"The breakthrough, the new insight, the opening of vistas yet unseen typically rests on a foundation of incremental advances by an often unrecognized cadre of heroes down the hall"
The creation of new knowledge that will translate into improved health for Canadians is the common objective of the thirteen institutes that comprise the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR). For every new discovery that makes its way into widespread clinical trials and into the media spotlight, countless hours have been invested by a large number of committed individuals. This year we celebrate those who challenge accepted thinking, who repeatedly attack old problems with new strategies, tools and ideas, and who persevere in the face of individual adversity, and the endless operational challenges of health research.
It is our privilege to have the opportunity to identify, support and celebrate our heroes, those who seek new knowledge daily in laboratories, clinics and universities down the hall and across the country. Each investigator and each research initiative is noteworthy and we are proud to feature many of them in this year's annual report.
In 2003/04, the Institute of Musculoskeletal Health and Arthritis (IMHA) made just under $5.5 million available to support its grants and awards program. The numerous partnerships and strategic alliances forged over the past year are equally important, providing additional funding and resources to support the ever-increasing numbers of research undertakings. Our involvement as an active member of the Canadian National Action Network of the Bone and Joint Decade, formally launched by the World Health Organization in 2000, is already moving musculoskeletal (MSK) health research into the spotlight. In 2005, that momentum will continue to build as Canada plays host to the Annual Meeting of the International Conference of the Bone and Joint Decade. This noteworthy conference will draw participants together from around the world to foster a new international sharing and help establish new benchmarks for the education, care and treatment of MSK-related diseases and conditions.
Fostering the creation of new knowledge that will advance our mandate is a complex undertaking. Our strategic approach continues to target the research leaders of the future with programs aimed at students just entering or contemplating a career in the health sciences. And it provides funding opportunities that will encourage the progression from individual inspiration to multi-disciplinary collaborations to the ultimate creation of strong, new and sustainable research teams engaged in focused investigations with the real potential for near-term practical methods of prevention, diagnosis and treatment.
In the coming year, we will continue to fine tune our process to set targets, measure ourselves and make every effort to ensure that our strategic goals and outcomes are achieved in each of our thematic areas. I salute each of our researchers and their teams who continue to produce a steady tide of incremental advances - you are true heroes to all Canadians afflicted with the pain, suffering and disability caused by arthritis, musculoskeletal, oral and skin conditions.
Dr. Cyril Frank
Scientific Director
Eradicating the pain, suffering and disability caused by arthritis, musculoskeletal, oral and skin conditions
IMHA is the champion and primary source of funding for Canadian health research across six research foci: arthritis, musculoskeletal (MSK) rehabilitation, bone, skeletal muscle, skin and oral health. Each of these areas is equally important and offers significant opportunities for advancement.
Our vision is to sustain health and enhance quality of life by eradicating the pain, suffering and disability caused by arthritis and musculoskeletal, oral and skin conditions. Advances in treatment and prevention across all six research foci provide a formidable means of achieving this vision.
MSK diseases and conditions represent approximately 29 per cent of all the world's chronic illnesses. In Canada, these diseases and conditions account for 10 per cent of the economic burden of illness, second only to cardiovascular disease. According to the "Economic Burden of Illness in Canada, 1998", these diseases and conditions cost tax payers approximately $16 billion/year. With the aging of our population, the incidence of MSK-related diseases and conditions is on the rise, affecting more than half of the Canadian population over age 75.
Strategic Focus
Through the Institute's multi-level grant program and a rapidly increasing number of collaborative funding initiatives, IMHA seeks to encourage and facilitate health research with the strong potential of creating new knowledge that will translate into improved health and health care standards. The Institute's first priority is tosupport innovative health research that maps to one or more of its strategic themes, adopted in 2002, across the full spectrum of health research, including biomedical, clinical, health services and systems, and population and public health.
Strategic Research Priorities
Pain, Disability and Chronic Disease
The primary focus of this theme is to better understand the genetic and environmental causes, optimal treatment and elimination of pain and disability in all IMHA disease areas. A second area of significance is the need to understand the relationship between chronic diseases and conditions within IMHA's mandate (e.g. skin and bone diseases and diseases that compromise oral health). The impact of chronic musculoskeletal, oral, and skin diseases on general health and well-being is also of utmost importance.
Tissue Injury, Repair and Replacement
This theme supports innovative research into the cause and prevention of the physical, psychological, psychosocial and economic impacts of acute and chronic injury and prostheses. 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 based on tissue engineering strategies.
Physical Activity, Mobility and Health
Research under this theme will create a better understanding of the relationships among physical activity, mobility and MSK health at every level, including the positive effects of motions and forces on the cellular behavior of joint tissues and the well being of individuals. The psychosocial aspects of exercise, activity and sports on populations is also relevant.
CIHR Common Framework and Performance Evaluation
By June 30, 2005, all of CIHR's 13 Institute's will be required to produce a formative evaluation report that will be used to generate the Quinquennial Review for Governing Council. To facilitate the evaluation process, CIHR has established the following outcome categories: Outstanding Research; Outstanding Researchers in Innovative Environments; Translating Health Research Into Action; Effective Partnerships and Public Engagement and Organizational Excellence
In keeping with this evaluation process, IMHA has organized its 2003/04 programs and initiatives to reflect these outcome categories.
IMHA's Tool-Box
Pyramid of Research Excellence
In the process of nurturing creativity that leads to breakthroughs, researchers progress from idea generation through the formation of teams to the implementation of research programs.
Each program in the Tool-Box is a building block contributing to the creation of IMHA's "Pyramid of Research Excellence". This Pyramid represents IMHA's Strategic Plan for helping researchers move from working independently on isolated projects, to working together in teams of ever-increasing size and breadth. By applying for grants through the open and strategic competitions, researchers can move up the pyramid from independent research to increasingly larger multidisciplinary networks, to national centres and international consortia.
New scar treatment
With funding from IMHA's Priority Announcements program, a discovery by a University of Alberta wound-healing research group led by Dr. Aziz Ghahary could lead to a new treatment to lessen or even prevent the disfiguring scars caused by serious burns and other major wounds. The team of several investigators isolated, cloned and reproduced a kind of cell-to-cell messenger that controls production of extra-cellular matrix proteins. These proteins form a scaffold on which skin can rebuild itself. As the team moves into clinical trials, its patented signaling substance will be part of a topical cream that can be applied to any type of wound likely to heal with hypertrophic scarring.
Co-funded Grants
Both The Arthritis Society (TAS) and IMHA have a common objective - to build Canada's arthritis capacity - and are positioned to work collaboratively to support arthritis research. TAS and IMHA have entered into an agreement to support co-funded training awards, salary awards and operating grants. TAS and IMHA funded three, three-year operating grants in 2003 with a focus on Tissue Injury, Repair and Replacement.
In 2003/04, Dr. Paul Fortin and his team began work on a health improvement and prevention program in systemic lupus erythematosus, while Dr. Francine Goulet and her collaborator Dr. David Hart pursued the production and characterization of collagen scaffolds for tissue engineering and biomedical applications. Dr. Frank Jirik began investigation of transgenic approaches to studying gene function in murine osteoclasts.
Priority Announcements
Creativity knows no bounds and, for this reason, CIHR continues to encourage independent, innovative research under the Open Competitions program. In 2003/04, 104 funded researchers self-identified with IMHA through the Open Competition. Researchers who apply through the Open Competition and affiliate with IMHA also have an opportunity to receive Institute funding via the Priority Announcement Program. Priority Announcement Operating Grants provide support for researchers whose peer-review ratings are above the excellence cutoff, when CIHR funds have been exhausted. With Priority Announcement funding from Institutes in place, researchers can continue to obtain pilot data and take advantage of peer review feedback towards resubmission to the Open Competition.
In 2003/04, the Institute was able to support eight grants through the Priority Announcement program. These initiatives included an investigation of the cryobiology of tissue systems and the interaction of vitamin D and PTH on ion homeostasis, skeletal development and bone remodeling.
Inventions: Tools and Techniques in Health Research
Successful biomedical research is tied to the availability of an array of tools, techniques and methodologies. First launched in 2003, this program has funded an impressive array of research, including investigation into cell-type specific infection of adenovirus vectors, controlled expression of bone morphogenetic proteins in transplanted cells, the clinical use of the mechanical response tissue analyzer device, visible to near infrared fluorescence Excitation-Emission Matrix spectroscopy and new measures for quantifying soft tissue fibrosis. Inventions, Tools and Techniques grants are available to a maximum of $100,000
| 2003/04 Priority Announcement Grants: 1- year Funding | Funding |
|
John Antoniou, Peter Roughley |
$ 28,506 |
| François Berthod Université Laval Skin reconstructed through tissue engineering: Optimizing in vivo nerve regeneration and in vitro modelling |
$ 84,952 |
| Bing Siang Gan, Jeffrey Howard, Benjamin Alman University Of Western Ontario Molecular mechanisms of dupuytren's contracture |
$ 58,609 |
| Guylaine Lepine University Of Toronto Study of invasion-related genes of actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans |
$ 94,300 |
| Locksley McGann University Of Alberta The cryobiology of tissue systems |
$ 142,292 |
| Dengshun Miao McGill University Interaction of vitamin D and PTH on ion homeostasis, skeletal development and bone remodeling |
$ 114,665 |
| Marc Pouliot Centre hospitalier de l'Université Laval p-regulation of cyclooxygenase-2 in human neutrophils has anti-inflammatory consequences: A new therapeutic approach |
$ 42,620 |
| Ron Zernicke, Robert Bray, Steven Boyd University Of Calgary Bone and ligament remodeling in osteoarthritis |
$ 49,058 |
Team Planning and Development Grants
This program provides one-year (one-time) grants of up to $100,000 to new research teams who have a clear and well-developed set of research priorities within any one of IMHA's research priority themes. Initiatives that feature integration of multiple disciplines, including life sciences, natural and social sciences, engineering, mathematics and the humanities are of particular interest. This program has been well received resulting in a new partnership with the Natural Health Product Directorate of Health Canada in 2004/05.
All three research themes are represented among this year's grant winners, representing a success rate of 45 per cent. In the area of Physical Activity, Mobility and Health, Dr. Patricia McKinley and her multidisciplinary team pursued the development of leisure-based activity programs in community-based settings that promote mobility, socialization, and cognitive abilities, enhance quality of life and have a high level of adherence. In the same area, Dr. Willem Meeuwisse and his team focused on population studies and the development and implementation of new strategies for the prevention of injury in adolescent sport. Dr. John Esdaile's team approached youth injury prevention with a focus on Tissue Injury, Repair and Replacement using a randomized controlled trial of a prevention strategy for severe knee injury in youth soccer. In the final area of Pain, Disability and Chronic Disease, Dr. Murray Baron and his team pursued the development of a Canadian scleroderma research group, while Dr. Patricia Dobkin and her co-researchers completed an economic analysis of cognitive-behavioral therapy as an adjunct to standard care in early rheumatoid arthritis.
| Inventions: Tools, Techniques & Devices Success Rate: 32% in 2003/04 |
Funding |
| Robin Parks Ottawa Health Research Institute Improved method to achieve cell-type specific infection of adenovirus vectors |
$ 89,959 |
| Bernhard Ganss, Predrag Lekic University of Toronto Controlled expression of bone morphogenetic proteins in transplanted cells for the regeneration of periodontal and bone defects |
$ 92,980 |
| Angela Cheung, Mark Grynpas, Stephen Waldman University Health Network The clinical utility of the mechanical response tissue analyser device for determining bone fragility |
$ 87,046 |
| Haishan Zeng, Harvey Lui University of British Columbia Visible to near infrared fluorescence Excitation-Emission Matrix (EEM) spectroscopy system for skin characterization and diagnosis |
$ 49,205 |
| Patrick Boissy, Paolo Bonato, Francois Michaud, Réjean Fontaine, Hélène Corriveau Université de Sherbrooke Ecological momentary assessment (EMA) of mobility assistive device use in balance impaired individuals |
$ 81,406 |
| Ailleen Davis, Robert Bell, Brian O'Sullivan, Richard Hill, Peter Lee, David McCready, Robert Inman, Wilfred Levin, Jay Wunder Toronto Rehab Institute New measures for quantifying soft tissue fibrosis |
$ 99,421 |
| Claire Bombardier, Alex Jadad, Gunther Eysenbach University Health Network A demonstration project of electronic patient generated data for point of care reporting in the management of rheumatoid arthritis |
$ 92,125 |
New Emerging Teams [NET] grants program
Once a successful team has been formed, researchers may be eligible for NET funding for up to five years in support of their avenue of investigation. NET teams typically unify a number of disciplines and have the potential to secure collaborative funding support.
In November 2003, IMHA and the Canadian Arthritis Network came together to make $4.4 million available for research in osteoarthritis. Three teams were funded under this joint funding initiative: Dr. Gillian Hawker of Sunnybrook and Women's College Health Sciences Centre received $1.4 million to investigate the determinants and consequences of pain and fatigue in osteoarthritis using a biopsychosocial approach. Dr. James Henry of the University of Western Ontario in London was awarded $1.5 million to study molecular mechanisms of pain and fatigue in osteoarthritis - the interplay of nerve and joint. And, in Vancouver, Dr. John Esdaile of the Arthritis Research Centre of Canada received $1.5 million to develop tools to detect osteoarthritis at an earlier stage than is currently the case.
New Discoveries
Novel, innovative research initiatives are high-risk ventures with the potential to yield significant new discoveries. In 2003/04, the New Discoveries - High Risk Grants program provided seed grants to researchers exploring, among other things, the role of phosphoglucose isomerase in degenerative joint diseases, tolerance induction by skin immunization and collagenase stimulating factors in human serum.
Fellowships
Fellowships are offered to highly qualified candidates holding the degree of PhD, MD or equivalent, for full-time training in research in the general area relating to arthritis. In 2003/04, three fellowships were given in partnership with The Arthritis Society: Eric Boilard pursued an investigation of A2 phospholipases and their receptors under the supervision of Dr. Gerard Lambeau at the Centre National de la recherché scientifique in France. In Montreal, Marie Hudson and her supervisors, Drs. Louise Pilote and Elham Rahme, undertook the study of a potential association between anti-inflammatory drugs and myocardial infarction patients on aspirin. Sindhu Johnson, under the supervision of Drs. Gillian Hawker and John Granton at the University Health Network in Toronto, focused on a possible association between the BMPR2 mutation and pulmonary arterial hypertension in patients with scleroderma and lupus.
Denis Morrice and Flora Dell join Dr. Frank at a Researcher/Stakeholder reception after receiving their Commemorative Medals for The Queen's Golden jubilee.
| New Discoveries - High Risk Grants Success Rate: 57% in 2003/04 |
Funding |
| Ivan Nabi, Pascal Reboul, Hideomi Watanabe Université de Montréal Role of phosphoglucose isomerase in degenerative joint diseases Funding |
$ 60,000 |
| Stéphane Roy Université de Montréal Functional analysis of tgf-beta super family members during the process of perfect tissue regeneration in axolotls |
$ 60,000 |
| François Michaud, Réjean Fontaine, Helene Corriveau, Patrick Boissy, Cecile Smeesters, Andrew Grant, Patrice Masson Université de Sherbrooke Design study on the use, through telepresence and telesurveillance, of mobile assistance robots and intelligent mobility aids for elderly people with limited mobility [Translation] |
$ 27,100 |
| Irma Lemaire, Simon Lemaire University of Ottawa C-terminal histone H4-related peptides as novel potent anti-inflammatory and anti-arthritic agents |
$ 60,000 |
| Phillippe Tessier Université Laval Blockade of S100A8, S100A9, and S100A12 as a new treatment for arthritis |
$ 60,000 |
| Jan Dutz University of British Columbia Tolerance induction by skin immunization |
$ 59,956 |
| Mariana Foldvari, Alan Rosenberg University of Saskatchewan Cutaneous gene therapy for localized scleroderma: Development of novel delivery systems for the interferon gamma gene |
$ 60,000 |
| Aziz Ghahary, Edward Tredget, Walter Maksymowych University of Alberta Discovery of a novel collagenase stimulating factor in human serum |
$ 60,000 |
The Bone and Joint Decade
The goal of the Bone and Joint Decade is to improve the quality of life for people with musculoskeletal disorders and injury throughout the world. These include joint disease, osteoporosis, osteoarthritis, low back pain, spinal disorders, severe trauma to the extremities, crippling disease and deformities in children.
The Decade aims to:
IMHA has used the momentum and profile of this international initiative as a springboard to increase awareness of the magnitude and impact of MSK diseases and conditions among Canadians, to ensure Canadian researchers benefit from advances and findings in other countries and to aid in the establishment of a collaborative network of 20 national agencies with a direct interest in the MSK field.
In 2005, Canada will host the Annual Meeting of the International Bone and Joint Decade Committee. IMHA hopes that this meeting will provide valuable inputs that will lead to the development of a national and international strategy to address the growing burden of musculoskeletal diseases and conditions around the world.
A New National Model
The Alliance for the Canadian Arthritis Program (ACAP) is a multi-stakeholder strategic alliance and a new national model for stakeholder relations and the building of ongoing partnerships.
The nucleus of ACAP was formed in early 2002 when IMHA, The Arthritis Society and the Canadian Arthritis Network came together to stage the Osteoarthritis Consensus Conference. One of the outcomes of the conference was a joint commitment to form an overarching National Arthritis Plan. With the addition of two stakeholder organizations in January 2003, the Cochrane Collaboration and the Canadian Arthritis Patients Alliance, a unique collaboration was formed. Today, ACAP has grown to include 10 member organizations representing health professionals, researchers, institutions, governments, NGOs and patients/consumers. The next sector targeted for inclusion in the Alliance will be industry partners - particularly those involved in diagnostics.
Overall, the ACAP model is proving to be a highly effective mechanism for building stakeholder relations and ongoing partnerships, and IMHA is working to build similar models across its six focus areas.
Workshops
IMHA's workshop program is a highly strategic process designed to elicit and focus multi-disciplinary, cross-pillar dialogue with the potential to identify new research directions and foster new collaborations.
Workshops represent the bottom layer of IMHA's pyramid model that is designed to foster multi-disciplinary and multi-sectorial relationships that will lay the foundation for the creation of national centres of excellence.
Researchers typically operate within their own area of specialty, attending con-ferences and interacting with colleagues as required. The IMHA workshop program provides an innovative mechanism to stimulate new collaborations by bringing researchers together with a broad range of stakeholders (e.g. policy makers, consumers, physicians and pharmaceutical companies) to identify new research directions and opportunities.
Quality of Life Research Awards
Heroes dare to take a different path
Six of IMHA's research heroes were formally recognized in 2004 with the presentation of the "Quality of Life Research Award" for their exceptional work in areas that will improve the health of those suffering from MSK-related diseases and conditions.
 |
 |
 |
| Dr. William Stanford | Dr. Harvey Goldberg | Dr. Pierre Borgeat |
 |
 |
 |
| Dr. Klaus Wrogemann | Dr. Nicholas Mohtadi | Dr. Bing Siang Gan |
Strategic Training Initiatives in Health Research (STIHR)
Knowledge shared is knowledge grown
Alberta Provincial CIHR Training Program in Bone and Joint Health
University of Calgary, University of Alberta
Program focus: osteoarthritis, common spinal disorders and joint injuries
Cell Signaling in Mucosal Inflammation & Pain
Toronto, Dalhousie, Ottawa, McMaster, and UBC.
Program focus: cellular communication
MENTOR: Mobility and Posture Deficiencies
L'Université de Montréal, l'École Polytechnique, l'École de technologie supérieure.
Program focus: osteoarthritis, musculoskeletal deformity and trauma or neuromuscular deficits
NORTH Network for Oral Research Training and Health
All 10 Canadian dentistry schools
Program focus: academic dentistry
The Centre for Bone and Periodontal Research: Skeletal Health Research
McGill University. Program focus: skeletal health
Dental Research Student Awards
The Canadian Association for Dental Research and IMHA came together to recognize excellence in oral health research by four science students from across Canada. The program provided awards in two categories: Junior and Senior. Junior winners were Houman Nourkeyhani, a York University science student, who received first place for his research project into molecular cloning of the Sp7 gene, and Craig Humber of the University of Saskatchewan, for his study focusing on the expression of a key protease gene in biofilms of the periodontal pathogen Treponema denicola. Dilani Senadheera, a PhD student at the University of Toronto, placed first in the Senior Category with her paper focused on novel 2-component signal transduction systems in the dental caries-producing bacterium Streptococcus mutans. Dr. Vinay Bhide was awarded second place for his research into the control of connective tissue turnover by collagen synthesis and degradation. In demonstration of the effectiveness of IMHA's grant pyramid strategy, Senadheera is currently enrolled in a CIHR program and Nourkeyhani and Bhide continue their studies in a CIHR group.
Canada-Wide Science Fair - Quality of Life Student Research Award
Ronan MacParland and Sarah Small, grade eleven students from St. Johns, Newfoundland, were joint winners of the 2003/04 IMHA Quality of Life Student Research Award for their topical cream based on the medicinal properties of green tea. Using hot and cold ethanol extraction techniques on different brands of green tea, Ronan and Sarah blended the resulting compounds with a topical cream base and then subjected the mixture to a number of tests. Memorial University's commercialization arm, the Genesis Group, is analyzing the cream's patent and market potential. IMHA was a silver sponsor of the 2004 Canada Wide Science Fair.
Building Blocks in Scleroderma Research
One of the objectives of a cross-pillar workshop is to begin the process of building the first level of a successful research pyramid, through the use of programs such as New Emerging Teams, New Discoveries High Risk Grants and/or Operating Grants. In so doing, new tools, treatments or methodologies will be developed that can be brought to market in support of IMHA's vision. Dr. Murray Baron began the process with his application for 'A Workshop to Plan the Creation of a Canadian Database for the Longitudinal Follow-Up of Patients with Scleroderma'. Funded in 2003, the workshop brought rheumatologists together to agree upon the structure of a pan-Canadian database and to commence discussions about specific research ideas and protocols.
Dr. Baron and his team of investigators were also successful in their application for a team planning and development grant for the 'Development of a Canadian Scleroderma Research Group'.
Partnerships inspire, seek higher ground and celebrate excellence
The Power of Many
Partnerships and Alliances
Partnerships and alliances are a particularly effective means of making the best use of available research dollars and fostering the creation of collaborative teams. In 2003/04, IMHA saw a dramatic increase in the number and financial strength of its partnerships.
Institute of musculoskeletal health and arthritis
Institute support grant
For the year ended March 31, 2004
| Available Funds | $ 1,652,693 |
| Expenses Institute Development. Conference, symposia and workshops. Institute Advisory Board. Professional services, Travel expenditures. Other costs |
$ 209,826 |
| Institute Operations Salaries and benefits. Telephone and communication services. Supplies, material and other services. Office furniture and fixtures. Computer equipment and IT support. Professional Services. Travel expenditures Translation Costs. Other expenditures |
$ 540,865 |
| Total Expenses | $ 750,690 |
| Unspent Balance* | $ 902,003 |
| * Note : Unspent balance at March 31, 2004 carried forward to next fiscal year | |
| Strategic Initiatives | Amount |
| Total budget allocated to IMHA in 2003-04 | $ 5,320,000 |
| IHRT/CAHR Gene Therapy-Neuroscience Diseases |
$ 100,000 |
| Networks - ICE/NET Ice Teams New Emerging Team Grant Program (NET) Osteoarthritis Net Grants |
$ 370,660 $ 75,000 $ 184,641 |
| Development Grants Enhance Quality of Life Team Planning & Development Grants |
$ 114,921 |
| Training Programs Strategic Training Initiative in Health Research |
$ 1,014,428 |
|
Grants & Awards |
$ 10,938 $ 613,600 $ 442,957 $ 48,879 $ 271,517 $ 2,101,739 $ 57,630 |
| TOTAL | $ 5,406,910 |
| Project or program | Partners | IMHA contribution | Partner(s) contribution |
| CLSA protocol development | Université de Sherbrooke, CIHR | in-kind | $150,000.00 |
| Microgravity and Bone Cells: a CSA-CIHR Joint Initiative | Canadian Space Agency | in-kind | $1,000,000.00 |
| IHRT on gene therapy applied to brain and neuromuscular diseases (Renewal of Initial Agreement) |
INMHA, IHDCYH, ICR, IMHA | $100,000.00 | $400,000.00 |
| New Investigator Awards, Research Fellowships and Doctoral Research Awards in Obesity research |
CDA, ICR, IGH, IHDCYH, INMD, HSFC | $69,750.00 | $1,362,508.00 |
| The Arthritis Society - IMHA Operating Grants | The Arthritis Socety | $450,000.00 | $450,000.00 |
| The Arthritis Society - IMHA Fellowships Challenge Fund Partnership | The Arthritis Socety | $248,000.00 | $248,000.00 |
| Biology of Pain Young Investigators Grant Program | Canadian Pain Society, AstraZeneca, INMHA,CIHR Rx&D | in-kind | $110,000.00 |
| SIRC Research award | SIRC | $10,000.00 | unknown |
| Aboriginal Community Based Research |
CIHR-Institute of Aboriginal Peoples' Health | $21,884.00 | $21,884.00 |
| Canada Wide Science Fair | Canada Wide Science Fair | $16,500.00 | unknown |
Excellence knows no boundaries, and breeds excellence.
IMHA represents a network of stakeholders and researchers who are working together to address important health issues across its six foci and three strategic themes. Unconstrained by bricks and mortar, the Institute's virtual structure encourages the creation of partnerships and collaborations across a broad range of sectors, disciplines and regions. Each IMHA employee also brings a personal commitment to the pursuit of knowledge and a keen appreciation for the importance of Canadian health research.
An excellent organization requires the vision and leadership, human resource capabilities, project management and communication skills required to help it achieve its short- and long-term goals and objectives.
Dr. Cyril Frank
Scientific Director
Hélène Levesque
Assistant Director
Doris Ward
Communications Manager
Elizabeth Robson
Administrative Officer/Stakeholder Relations
Richard Snell
Deputy Director Knowledge Creation Programs
Sophia Tsouros
Project Manager/Analyst
Alexis Jackson
Communications Assistant
Sylvie Gareau
Financial Advisor
Asimina Xidous
Institute Support Project Officer
Andrew McColgan
Partnership Specialist
The Institute has a highly involved and committed Advisory Board that meets four times a year to review and fine-tune IMHA's strategic direction.
Juliette Cooper Chair, (Manitoba)
Jane E. Aubin (Ontario)
Elizabeth Badley Co-Chair, (Ontario)
Edmund Biden (New Brunswick)
Flora Dell (New Brunswick)
Jan Dutz (British Columbia)
Cy Frank (Alberta)
T. Douglas Kinsella (Ontario)
James Lund (Québec)
John McDermott (Ontario)
Joan McGowan (National Institutes of Health)
Robert McMurtry (Ontario)
Henri A. Ménard (Québec)
Mickey Milner ( Ontario)
Denis Morrice (Ontario)
A. Robin Poole (Québec)
Ilona Skerjanc (Ontario)
Front row (left to right): Lois Cohen*, Juliette Cooper, Flora M. Dell, Cy Frank, Ilona Skerjanc
Middle row (left to right): Robin Poole, James Lund, Elizabeth Badley, Maryam Tabrizian*, Richard Ellen*, John McDermott
Back row (left to right): Mickey Milner, Richard Singleton*, Edmund Biden, Jane Aubin, Denis Morrice, Jan Dutz
Missing: T. Douglas Kinsella, Joan McGowan, Robert McMurtry, Henri A. Ménard.
*New members
Institute of Musculoskeletal Health and Arthritis
Department of Surgery
Heritage Medical Research Bldg
University of Calgary
3330 Hospital Drive NW Calgary, AB T2N 4N1
www.cihr-irsc.gc.ca
