Saskatoon to discuss next steps in our strategic research priority setting process and other important CIHR initiatives. This meeting follows CIHR-ICR’s June Deliberative Dialogue Workshop, where ~100 diverse members of the cancer research community came together to discuss CIHR-ICR’s future strategic directions for 2024-2029. We had a productive discussion based on insights shared at our Deliberative Dialogue Workshop and on our Community Engagement Survey about CIHR-ICR’s role in the Canadian and global research landscape. I strongly encourage you to share your feedback and insights with us on our Community Engagement Survey before it closes on July 31.

The meeting featured updates from our partners at the Canadian Cancer Society, the Cancer Research Society, the Terry Fox Research Institute, the Canadian Cancer Research Alliance and the Canadian Partnership Against Cancer, all of whom CIHR-ICR has worked closely with on many initiatives over the last several years. We also had the opportunity hear updates from CIHR’s Steven Mitchell and Amanda Crupi on the Knowledge Mobilization Framework as well as from Dr. PJ Devereaux, Senior Scientist at the Population Health Research Institute and Dr. Megan Bettle, Executive Director, Clinical Trials at CIHR, on the Accelerating Clinical Trials (ACT) Consortium and Clinical Trials Fund, respectively.

While in Saskatoon, CIHR-ICR also had the pleasure of hosting a Community Event at the University of Saskatchewan (USask) to connect with the research community. The Community Event was a wonderful opportunity to highlight outstanding cancer researchers in Saskatoon, including Dr. Franco Vizeacoumar and one of CIHR-ICR’s very own IAB members, Dr. Erika Penz. Moreover, I would like thank Dr. Darcy Marcinuik and Dr. Janet Tootosis from USask for sharing their insights with us as well as my deepest appreciation to Harvey Thunderchild, Cultural Coordinator at USask for providing us with a thoughtful Indigenous blessing. Finally, I extend my gratitude to Elizabeth Gardiner, an Indigenous patient partner for sharing her journey with us.

Thank you to our IAB members and partners for their participation in this month’s meeting and their engagement in CIHR-ICR’s strategic planning. I would also like to give my deepest appreciation to the research community at USask for their excellent work, warm welcome and wonderful engagement at our Community Event. It was a wonderful connecting with you - until next time!

Fei-Fei Liu, MD, FRCPC, FASTRO, FCAHS
Scientific Director, CIHR-ICR

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