Add cihr logo (transparent background)
IMHA
On The Move
I n s t i t u t e o f M u s c u l o s k e l e t a l
H e a l t h a n d A r t h r i t i s
A Message from the Scientific Director
May is a month of change and
activity: the academic year has come
to a close, new flowers are
blossoming, and the IMHA
community is as active and engaged
as ever. This month encourages
awareness and reflection in many
IMHA areas: it is Foot Health
Awareness Month, Cystic Fibrosis
Month, and National Physiotherapy
Month. The past 4 weeks have also
included Spinal Health Week (May 1-7), North American
Occupational Safety and Health Week (May 2-8), World
Lupus Day (May 10), World Health Organization Move for
Health Day (May 10), Canada Health Day (May 12),
Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome National
Awareness Day (May 12), and Active Healthy Kids Day
(May 29). As many of you know, IMHA's flagship strategic
research priority in our Strategic Plan 2008-2013 is Physical
Activity, Mobility and Health. Encouraging physical activity
in children, the future of our country, is a great way to
stimulate physical activity among all Canadians; Active
Healthy Kids Day helps to achieve this goal.
I had the pleasure of participating in The Walk to Fight
Arthritis, an excellent example of both awareness building
and encouragement of physical activity for all, including
those with arthritis. Raising awareness and funds with the
intention of fighting arthritis is important to IMHA, and it was
great to see so many other Canadians of all ages
participating on May 15, 2011. The walk also reminded me
of the strong partnership between IMHA and The Arthritis
Society, one based on our shared commitment to
supporting arthritis research and knowledge translation to
improve the health of Canadians by reducing the burden of
arthritis.
I am pleased to share with our readers the success of the
Inflammation in Chronic Disease Consensus Conference,
which took place on May 17-18, 2011 in Toronto. The
conference brought together researchers and partners from
across Canada as well as other countries, and
May 2011
featured two days of informative talks and lively discussion.
All those present brought their unique perspectives, and
contributed to identifying gaps in knowledge of inflammation
in chronic disease and prioritizing research questions to
address them. A report from the conference is being
prepared, and I will notify our community when this
becomes publicly available. Please also watch for CIHR
and IMHA funding opportunities emanating from the
conference outputs.
I hope you enjoy this edition of IMHA On The Move. I
encourage readers to contact IMHA with comments or
suggestions regarding our newsletters, as well as send in
questions for the Ask the Scientific Director section.
Best wishes,
Jane E. Aubin, PhD, Scientific Director
Institute of Musculoskeletal Health and Arthritis
Dr. Jane Aubin speaks to participants at the Inflammation in
Chronic Disease Consensus Conference. On stage, from
left to right: Dr. Jane Aubin, Scientific Director, Institute of
Musculoskeletal Health and Arthritis, Conference Chair; Dr.
Alain Beaudet, President, Canadian Institutes of Health
Research; Dr. Marc Ouellette, Scientific Director, Institute of
Infection and Immunity, Conference Co-Chair; Professor
Alan Silman, Medical Director, Arthritis Research UK,
Keynote Speaker.
Did you know?
There are many resources to find out about café scientifiques: the CIHR website, facebook group, and blog,
“Science on tap; Quench your interest”. For IMHA café scientifiques, you can also visit the Upcoming CIHR Events
section of each monthly newsletter.
Ask the Scientific Director
We invite you to send questions that you have about IMHA,
to [email protected]. Each month, this section
of the newsletter will feature the answer to one of these
questions.
Good News Stories
trend of social media, and therefore chose to present years
of research findings in quick, engaging video clips, designed
to be easy to understand and informative, yet also
entertaining. Dr. Cibere commented on how researchers and
others should take advantage of the social media platforms
that are becoming increasingly available and useful for
disseminating research findings.
Despite the importance and success of this type of
knowledge translation activity, there are also challenges
New webcasts share arthritis research findings with the
involved. Shauneen discussed how difficult it can be to keep
public
information and video footage down to a manageable
The Arthritis Research Centre of Canada (ARC) is situated in amount, despite there being endless results to discuss and
Vancouver, BC, and is home to a team of research scientists clips to include. Dr. Cibere, who studies glucosamine and in
recent years has focused on early osteoarthritis, commented
who study arthritis, and are committed to practical research
on the challenge of presenting complex topics in lay
for everyday living; the centre receives funding from both
CIHR and The Arthritis Society. The ARC recently produced language. However, both Shauneen and Dr. Cibere saw the
rewards of this project as more than compensating for the
five webcasts, each of which discusses arthritis research
challenges. Seeing the final products and how much
findings in lay language; the last of these webcasts was
released on May 19, 2011, and all the videos can be viewed attention and dissemination the videos inspired has been an
enormous reward for all those involved. Shauneen also
on ARC’s website. This project came out of a successful
found it rewarding to be able to enlist the scientists
application for a $10,000 CIHR grant, an initiative of ARC's
themselves to speak about their own projects and research
Executive Director, Shauneen Kellner. The grant is part of
findings. Dr. Cibere enjoyed this aspect of the project as well,
the Institute Community Support (ICS) Program, a CIHR
and emphasized how much fun it was to participate in the
program that provides grants and awards to individuals and
creation of the two webcasts: “glucosamine sulfate and knee
organizations in order to aid knowledge translation activities
such as these webcasts. Shauneen and Dr. Jolanda Cibere, pain”, and “osteoarthritis is a treatable disease”.
an arthritis researcher at ARC who is featured in two of the
five webcasts, took some time to speak with IMHA about the Dr. Cibere and Shauneen were both so pleased with the final
products of this project that they are inspired to do more of
creation of these videos.
this work, and encourage other researchers and research
centres to become involved in knowledge translation. A word
Knowledge translation is a long-term priority of both CIHR
of advice from Shauneen to others is to find a team to work
and ARC. Shauneen emphasized that although research
results are incredibly powerful and interesting, they can also with that is excellent and also shares the same vision as you
do; the ARC team was extremely effective at working
be complex and difficult for the public to understand. Dr.
together, and also very successfully collaborated with the
Cibere explained that as researchers, they want to translate
their findings not just to their colleagues and academics, but video company that created the webcasts. Congratulations to
the entire ARC team; these webcasts are an inspirational
to the people who actually use the information: health care
example of the power of knowledge translation and the
professionals, and the people who suffer from arthritis. The
purpose of the CIHR Institute Community Support Program!
research results featured in the five webcasts include those
related to knee pain, gout, rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis,
and lupus; these results are directly relevant to consumers,
Shauneen Kellner
so these are the people who need to be able to access and
Executive Director, Arthritis
benefit from the information. The ARC team was motivated to
Research Centre of Canada
create these webcasts by the desire to share their research
findings in a manner which could be understood by and
useful to the public.
In order to translate this knowledge, Shauneen and others at
ARC knew they would have to keep up with the cultural
National Athletic Therapy Month
June is National Athletic Therapy Month in Canada! More information regarding awareness activities and events
associated with this upcoming month can be found on the Canadian Athletic Therapists Association website.
Other News
The Arthritis Society. Watch for announcements regarding
next year’s walk on The Arthritis Society website.
Post a Video to the CIHR YouTube Channel
CIHR invites you to submit short videos – three minutes or
less – to be posted on the CIHR health research channel on
YouTube. Once you have posted a video, CIHR will promote
it so that people across Canada can view the video. This
project is part of a larger CIHR effort to use social media to
communicate the value of health research. For more
information, please visit the CIHR website.
CIHR Knowledge Translation Learning Modules
Five knowledge translation learning modules are freely
available on the CIHR website. The most recent module,
Deliberative Priority Setting, focuses on deliberative priority
setting as a knowledge translation tool to identify policy
needs and research options, and examines how to
determine the “right people” to brainstorm and the “right
issues” that should be thought about.
Partner Corner
Bloomberg-Manulife Prize for the Promotion of Active Health
The Bloomberg-Manulife Prize for the Promotion of Active
Health is a new award that will recognize an investigator
whose research over the last five years has contributed to
understanding how factors such as physical activity, nutrition
and psychosocial context influence personal health and wellbeing, and whose work has had a positive impact on the
behavioral lifestyle choices of Canadians. The deadline has
been extended to May 31, 2011, and more information can
be found on the McGill University website.
Scientist Knowledge Translation Training
A Scientist Knowledge Translation Training (SKTTTM) course
will be taking place on October 3-4, 2011 in Toronto. Given
the increasing attention given to research utilization and
impact, this course is designed to teach researchers
knowledge translation skills and practices. For more
information, including how to register, please visit the
Scientist Knowledge Translation Training website.
The Arthritis Society Walk to Fight Arthritis
The second annual Arthritis Society Walk to Fight Arthritis
took place on May 15, 2011 in 25 locations across Canada.
Thousands of Canadians participated in the walk, together
raising over $1.3 million to be used for funding arthritis
research and programs. Jane Aubin, IMHA’s Scientific
Director, participated in the walk as part of “McNair’s
Movers”, the team of Steven McNair, President and CEO of
Steven McNair, President and CEO, The Arthritis Society,
and Jane Aubin, Scientific Director, IMHA, at the second
annual Walk to Fight Arthritis.
Global Toronto Video: Spring Knee Pain
Global Toronto recently produced a video on knee injuries
and the effects of running and walking on the knee joint. This
video features Emily Morin, someone who experiences knee
pain; Dr. Reed Ferber, Director of the Running Injury Clinic
at the University of Calgary; and Dr. Aileen Davis, Senior
Scientist at the Toronto Western Research Institute, and a
member of the IMHA Institute Advisory Board (IAB). This
short video clip can be seen on the Global Toronto website.
Osteoporosis Canada Launches 10 Year Fracture Risk
Assessment Tool
Osteoporosis Canada has developed a 10 year Fracture
Risk Assessment Tool, based on the Canadian 2010
Osteoporosis Guidelines and the Canadian Association of
Radiologists and Osteoporosis Canada (CARIC) system.
The tool, which can be used online, or downloaded onto an
iPhone, iPod touch, iPad, or Windows Phone 7, helps
healthcare professionals to determine a patient’s 10 year risk
of fracture. This tool also includes a summary of the
guideline recommendations for how to treat and manage
osteoporosis. For more information, please visit the
Osteoporosis Canada website.
Canadian Foundation for Dental Hygiene Research and
Education Call for Proposals
The Canadian Foundation for Dental Hygiene Research and
Education (CFDHRE) invites dental hygiene related research
proposals for peer reviewed grants. The grant is for $8,000,
and applications are due at midnight PDT, October 11, 2011.
For more information, please visit the CFDHRE website.
Upcoming CIHR Events
June 1, 2011
CIHR Institute of Musculoskeletal Health and Arthritis will host a Café Scientifique: It’s got me under my skin: How
psoriasis can make for an itchy fight.
Location: Spirit of Newfoundland Productions, 6 Cathedral Street, Main Theatre: Masonic Temple, St. John’s, NL.
For information on upcoming Cafés, please visit the CIHR Café Scientifique website.
Call for Success Stories
Do you have a story that has helped sustain health and
enhance quality of life by eradicating the pain, suffering and
disability caused by arthritis, musculoskeletal, oral and skin
conditions? IMHA would like to celebrate our partners’
success stories in our monthly newsletter. To nominate a
success story, please submit a short essay (maximum 2,000
words) that describes the achievement and the rationale for
its significance to IMHA at [email protected].
Canadian Association of Occupational Therapists
Annual Conference (June 15-18, 2011). Saskatoon, SK.
For more details about this conference, please visit the
Canadian Association of Occupational Therapists website.
IMHA Funding Opportunities
Canadian Dermatology Association 86th Annual
Conference (June 22-26, 2011). Edmonton, AB. For more
details about this conference, please visit the Canadian
Dermatology Association website.
For information on current funding opportunities, please visit
IMHA's Funding Opportunities.
Science Policy Fellowships
The Canadian Institutes of Health Research and Health
Canada have launched a new program that aims to foster
positive exchanges between researchers and policy makers.
The Science Policy Fellowships program will allow
researchers at the doctoral, post-doctoral, new investigator
and mid-senior investigator levels to carry out short-term
policy assignments at Health Canada. Applications for the
Science Policy Fellowships funding opportunity launched on
April 19, 2011 are due on June 1, 2011. For more
information, please visit the promotional video on YouTube,
and the funding opportunity details on the CIHR website.
Meetings, Planning and Dissemination Grant: Dissemination
Events (Spring 2011 Competition)
The Meetings, Planning and Dissemination Grant:
Dissemination Events (Spring 2011 Competition) funding
opportunity was launched on April 14, 2011. The objective of
this program is to support events/activities that contribute to
the dissemination, exchange and uptake of research
evidence. IMHA has a priority announcement on this funding
opportunity, and applications are due on June 15, 2011. For
more information, please visit the CIHR website.
Meetings of Interest
34th Conference of the Canadian Medical and Biological
Engineering Society (June 5-8, 2011). Toronto, ON. For
more details about this conference, please visit the
Canadian Medical and Biological Engineering Society
website.
Canadian Dental Hygienists Association National
Conference (June 9-11, 2011). Halifax, NS. For more
details about this conference, please visit the Canadian
Dental Hygienists Association website.
Joint Annual Scientific Meeting of the Canadian Pain
Society and the British Pain Society (June 21-24, 2011).
Edinburgh, Scotland. For more details about this meeting,
please visit the Canadian Pain Society website.
10th World Congress on Inflammation: Translating Basic
Research to Patient Care (June 25-29, 2011). Paris,
France. For more details about this meeting, please visit the
Congress website.
International Society of Biomechanics (ISB) XXIIIrd
congress (July 3-7, 2011). Brussels, Belgium. For more
details about this congress, please visit the ISB 2011
website.
66th Canadian Orthopaedic Association (COA) Annual
Meeting and 45th Canadian Orthopaedic Research
Society (CORS) Annual Meeting (July 7-9, 2011). St.
John’s, NL. For more details about this conference, please
visit the meeting website.
Canadian Physiotherapy Association Annual Congress
(July 14-17, 2011). Whistler, BC. For more details about
this congress, please visit the Canadian Physiotherapy
Association website.
Contact IMHA
CIHR - Institute of Musculoskeletal Health and Arthritis
Department of Molecular Genetics
Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto
The Banting Institute
100 College St., Room 207B
Toronto, ON, M5G 1L5
Tel: 416-978-4220
[email protected]
www.cihr-irsc.gc.ca/e/10951.html
If you would like to subscribe to IMHA On The Move please
email [email protected] and write "subscribe to
newsletter" in the subject line. You will receive all future
IMHA newsletters.