IMHA On The Move - November 2011

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Table of Contents

• A Message from the Interim Scientific Director
• Meeting the Research Ambassadors – KT at IMHA
• Good News Story
• Did you know?
• Ask the Scientific Director
• Awareness Activities
• Other News
• Partner Corner
• Funding Opportunities
• Meetings of Interest
• Contact Us

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A Message from the Interim Scientific Director

November is Osteoporosis Month and November 6-12 is National Pain Awareness Week. Both osteoporosis and pain affect the lives of many Canadians and we would like to take this opportunity to recognize the researchers doing valuable work in these areas. Please see our Awareness Activities for more information.

In October, IMHA attended several meetings with various stakeholders. We were able to share our strategic plan with partners and learn more about the ongoing research and relevant issues in our mandated areas.

At the end of September I was invited to speak at the Canadian Chiropractic Research Foundation meeting in Toronto. We had very dynamic break-out sessions, and I was delighted to be an active participant in discussing some of the major issues related to chiropractic research in Canada.

Our Research Ambassador meeting in Vancouver was also very productive. We completed the review process for IMHA’s second ”Research Ambassador Knowledge Translation Award” and I am thrilled to be able to announce this year’s winners in this issue’s Good News Story section. IMHA is unique in that we have a group of consumers who help us with knowledge translation activities and we have decided to highlight them in this November issue.

In Washington, IMHA attended the US Bone and Joint Decade Musculoskeletal Summit on The Value of Musculoskeletal Care. It was a high level meeting engaging a broad range of stakeholders to consider value in musculoskeletal (MSK) care. This included the consideration of quality and cost-effectiveness of MSK care as well as the impact of treatment and prevention on the health and well-being of individuals and the society as a whole. Before the meeting we were fortunate to be able to meet with both the United States National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS) and the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR). We presented to them the CIHR Signature Initiatives, including our Inflammation in Chronic Disease Initiative and learned about the research initiatives underway in the US.

Just last week I attended the Canadian Arthritis Network (CAN) Annual Scientific Conference in Quebec City, which brought much of the Canadian arthritis community together. Some of the program highlights included the future of arthritis research in Canada, inflammation in chronic diseases and the patient experience with complex disease management and care.

As always, IMHA welcomes your comments and questions. Please feel free to contact us at imha.iala.cihr.irsc@utoronto.ca.

Phillip Gardiner PhD, Interim Scientific Director
Institute of Musculoskeletal Health and Arthritis

Meeting the Research Ambassadors – KT at IMHA

The IMHA Research Ambassadors (RAs) are a group of non-scientist consumers (patients) that help us carry out knowledge translation activities and ensure that the consumer voice is heard. Knowledge translation (KT) broadly defined, is the translation of scientific research into improved health for Canadians, and is regarded by CIHR as an essential part of the research process. Recommended to us by our partner organizations, our RAs come from different backgrounds and bring with them a unique set of skills and experiences. What ties them all together is an undeniable energy and passion for improving the health and quality of life of people with musculoskeletal, oral health, and skin conditions.

In October, IMHA brought our RAs together for a meeting in Vancouver to select the 2011 winners of the “IMHA Research Ambassador Knowledge Translation Award” and to discuss the future work and involvement of the RAs. A brainstorming process was undertaken to focus on identifying ideas that might be valuable in promoting research and KT in the coming years. There were a number of common themes that came about as a result of the group brainstorming sessions which included the importance of:

• Further research into successful KT practices;
• Awareness building among researchers, policy makers, practitioners and the general public about symptoms, diagnosis, impact of treatment etc. of various diseases;
• Using a variety of tools such as social media and public forums to reach more people through KT initiatives;
• Maintaining an actively involved group of RAs from across Canada, representing IMHA focus areas.

This meeting was somewhat bittersweet as we said goodbye to our inaugural group of RAs and hello to our new ones. We thank the outgoing RAs Phil Hughes, Blair Boudreau, Mary Brachaniec, and Ina Ilse for all of their hard work and dedication. You will be missed!

Good News Story

IMHA is delighted to announce the 2011 winners of the “IMHA Research Ambassadors Knowledge Translation Award”. The “IMHA Research Ambassadors Knowledge Translation Award” was created in order to encourage CIHR applicants to write excellent lay abstracts. Lay abstracts are half page write-ups which summarize the proposed research project and must be included with each CIHR grant application. They are written to be easily understood by the general population which is why our RAs are the perfect group to do the review.

The RAs reviewed the lay abstracts of the IMHA funded grants from the 2010-2011fiscal year and the top 4 were selected for the award. The selected lay abstracts were considered to be well written, easily understood by a lay audience, comprehensive and highly informative. In particular, they:

1. included all salient points
2. adequately explained technical terms when introduced
3. had a logical flow of thought that was easy to follow
4. described anticipated results that were likely to impact future research in the area
5. were appropriately presented in general language
6. were clear and logical in the explanation of the research project

We would like to congratulate the following Principal Investigators who wrote abstracts chosen for this award (in no particular order): Victor F. Rafuse (Dalhousie University), Ciarán Duffy (University of Ottawa), John M. Esdaile (University of British Columbia and University of Calgary), and Joy C. MacDermid (McMaster University). We will be publishing these excellent lay abstracts in upcoming issues of IMHA – On the Move!.

Did you know?

IMHA is the only CIHR Institute that has a group of Research Ambassadors!

Ask the Scientific Director

We invite you to send questions that you have about IMHA to imha.iala.cihr.irsc@utoronto.ca. Each month, this section of the newsletter will feature the answer to one of these questions. This month, we answer the following question:
Which of the Signature Initiatives is IMHA supporting?

IMHA is providing funding to support 3 of the 8 Signature Initiatives including:

1. The Inflammation in Chronic Disease (ICD) Initiative is led by IMHA in partnership with several other Institutes. Inflammation is the body's first reaction to infection and injury and is essential in fighting infection and in healing wounds. Chronic inflammation however, can lead to chronic disease, pain and increasing cost to the healthcare system. The ICD Initiative aims to develop a unified Canadian strategy on inflammation research including prevention and treatment approaches.
2. The Personalized Medicine Initiative is led by the Institute of Cancer Research. This initiative will support the development of preventative, diagnostic, and therapeutic interventions tailored to the characteristics of an individual or population. These scientific advancements provide the ability to classify individuals into sub-populations based on their susceptibility to a disease, or response to a specific treatment. The overall aim is to integrate evidence-based medicine and precision diagnostics into clinical practice.
3. The Community-Based Primary Health Care Initiative is led by the Institute of Health Services and Policy Research. This initiative will make investments in community-based primary health care including health promotion and disease prevention; diagnosis, treatment and management of chronic pain and episodic illness; support end-of-life care, and care coordination; and the translation of research knowledge into practice and policy.

Awareness Activities

November 6-12, 2011 is National Pain Awareness Week. Started by the Canadian Pain Coalition, this awareness week draws attention to the 17% to 31% of the general community who report chronic pain, as well as the 50% of hospitalized patients who report acute pain of moderate to severe intensity.

PostMedia’s Sharon Kirkey has produced a fascinating multi-media series on chronic pain.

November is also Osteoporosis Month. Almost 2 million Canadians suffer from osteoporosis, a condition that causes bones to become thin and porous, decreasing bone strength and leading to increased risk of breaking. Because there are often no symptoms, it often goes undiagnosed. Therefore, it is important to raise awareness about risk factors such as a family history of fragility fractures, a hunched upper back or loss of height, which commonly signify a possibility of spinal fractures. Osteoporosis Canada will be holding its 4th Annual Osteoporosis Public Education Forum on November 10, 2011 in Toronto.

Pain and osteoporosis are extremely relevant to the IMHA community and we recognize the researchers doing work in this area.

Other News

CIHR YouTube – Your moving picture…worth a thousand words.

CIHR has been a pioneer in the use of social media to engage Canadians and promote health research in Canada, with 124,000 fans on our Facebook page and more than 3,300 followers on Twitter.

Now, we’re building a health research channel on YouTube, and we invite you to be a part of it by posting your health-research related videos. Simply send them to us, and we’ll take care of the rest – we’ll promote them to our networks, ensuring that their videos are seen in classrooms, offices and homes across Canada and creating visibility for your institution. So go ahead – send us your existing videos, to give them a wider audience and greater exposure.

Partner Corner

The Impact of Arthritis in Canada: The Next 30 Years

Arthritis, which encompasses more than 100 different conditions, is the leading cause of limited function and long-term disability in Canada. Given increased longevity, physical inactivity, obesity, and a lack of access to timely health care, the burden of arthritis is expected to increase, with major personal and economic costs.

The Arthritis Alliance of Canada has recently released a report outlining the impact of arthritis in Canada over the next 30 years. Based on their findings, several key strategies were identified to reduce arthritis-related costs including:

• providing timely access for total joint replacement for osteoarthritis (OA);
• early diagnosis and disease modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs) for rheumatoid arthritis (RA);
• pain management strategies for RA;
• and prevention strategies for OA: a reduction in obesity.

The overall goal of the Arthritis Alliance of Canada is to develop a National Arthritis Framework and this report will make a major contribution towards this end.

Funding Opportunities

For information on current funding opportunities, please visit IMHA's Funding Opportunities.

Network Catalyst Grant – Oral Health
This funding opportunity directly supports the third priority of CIHR's 2009-2014 Strategic Plan, Health Research Roadmap, by presenting a platform through which researchers and knowledge users can leverage KT and partnerships to accelerate the capture of the health and economic benefits of health research. The application deadline for this competition is December 15, 2011.

Meetings of Interest

Don’t Bend to Osteoporosis: 4th Annual Free Osteoporosis Public Education Forum
(November 10, 2011) Toronto, ON.

Contact Us

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: 416-946-7243
Email: IMHA@cihr-irsc.gc.ca

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