Message from the Scientific Director
Message from the President
Institute Profile
Outstanding, Ethical & Responsive Canadian Health Research
Funding Program Summary
Outstanding Researchers in Innovative Environments
Effective Partnerships and Public Engagement
Translating Health Research Into Action
Annual Financial Report
Organizational Excellence
Five years ago, the Institute of Musculoskeletal Health and Arthritis (IMHA) primed itself to take on a most formidable challenge - to sustain health and enhance quality of life by eradicating the pain, suffering and disability caused by arthritis, musculoskeletal (MSK), oral and skin conditions. Now, anyone who has ever tried to build a better mouse trap knows that it takes more than a vision to be successful. You need a solid plan of action, and the knowledge and experience to execute that plan. But, to really go the distance, you are going to need the help and support of like minded individuals - people who share your passion and commitment, your goals and objectives, and your vision for the future. From the very beginning, IMHA has been extremely fortunate to have found that support in a national network of stakeholders who we are proud to call our partners, and honoured to call our friends.
In this, our 2004-05 Annual Report, we would like to take this opportunity to thank you - our partners - for working with us to bring our vision closer to reality. Looking back, you were there to help us identify the research strengths, gaps and opportunities across our six foci leading to the creation of our three strategic research priorities - the focal point of our Strategic Plan and the compass that guides us in our decision-making. As you know, each of our strategic priorities has become a platform for specific research initiatives. Ultimately, we hope that we can create a consortium of partners around each of our strategic priorities to achieve an even greater impact. Most recently, our strategic research priorities have taken on yet another exciting dimension - Knowledge Translation - but I will expand on this concept in just a moment.
As IMHA continued to move forward, you helped share the load in organizing some of our key workshops and conferences, including the 2002 Osteoarthritis Consensus Conference, the 2002 national oral health workshop, the 2004 national skin consensus conference and the Bone and Joint Decade 2005 World Network Conference. All of these noteworthy initiatives brought national and international experts together to brainstorm, to share the results of their research efforts and to help shape the future of MSK, skin and oral health research. But more importantly perhaps, they gave you an opportunity to voice your priorities and strategies. With this information in hand, we can now begin to work collectively to fine tune our direction and expand our partnerships even further.
We've also worked with you to form strategic networks like the Alliance for the Canadian Arthritis Program (ACAP), and we've introduced new programs to build research capacity from the bottom up. Our new IMHA Summer Studentships in MSK research is just one example. With our strategic priorities as a guide, we've formed partnerships that have resulted in the launch of Requests For Applications (RFAs) that promise to improve the quality of life for those whose lives have been turned upside down by the scourge of MSK, oral and skin diseases and conditions. Finally, you've been instrumental in helping us create programs that will both encourage and recognize the research excellence that is all around us.
Your contribution to the cause is truly immeasurable, and I can't even begin to scratch the surface in singing your praises. Even so, IMHA has yet another challenge awaiting your assistance. That challenge involves taking the scientific knowledge that has been created by our research community and shaping it in a form that will benefit Canadians. At CIHR, we call this "Knowledge Translation" (KT).
A broad, and often misunderstood concept, KT encompasses all of the steps between the researcher and his/her creation of new knowledge, and its numerous and varied beneficial applications in the real world. That includes such things as knowledge dissemination and communication, technology transfer, knowledge management and utilization, two-way exchanges between researchers and all those audiences who apply knowledge, implementation of research, technology assessment and the synthesis of results within a global context, and development of policy guidelines - just to mention a few.
Most recently, IMHA took steps to make KT more understandable and actionable by its stakeholders by creating the "Knowledge Translation Cube". Our Cube is perhaps best described as a strategic model representing the interaction of our six focus areas and three strategic research priorities with various Knowledge Translation programs, products and services and their ultimate impact on Canadians. The creation of our Knowledge Exchange Task Force (KETF) in the fall of 2004 is a good example of how IMHA is working to put KT into action.
The KETF was created to proactively accelerate the interpretation and exchange of new research knowledge among clinicians and consumers to improve quality of life. Our goal in forming this task force was to empower a group of patient/consumers to become research ambassadors whose efforts would serve to increase research and education across the wide array of MSK, oral and skin diseases and conditions. Ultimately, with IMHA's training and support, we hope to turn our ambassadors into "knowledge brokers" who will be empowered to accelerate the translation and exchange of new research knowledge to improve the health of all Canadians.
Although it is not common practice, researchers can also play an important role in helping translate research results. To encourage the research community to take an active role in KT activities, we are currently working to incorporate a KT module into our RFAs and Training Centres. It is imperative that the understanding and language of KT becomes a part of everything that we do. What is more, all areas of health research need to embrace KT as an "opportunity" to take their research findings and turn them into action in the real world!
The possibilities for meaningful KT activities are truly infinite. As we move forward, we will be looking to you once again to not only share our passion for this new venture, but our vision for the future - a healthy, active, fulfilling life for all Canadians, free of pain and disability.
Dr. Cyril Frank
Scientific Director
When I recently looked for a definition of the word "community", one phrase jumped out at me - "an interacting population of various kinds of individuals". To me, few demonstrate the value of this definition better than the Institute of Musculoskeletal Health and Arthritis (IMHA).
Unlike other Institutes, IMHA is comprised of six independent focus areas. Since its creation in 2001, IMHA has been working to build a sense of community across its six foci. This includes researchers, other funding bodies, health organizations and various levels of government, but it also includes consumer/patient groups - the very people who will use the results of research to help improve the quality of life of millions of Canadians suffering from MSK, oral and skin diseases and conditions.
From its inception, IMHA has worked to bring all of these stakeholders together to focus on an important mission that dove tails nicely with that of CIHR's - to create new knowledge in the areas of bones, joints, muscles, connective tissue, skin and teeth and to translate that knowledge into better health for Canadians, a strengthened health care system and new health services and products.
Under the guidance and leadership of its Scientific Director, Dr. Cy Frank, and his Advisory Board, IMHA has established partnerships and alliances across three strategic priorities - Pain, disability and chronic disease; Tissue injury, repair and replacement; and Physical activity, mobility and health - that have helped to extend its reach and maximize its impact. In so doing, IMHA has established partnerships that are both national and international in scope. IMHA, for example, worked with its partners to launch the Osteoarthritis Consensus Conference in 2002 - the first conference of its kind to include patient/consumers in setting the research agenda. IMHA was also a key force behind the formation of the Alliance for the Canadian Arthritis Program (ACAP) - a multi-stakeholder alliance comprised of 10 organizations working to create an overarching National Arthritis Plan.
On the International scene, IMHA has been a committed participant in the Bone and Joint Decade, making Canada one of 57 countries working to raise awareness of bone and joint diseases and injury. Using the momentum and profile of this international initiative, IMHA and its partners hope to achieve some very specific goals - to increase awareness of the magnitude and impact of musculoskeletal diseases and conditions among Canadians; ensure that Canadian researchers benefit from advances and findings in other countries; and contribute to the creation of a network of 20 national agencies with a direct interest in MSK diseases and conditions.
IMHA and its partners are truly taking MSK, oral and skin research places it has never gone before. As a result of their passion and commitment, our research community has been given the tools to seek new treatments and a potential cure for osteoarthritis and osteoporosis; to study the aging process and how to increase mobility throughout the lifespan; to explore better ways to treat chronic pain and to take a closer look at physical activity and its contribution to our quality of life. These are only a very few of the scientific studies currently underway. Still, they are important issues for Canadians and IMHA and its partners are playing a critical role in helping us solve them.
In talking about IMHA and its community building efforts, I would be remiss if I did not mention that the Arthritis Society (TAS) won CIHR's first Partnership Award in March 2004. TAS has been one of IMHA's most supportive partners from the very beginning. In fact, TAS was one of the organizations responsible for the very creation of IMHA. I don't think that you can expect much more than that from any partner.
In closing, I'd like to take this opportunity to not only recognize Dr. Frank and his Advisory Board and staff, but IMHA's numerous partners, who are working together to improve the quality of life of Canadians suffering from MSK, oral and skin conditions - not only today, but in the many years to come.
Dr. Alan Bernstein,
O.c., frsc/msrc
President, Canadian Institutes of Health Research
While rarely life threatening, MSK, oral and skin diseases and conditions currently cost tax payers more than $22 billion per year. The chronic pain and loss of mobility and independence associated with these diseases and conditions has also helped propel them into the forefront in terms of their economic impact on society. With the aging of our population, this economic burden is only going to increase and with it the further degeneration of the quality of life of Canadians - young and old alike.
Comprised of six equally important focus areas - arthritis, MSK rehabilitation, bone, skeletal muscle, skin and oral health - IMHA is working to champion the cause. While each area has an independent focus, they all share a common goal "to sustain health and enhance quality of life by eradicating the pain, suffering and disability caused by arthritis, musculoskeletal, oral and skin conditions". To date, IMHA has contributed more than $33 million to help support researchers who are focused on finding improved methods to prevent, treat and ultimately find a cure for the vast array of debilitating MSK, oral and skin diseases and conditions.
Strategic research priorities
To guide its efforts, IMHA's Advisory Board created three independent yet over-lapping strategic research priorities-Physical activity, mobility and health, Tissue injury, repair and, replacement and Pain, disability and chronic disease.
Physical activity, mobility and health
Current research supports the view that a healthy MSK system is central to an individual's ability to be mobile and physically active. More to the point, however, is the fact that personal well-being and the health of many, if not all, other body systems are negatively affected when MSK health is impaired. So, the real challenge for health researchers is to take these generally accepted principles, and use them to help us better understand the relationships between physical activity, mobility, MSK health and overall health at every level.
Tissue injury, repair and replacement
Because injuries to bones, muscles, teeth and skin tend to recover slowly, if at all, there is an urgent need for highly innovative research into the causes and prevention of the physical, psychological and psychosocial and economic impact of acute and chronic injuries. Potential research areas include novel drug or cell delivery models and approaches, application of tissue-engineered biomaterials as conduits or shunts in tissue regeneration, and the ethical consequences of regenerative medicine and tissue engineering strategies.
Chronic disease
Chronic pain, loss of mobility and function, and the ultimate loss of independence are common outcomes of a host of IMHA-related conditions from arthritis, metabolic bone disorders and fractures, to osteoporosis, periodontal disease and soft tissue injuries. As a result, there is an urgent need for research breakthroughs that will help us understand the genetic and environmental causes, optimal treatment, and elimination of pain and disability in all IMHA disease areas. The impact of chronic MSK, oral and skin diseases on general health and well-being is also of considerable interest and importance.
All of IMHA's current and future funding initiatives must cross one or more of its six foci and three strategic priorities as well as CIHR's four research themes - biomedical, clinical, health services and population health research.
IMHA Strategic Initiative Budget 2004-05
Building research capacity is an important first step towards addressing the increasing prevalence of MSK, oral and skin diseases and conditions. In so doing, IMHA created a "Funding Program Tool Box" representing a strategic kit of research funding programs and initiatives to meet the needs of all of its stakeholders. From programs focused on mentorship and trainees, to programs that support independent musings, to those that allow for the creation of teams of increasing size and breadth, the Tool Box allows researchers to select just the right tool to meet their needs. By identifying research strengths, weaknesses and opportunities, it also gives IMHA's partners an opportunity to support initiatives that align with their goals and objectives.
In creating its Tool Box, IMHA took steps to ensure that each of its programs also fed into the Institute's "Pyramid of Research Excellence" - a strategic model that not only reflects the Institute's approach to building research capacity, but its belief that the future of Canadian health research requires collaboration to resolve some of the most pressing health research issues of the day. Ultimately, IMHA hopes that its various funding programs will lead to national and international collaborations and partnerships, product commercialization, policy development, better clinical practices and research breakthroughs that will improve the quality of life of those suffering from the broad array of MSK, oral and skin diseases and conditions.
To streamline the funding process, and give researchers an opportunity to create their own application timetables, IMHA launches strategic Requests for Applications (RFAs) in June and December each year.
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IMHA's Tool-Box |
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Grants and Awards
Training Programs
Development Grants
Networks - ICE/NET
Ihrt/cahr
National Centres of Excellence & International Consortia |
Operating grants
The most basic form of funding, an Operating Grant supports a research project's "operations". Individuals or small groups can apply for an Operating Grant ranging from three to five years.
Priority announcements
An Institute adjunct to CIHR's Open Competition, the Priority Announcements program gives researchers, who affiliate with IMHA, an opportunity to receive funding when their peer-review ratings are above the scientific excellence cutoff but cannot be funded because CIHR funds have been exhausted. With Priority funding in place, researchers can go on to obtain pilot data and take advantage of peer review feedback with the goal of resubmitting to the Open Competition. IMHA views this as an important strategic tool in helping build and sustain capacity in all of its focus areas.
Cervical spine manipulation (cSMT) is a treatment technique most often performed to provide relief of MSK complaints related to the head and neck. Although performed typically without complication, cSMT has been identified as a potential cause of cerebrovascular accidents (e.g. stroke) via mechanical injury to the vertebral artery. While numerous case reports have described this phenomenon, a cause-effect relationship has yet to be established. With Priority Announcement funding in place, Greg Kawchuk from the University of Alberta will couple recent advances in mechanical testing and diagnostic imaging to develop a novel model that will allow vascular integrity to be assessed directly in response to cSMT.
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2004/05 Priority Announcements |
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Daniel Lajeunesse Centre Hospital de l'Université de Montréal (CHUM) Role of leptin in abnormal subchondral osteoblast cell function in osteoarthritis. Funding $91,862 Gregory N. Kawchuk, Todd Anderson, Jeffrey Goldsmith, Peter Brian. University of Alberta Vascular injury mechanisms of chiropractic manipulation. Funding $82,488 Fackson Mwale, John Antoniou. Lady Davis Institute for Medical Research Estrogen signaling in chondrocytes: Dissociation between genomic and non-genomic effects. Funding $58,351 Pascal Reboul, Johanne Martel-Pelletier. Centre Hospital de l'Université de Montréal (CHUM) Identification des differents rôles de la galectine-3 dans le cartilage arthrosique. Funding $79,809 Youwen Zhou University of British Columbia Endothelin-3 in malignant melanoma. Funding $100,000 |
Fellowships
Highly qualified individuals holding a PhD, MD or equivalent are eligible for Fellowship funding to pursue full-time training in research that crosses any of IMHA's six foci or three strategic research priorities. Fellowships allow Canadians to train at the world's best centres and to bring that knowledge and expertise back to Canada.
Research supports the fact that 50 per cent of North American adults are overweight, and the number of overweight children has more than doubled in the past eight years. An average obese human has sufficient adipose stores to survive without eating for approximately 150 days, and the primary tissue capable of utilizing this massive energy reserve is skeletal muscle. Gregory Steinberg from St. Vincent's Hospital in Australia hopes to identify the mechanism that blocks the hormone leptin from stimulating fat metabolism in skeletal muscle in obese humans. Steinberg's studies could lead to a potential treatment for human obesity and Type 2 diabetes.
New discoveries & high risk grants
Some of the most exciting breakthroughs in science have occurred when researchers have been willing to take a risk. While these risky ventures can lead to significant new discoveries, they require a supportive environment to be successful. By providing seed money for novel, highly innovative research, the New Discoveries program endeavors to do just that.
| 2004/05 New Discoveries & High Risk Grants Success Rate: 46% |
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Sylvain Bourgoin, Maria Jose Gomes Fernandes, Patrice-Édouard Poubelle. Centre hospitalier de l'Université Laval (Québec) Autotaxin: A potential therapeutic target in rheumatoid arthritis. Funding $120,000 Marc Pouliot, Giovanni (John) Antonio Di Battista. Université Laval Intracellular elevation of cyclic AMP inhibits leukocyte activation: In vivo validation of a new therapeutic approach aiming at preventing tissue degradation associated with inflammatory disease. Funding $120,000 Marie-José Durand, Patrick Loisel, Raymond Baril, Nicole Vezina. Université de Sherbrooke The relationship between the 'margin of manoeuvre' concept and a healthy reintegration in the workplace of workers with musculoskeletal disorders, following a rehabilitation program. Funding $120,000 Jaroslav Sodek, Ron Zohar, Bernhard Ganss. University of Toronto Analysis of bone sialoprotein functions using conditional knockouts. Funding $120,000 Kevin J. McElwee, Jerry Shapiro.Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute Treatment of inflammatory skin disease with adoptive cellular gene therapy using hair follicle dermal papilla derived cells as vectors. Funding $116,657 Michel Vincent, Pierre-Edmond Pes Savard. Université Laval Molecular cloning of mouse transitin, a new intermediate filament protein of the muscle progenitor cells. Funding $120,000 |
Inventions: tools and techniques in health research
The invention and development of new research tools, techniques and methodologies and/or the improvement and application of existing ones, can be the missing link that launches the next scientific breakthrough. The Inventions program strategically attracts and prepares Canadian investigators, including those in physics, chemistry, engineering and mathematics, to take up the challenge of creating more effective, reliable research tools and techniques for applications in health and health care.
Detecting early dental decay and monitoring its progression is a difficult task especially when dental decay develops between adjacent teeth. Lin-'Ping Choo-Smith from the University of Manitoba plans to combine two methods (optical coherence tomography and Raman spectroscopy) into one diagnostic device for improved early detection of dental decay. This novel device will provide images and biochemical information about the teeth to enable rapid and accurate diagnosis of dental cavities. Not only will this approach be more cost-effective, the technique will also help improve oral health and contribute to the general well-being of the individual.
| 2004/05 Inventions, Tools, & Techniques in Health Care Success Rate:16% |
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Frank Beier, Harvey Goldberg, Stephen M. Sims. University of Western Ontario Genetic models for real time characterization of actin dynamics in skeletal cells. Funding $297,036 Renald Gilbert, George Karpati, Bernard Massie. Biotechnology Research Institute Improved helper-dependent adenovirus for duchenne muscular dystrophy. Funding $297,300 Lin-P'ing Choo-Smith, Blaine M. Cleghorn, Cecilia Dong, Mark Hewko, Lorenzo Leonardi. University of Manitoba Improved early diagnosis of dental caries by a novel multi-modal optical tool. Funding $274,614 Steven K. Boyd, Benedikt Hallgrimsson. University of Calgary Tools for semi-automated high-throughput phenotypical analysis of 3D morphology: Applied to genetic models of mouse musculoskeletal development. Funding $266,962 |
Strategic training initiatives in health research (STIHRs)
In co-operation with existing undergraduate and graduate programs across the country, IMHA is the lead on seven Strategic Training Initiatives in Health Research (STIHR). Since the time of their creation four years ago, they have overseen the growth and development of 371 trainees. These multidisciplinary programs are designed to train the next generation of researchers by incorporating a diversity of approaches from direct involvement in research, to participation in various workshops and conferences. Not only are STIHR's strategically building research capacity, they are sharing best practices with each other and ensuring that the next generation of Canadian health research training programs maintain the highest caliber of innovation and excellence possible. IMHA's newest STIHR grantees include the CIHR Training Program in Rehabilitation Research and the CIHR Training Program in Applied Oral Health Research.
The Training Program in Rehabilitation Research is a partnership between McMaster University and the University of British Columbia. An educational and research training program in rehabilitation with a focus on quality of life, this program will also give graduate students the necessary skills to conduct rehabilitation research with a focus on interventions to minimize the impact of pain and physical impairment, and enhance participation in work and everyday activities.
Millions of Canadians suffer from poor oral health with problems ranging from dental decay and tooth loss to cancer. This group includes the poor, the elderly, First Nations and people living in rural areas in general. Canada is just beginning to develop a national strategy to improve the oral health of these groups. To be successful, however, we need to build research capacity around ways to treat and improve the delivery of oral health services. The Training Program in Applied Oral Health Research is designed to graduate highly-trained researchers, many of whom will become Clinician-Scientists.
Workshop program
IMHA's Workshop program is designed to bring people together to further define unmet research needs in one or more of IMHA's six foci and/or three strategic research priorities. In late 2004, IMHA restructured its Workshop Program to more closely align with its strategic directions with a re-launch in January 2005. In 2004/05, IMHA sponsored 16 workshops representing a total of $180,000 across its six foci and three strategic priorities.
Rehab Research . it's our move 2005: Transitions and Translations Workshop: The Ontario Rehabilitation Research Network (ORRN) was established in 2001 to support the advancement of rehabilitation research in Ontario. This workshop funded four "theme" groups to advance rehabilitation research in aging and disability, MSK rehabilitation, neurological rehabilitation, and rehabilitation in childhood. Some of the research priorities established included: knowledge translation, best practice models/interventions and community reintegration/transitions.
Mentorship program
The Mentorship Program, launched in July 2004, is comprised of two modules: Short-Term Visits and Visiting Professorships.
In 2004-05 Donna Lee Dinnes from the University of Ottawa Heart Institute began a three-month, short-term visit to the School of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences at the University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia. Under the guidance of Host Supervisor, Dr. Stephenen Mahler, Dinnes' research involved learning proteomic techniques, flow cytometry and microscopy techniques as well as developing new proteomic research strategies, all of which will benefit her home institution.
Team building and development
Creating an environment that fosters team work is the primary focus of Team Building and Development grants. This program provides one-year grants of up to $100,000 to support new research teams that have clearly developed research priorities that cross IMHA's six foci and three strategic priorities. IMHA is especially interested in encouraging researchers from a broad range of disciplines including life sciences, natural and social sciences, engineering, mathematics and the humanities, to form multi-disciplinary teams and generate pilot data that will help them become successful in other grant competitions nationally or internationally.
The capacity of joints to move and to bear loads depends largely on the articular cartilage located on the joint surfaces. Many individuals are at risk of developing cartilage degeneration, and statistics support the view that it is one of the most expensive and debilitating diseases in Canada. Exercise appears to be a factor in maintaining cartilage integrity, but the consequences of a relatively inactive lifestyle are unknown. Odette Laneuville and her team from the University of Ottawa have developed an animal model to study the effects of joint immobility on cartilage degeneration, and plan to extend their research to identify genes and pathways involved. These will become targets for cartilage degeneration therapy.
| 2004/05 Team Planning and Development Grants Success Rate:21% |
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Janice J Eng, William C. Miller, Laura Hurd Clarke, Carlo Armando Marra, Karim Miran-Khan, Luc Noreau. Catherine L Backman, Mary Jane Bell, Victoria A. Brander, J. Mark Fitzgerald, Nelson Greidanus, Deborah M. Kennedy, Matthew H. Liang, Nizar N. Mahomed. Odette Laneuville, Guy Trudel, Hans K. Uhthoff, Andre R. Dabrowski, Nathania Liem, Silvia MarinaVidal. |
New emerging teams (NET) grants
When researchers pull together to create a team, they may be eligible for a New Emerging Teams (NET) grant. A NET grant can provide support for eligible new teams for a period of up to five years. Because they are often comprised of researchers from a variety of disciplines, they have the added potential of attracting collaborative funding from other sources.
Randy Ellis and his team from Queen's University will bring experts from a wide variety of disciplines together to address fracture management. His main objective is to determine how best to manage complex fractures, especially those that require surgery, and to explore the development of improved health processes and treatments that can be used to educate trainees and orthopedic specialists. Spin offs of this research could include health-policy recommendations and improved quality of life for those suffering from severe fractures.
| 2004/05 New Emerging Teams Success Rate: 27% |
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Mark B. Hurtig, Paul H. Marks, Aboulfazl Shirazi-Adl, Lawrence White, Michael Buschmann, James Patrick Dickey, Nicholas G. Mohtadi, Iris. M. R.Weller University of Guelph Risk factors and indicators that predict the progression of osteoarthritis after knee injury. Funding $1,469,852 Fabio M. Rossi, Donald M. Brunette, Helen Mary Burt, Goran H. Fernlund, Thomas R. Oxland, Clive Patrick Duncan. Ciarán Duffy, Kiem G. Oen, Lori Beth Tucker, Rae Suk-Man Yeung, Brian M. Feldman, Debbie Feldman. Randy E. Ellis, David R. Pichora, Purang Abolmaesumi, John J. Bryant, Paul V. Fenton, Norma Jean Macintyre, Yvan Petit, John F. Rudan, Richard W. Sellens, James Stewart, Jeff D. Yach. |
Interdisciplinary health research teams and community alliances for health research (IHRT/CAHR)
Interdisciplinary, multi-centre collaborations between at least two of the four themes of health research, IHRTs focus on a particular health issue and emphasize research translation between the sectors. Designed to foster excellent research of relevance to community groups and agencies under the four themes of health research, CAHRs also facilitate mutual learning and collaboration among community organizations and fosters partnerships with researchers in local universities, hospitals and other not-for-profit institutions. Both of these programs provide unique opportunities for engagement and support of health researchers in all disciplines.
IMHA is in the preliminary stages of developing a CAHR RFA in the area of chronic pain to be launched in June 2006. Representing an equal and active partnership between community organization(s) and research team(s) CAHR funding allows teams to conduct research programs related to community health and health care issues. KT is an important aspect of any CAHR, and IMHA will be seeking partners in early 2006 who not only have an interest in chronic pain, but a desire to translate new research in ways that will help diminish the suffering of affected Canadians.
National Centres of Excellence and International Consortia are outstanding, multidisciplinary, multi-sectoral partnerships designed to stimulate competitive, leading-edge research across IMHA's six foci and within any of its three strategic research priorities. In so doing, they effectively integrate the research and development priorities of all participants and address some of the most debilitating and costly MSK, oral and skin diseases and conditions of the day.
