IMHA On The Move – May 2013

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A Message from the New Scientific Director

Welcome to the May edition of IMHA On The Move! I am honoured and privileged to have been appointed Scientific Director of CIHR-IMHA and look forward to working with the research community, partners, stakeholders, the advisory board, and staff to continue advancing the work of the Institute. As you can imagine, over the next number of months there will be a transition period as I take over the leadership of the Institute. I am very thankful to all of the IMHA staff, as well as the CIHR Corporate staff, for helping me get established in this exciting and challenging role. I would particularly like to thank my colleague and fellow Manitoban, Dr. Phil Gardiner, for his stewardship of the Institute over the past two years as Interim Scientific Director, and for the help he has given me as I take on this role. Since this is my first message to the community, I would like to take the opportunity to introduce myself.

I am a practicing rheumatologist, a Professor of Medicine and Immunology, and senior clinician scientist at the University of Manitoba where I hold the Endowed Rheumatology Research Chair. My research interests have focused on the mechanisms initiating and sustaining joint inflammation in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). I am particularly interested in the stage of RA that immediately precedes clinical disease onset, a stage that has been called “imminent RA”. By systematically following the relatives of First Nations RA patients, a group known to have a high prevalence of severe disease, it is hoped that imminent RA can be predicted and ultimately prevented. This is a particularly exciting time for those of us who have been working in this area, as the possibility of finding ways to prevent progressive lifelong autoimmune diseases such as RA is now truly "within our reach".

Aside from my research, I have held a number of administrative positions at the University of Manitoba, and have worked with CIHR and other research institutions, health charities, and professional health organizations.

I hope that you will enjoy this edition of our newsletter, and I encourage you to continue to submit any questions or comments to imha.iala.cihr.irsc@utoronto.ca, keeping in mind that the contact information for the Institute will be changing over the next number of months. In the meantime, I would be pleased to hear from you, and the IMHA staff will keep you up to date regarding the changes, both on the webpage and in IMHA On The Move!

In May, the CIHR-IMHA community recognizes a number of awareness events. May is Foot Health Awareness Month, Cystic Fibrosis Month, and National Physiotherapy Month. May also includes Spinal Health Week (May 21-27), North American Occupational Safety and Health Week (May 5-11), World Lupus Day (May 10), Canada Health Day (May 12), and Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome National Awareness Day (May 12).

Wishing you a productive and enjoyable spring!

Sincerely,

Hani El-Gabalawy MD FRCPC
Scientific Director
CIHR Institute of Musculoskeletal Health and Arthritis

Funding Opportunities

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

Operating Grant: Collaborative Health Research Projects (NSERC Partnered)
Letter of Intent due: May 15, 2013.

CIHR Café Scientifique Program
Application Deadline: May 24, 2013.

Spring 2013 Priority Announcement

Application Deadline: June 17, 2013

Update on the Inflammation in Chronic Disease Signature Initiative

The Team Grant: Health Challenges in Chronic Inflammation Initiative LOI decisions can now be found on the CIHR website.

New CIHR Chairs in Gender, Work and Health

In all, CIHR has awarded nine new research chairs in Gender, Work and Health. The Gender, Work and Health Chair opportunity was launched by the CIHR Institute of Gender and Health in partnership with the CIHR Institute of Musculoskeletal Health and Arthritis, the CIHR Institute of Population and Public Health, the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety and the Institut de recherche Robert-Sauvé en santé et en sécurité du travail.

The specific objectives of the Gender, Work and Health Chair Program are:

  • To support leading researchers to develop their programs of research in gender, work and health.
  • To build capacity for research on work and health that accounts for gender and sex.
  • To foster the translation of that research into gender- and sex-sensitive policies and interventions that improve workers' health.

The overall value of this investment is $7.2 million, with each chair valued at $800,000 over five years. A unique feature of this Chair Program is a knowledge translation (KT) partnership with the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS), a not-for-profit federal department corporation mandated to promote the total well-being of working Canadians. CCOHS will be the official KT Partner for the Gender, Work and Health Chairs. Using web-based technology and their extensive network, CCOHS will expand the reach and impact of the Chairs’ work.

Read full list of awardees and their project abstracts

Good News Story

Gender in measurement and rehabilitation of musculoskeletal work disability

Congratulations to Dr. Joy MacDermid of McMaster University, Hamilton, who was awarded a CIHR Chair for her work on gender in measurement and rehabilitation of musculoskeletal work and disability.

“Problems with bones, muscles, joints and other tissues that make up our musculoskeletal system can make work difficult and affect our overall health. These problems manifest themselves differently in women and men, and we are not sure if this is because of biological or social differences – or a combination of these factors. My research program will answer questions about how men and women differ in the development of and recovery from musculoskeletal health problems. In addition to training a new generation of researchers, I will develop new research teams and tools for measuring symptoms and work problems, determine how differences in work tasks and environments affect men and women, and develop strategies for care to be more sensitive to these differences.”

Additional information

Musculoskeletal rehabilitation is one of the 6 CIHR-IMHA foci; it is good news that Dr. MacDermid holds a CIHR Chair in this important research area.

Did you know?

Lupus represents a collection of autoimmune diseases, in which the human immune system becomes hyperactive and attacks normal, healthy tissues from many different body systems, including joints, skin, kidneys, heart, and lungs. Almost everyone with Lupus has joint pain and swelling, and according to some estimates over 1/1000 Canadian men, women and children are living with the disease. Since 2000, CIHR has funded $24.2 million dollars on research related to Lupus, including expenditures going towards operating grants, team grants, and training awards.

In the video, Lupus and Preventing Heart Attacks and Strokes, Dr. John Esdaile, Scientific Director of the Arthritis Research Centre, and IMHA advisory board member, explains why there is an increased risk of heart attacks and strokes in lupus patients by summarizing over two decades of research.

Partner Corner

Show Me The Evidence

The fourth issue of Show me the Evidence is now available on the CIHR website. Show me the Evidence provides details of how and where findings by CIHR-supported researchers are being used. Each issue focuses on research priorities outlined in CIHR’s strategic plan, Health Research Roadmap: Creating innovative research for better health and health care. This issue of Show me the Evidence focuses on health research that aims to reduce health inequities.

Cochrane Corner

Thursdays in June Webinar Series

Cochrane 101: an Introduction to The Cochrane Collaboration
6 June 2013, 12 - 1 PM EDT (Toronto); conducted in English

Who was Cochrane? What is the Collaboration? And what are systematic reviews? Come learn about an international network that helps healthcare providers, policy-makers, patients, their advocates, and care-givers make well-informed decisions about health and health care!

The Steps of a Cochrane Review: An Overview
13 June 2013, 12 - 1 PM EDT (Toronto); conducted in English

What makes Cochrane Reviews different from other systematic reviews? Who – and what – is involved in the process?

Let's Start at the Very Beginning: Getting the Question Right for Your Cochrane Review
20 June 2013, 12 - 1 PM EDT (Toronto); conducted in English

A strong, clear question gives your Cochrane Review the foundation it needs: it informs your search strategy, narrows your focus, and provides the framework for your team’s work. Join us to learn what sorts of questions are answered in Cochrane Reviews. We’ll cover the key components of a good research question and we’ll work through sample questions: you’re invited to share your research topic as an example!

Meetings of Interest

Canadian Physiotherapy Association Congress
May 23-26, 2013
Montreal, QC

Canadian Association of Occupational Therapists Annual Meeting
May 29-June 1, 2013
Victoria, BC

Canadian Connective Tissue Conference
May 29-June 1, 2013
Montreal, QC

Canadian Orthopaedic Association Annual Meeting
June 20-22, 2013
Winnipeg, MB

Canadian Dermatology Association 88th Annual Conference
June 27-30, 2013
Quebec, QC

Update on Psoriatic Arthritis
July 11, 2013
Toronto, ON

21st Cochrane Colloquium
September 19-23, 2013
Quebec, QC

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.iala.cihr.irsc@utoronto.ca

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