Shaping CIHR: A Progress Report
Almost two months ago, the Minister of Health announced the launch of the CIHR, along with my appointment as CIHR President and the appointment of 19 members of Governing Council. At the launch, I stated that the first months of CIHR would be an exciting period of action in the development of this new organization. Now, halfway through this busy time, important steps have indeed been taken. I hope that you will find the information and links below to be useful, and I welcome your comments and feedback.
A First Slate of CIHR Institutes:
The most important achievement during this time was the historic announcement of the first slate of CIHR Institutes on July 25, 2000. These institutes, which are solidly rooted in the input of the health research community during the Interim Governing Council`s consultations on institute slates last winter, together address the key health issues facing Canada, and position Canadian health research well into the future. I was particularly impressed and pleased by the high level of discussion that occurred at Governing Council when the slate was discussed. Everyone took a very broad and forward-looking perspective that has resulted, in my judgement, in a scientifically-based and balanced slate that will allow us to mount important and timely research initiatives. Details about the slate of institutes can be found here.
Recruitment of Scientific Directors (SDs) and Institute Advisory Boards:
It is clear that these institutes require outstanding people to achieve their promise. That is why, following the selection of institutes, we have launched a public process to recruit outstanding individuals as SDs and members of Institute Advisory Boards. I encourage you to bring to my attention names of outstanding people who would make a contribution to the CIHR and/or to apply yourself for either an SD or IAB position. It is clear that the success of CIHR will depend directly on the quality of scientific leaders that we can recruit to these key positions. Please read more about these positions and the nomination/application process.
The SDs will become the spokepersons nationally for the areas of research covered by their Institutes and, together with the other SDs, we will be setting the health research agenda for Canada. Thus, these will be exciting and challenging positions that will fundamentally change CIHR from simply a granting council to a research-based organization. Please phone me at (613) 946-1809 or Kelly VanKoughnet at (613) 946-1272 if you have any questions about the SD or IAB positions.
Brainstorming Session:
On June 14, one week after the launch of CIHR, I invited researchers from across Canada to a two-day brainstorming session to seek views on potential CIHR policies, programs and structures. I am indebted to the 25 researchers who devoted two days of their time to examine the opportunities and challenges we will all face in achieving the vision of CIHR.
The group focused on ways to implement the Interim Governing Council working papers on Institute Design and Institute Creation. Coming out of the discussion, I was reminded forcefully that, like research, CIHR is about people. There was wide agreement that the CIHR's most critical features must be leadership, scientific excellence and a structure that encourages flexibility in its evolution.
Governing Council Meetings:
The announcement of the slate of institutes was the final stage in a process of discussion and debate among members of the Governing Council. Our first historic meeting was in Ottawa from June 26-28. It was extremely productive, with significant discussion around the issues of institute design and creation, the role of scientific directors, CIHR funding programs, and the March 2000 competition results. The final decision on institutes was finalized at a teleconference on July 19, 2000. You can find highlights of GC meetings on the web.
Appointment of Dr. Charlyn Black as Special Advisor:
Together with the Governing Council, the Canadian health research community and staff, I am determined to build the world's most innovative and internationally respected health research organization. Over the coming months, we will be exploring the most effective and "user-friendly" ways to realize the CIHR mandate.
I will be making a number of key appointments to the CIHR senior staff. First, I am pleased to announce that Dr. Charlyn Black will be joining CIHR on September 1 as a Special Advisor to the President. Charlyn comes to us from the Manitoba Centre for Health Policy and Evaluation, where she served as Co-Director. This is a joint appointment with the Canadian Institute of Health Information (CIHI). Charlyn will assist CIHR and CIHI by:
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Identifying opportunities to build capacity in critical areas of health systems and services research, population health, and population-based clinical research;
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Encouraging development of CIHI data and information programs and infrastructure to provide a unique national platform for conducting research relevant to CIHR's mandate; and
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Identifying and advising on other opportunities and programs that will support the development of complementary activities between the two organizations.
Other Personnel Changes:
I also note that Marc Lepage, formerly the Director of Partnerships and Business Development, has accepted a position as Vice-President of Corporate Development at Genome Canada. As well, Francis Rolleston, Director of Ethics and International Relations, will be retiring from CIHR in December. Francis is facilitating the work of a group led by Nuala Kenny to develop advice for the Governing Council on the ethics function should best be reflected in CIHR. A similar working group is also being created to provide advice on the shape and direction of partnerships in CIHR.
Further appointments will be announced over the coming months.
We are seeking dynamic, flexible and multi-skilled individuals to build a team of Institute Liaison and Integration Agents to support the early work of the Institutes and to facilitate the integration of Institute support functions into all aspects of CIHR business. .
Advisory Bodies:
In the next few months, we will be forming a number of ad hoc and standing committees to advise CIHR on important policy matters. These include:
The terms of reference and workplans of these advisory bodies will be posted on this site for comment and feedback.
Canada's Health Research Agenda for the 21st Century:
Over the coming months, we will be putting together a document spelling out in broad terms a vision for the future direction of health research in the country. This document will not pre-empt the strategic plans that will be developed by the 13 Scientific Directors in consultation with their Institute Advisory Boards and the wider health research community over the coming months. Rather, it is meant to serve as a framework to guide our future directions and to inform the Canadian public and government about the tremendously exciting research opportunities that lie ahead and what it will cost to realize this vision. I would welcome your input and advice on this document.
Public Awareness:
None of us will support something that we do not understand. Therefore, it is crucial that, as a community, we engage in meaningful dialogue with Canadians, their elected representatives, and senior government officials about the excitement, values and impact of health research. Over the coming months, we will be initiating a number of such programs, and I hope to call on many of you to participate in this rewarding and enjoyable activity. I would also encourage you to make sure that, in any press release from your host institution announcing a new research result, a phrase such as "In a study supported by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research" leads off the release.
Meeting the Broad CIHR Community:
Over the past two months, I have had several opportunities to meet with members of the Canadian research community and decision-makers to discuss the current status of CIHR. These events included:
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A meeting on Parliament Hill with Prime Minister Jean Chrétien, and with Members of Parliament from the Government Caucus on Post-Secondary Education and Research. This Committee, chaired by Dr. Peter Adams, MP for Peterborough, has been a tremendous source of support for CIHR. Among MPs, there is much excitement about the recent CIHR developments.
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A retreat of the Canadian Health Services Research Foundation (CHSRF) Board of Directors at which the future path for interaction between CIHR and the CHSRF was discussed;
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A roundtable meeting of the National Health Voluntary Organizations in Toronto;
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The Annual General Meeting of the National Cancer Institute of Canada in Toronto, where I had the honour of presenting the first NCIC/CIHR Dorothy J. Lamont Award to Dr. Thomas Hack, from the University of Manitoba, for his research into cancer control;
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The University of Ottawa`s Celebration of Research Excellence Symposium, where I presented an update on the CIHR to about 150 researchers;
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An open forum on CIHR at the University of British Columbia, hosted by Dr. Martha Piper
Finally, on June 28, 2000, we held an open house to introduce our partners and members of the research community to CIHR`s new headquarters in downtown Ottawa. It was great to see so many people, and I look forward to welcoming many more in the months ahead.
The International Research Community:
There is considerable interest internationally in the CIHR "experiment" (see, for example Science, June 16, 2000 and Nature June 14, 2000). On July 28, 2000, I attended a meeting at the NIH of the Heads of National Health Research Organizations of the US, Japan, United Kingdom, Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland, and Canada. It was interesting for me to observe the tremendous interest in what we are doing here in Canada and the very positive reaction to our slate of Institutes, particularly among our American colleagues. It is clear that other countries are evolving by different routes and in a rather ad hoc manner towards what Canada has done in a very conscious and deliberate process.
The next several months promise more significant developments in shaping the future of health research in Canada. Upcoming events include public announcements of CIHR competition results beginning with the national announcement in Edmonton and Calgary in August. Over the next three months, I plan to meet with many more researchers and partners across the country to discuss the CIHR and the future of Canadian health research. I am also looking forward to participating in the process that will culminate, in early to mid-October, in the selection of the 13 Scientific Directors and Institute Advisory Boards.
If you have any comments or questions about CIHR and/or health research in Canada, please e-mail me at abernstein@cihr-irsc.gc.ca.
