INMD Connections – June 2013

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Message from Philip Sherman, INMD Scientific Director


Photo: INMD IAB members and staff (from left): Doug Manuel, Bill Paterson, Steve James, Keeley Rose, Stephanie Atkinson, Rickey Yada, Loren Grossman, Bruce Verchere, Philip Sherman, Deirdre Freiheit, Marie-France Langlois, Paul Belanger, Amit Garg

The most recent Institute Advisory Board (IAB) meeting was held at the Univ. of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon last month. We received an extremely warm welcome from the university community, particularly Drs. Karen Chad, Vice President-Research, Jim Thornhill, Acting Associate Vice-President Research, and meeting observer Ms. June Bold from the Saskatchewan Health Research Foundation. The opening Meet & Greet and Poster Session was well attended, and provided an exceptional opportunity for IAB members to interact with university researchers and trainees working in the INMD mandate areas.

IAB members were greatly impressed with a tour of the Canadian Light Source where staff work together with Canadian and international scientific communities to enhance expertise in synchrotron science and promote the utilization of synchrotron light. Drs. Josef Hormes, Executive Director, and Tomasz Wysokinski, Biomedical Imaging and Therapy Facility Staff Scientist, provided insight regarding just how the synchrotron has been successfully used to conduct impactful health research. For example, researchers have used the synchotron to image tissues and bones, study host defense mechanisms in cystic fibrosis, and conduct research into the pathobiology of chronic inflammatory bowel diseases.

The IAB was treated to a lecture presented by Dr. Roger Beachy, the Founding Executive Director and CEO of the Global Institute for Food Security, which is an innovative research partnership initiative between Potash Corp., the province, and the Univ. of Saskatchewan.

I wish to thank Dr. Karen Chad and her colleagues at the Univ. of Saskatchewan for providing such a warm welcome and contributing to the many unique components of this IAB meeting.

Best wishes for the summer season,

Philip M. Sherman, MD, FRCPC

Researcher Profile

Dr. Noreen Willows, PhD
2013 Recipient of the Centrum Foundation New Scientist Award
Associate Professor, University of Alberta

Dr. Noreen Willows is Associate Professor of Community Nutrition at the Univ. Alberta with a PhD in Human Nutrition from McGill Univ. Noreen is a Health Scholar with salary support from Alberta Innovates – Health Solutions to engage in Population Health Intervention Research to Enhance Community Food Security in First Nation Communities in Alberta. Dr. Willows is a nationally and internationally recognized researcher in Aboriginal nutrition and health, a critical area considering the high prevalence of chronic disease in this population group. Dr. Willows’ career path as a researcher in Aboriginal nutrition has taken her from clinical and epidemiological research about infant childhood anemia and obesity, through community-based health assessment, and now to population intervention research to prevent food insecurity, obesity and type 2 diabetes mellitus at the community level. In June 2013, Noreen received the Centrum Foundation New Scientist Award in recognition of outstanding research in nutrition at the Canadian Nutrition Society annual meeting held in Quebec City.

Café Scientifique: Sports Nutrition and Health

Photo: From left: Richard Chouinard, Annie Motard-Bélanger, vicky Drapeau, Pierre Harvey, Benoît Lamarche

On May 31, 2013 a successful Café Scientifique was held in Québec City, in conjunction with the annual meeting of the Canadian Nutrition Society. The objective of the Café was to discuss key issues related to sports nutrition, with an emphasis on health. The Café, which was held in French, attracted about 70 participants of various ages, and provided ample opportunity to ask questions to an expert panel with superb expertise in sports nutrition.

Vicky Drapeau, RD PhD (Laval Univ.) and Annie Motard-Bélanger, RD MSc (Dairy Farmers of Canada) responded to nutrition-specific questions. Richard Chouinard (Laval Univ.), a world class ultra-marathoner in the 1970’s and 80’s and now a renowned coach and author, and Pierre Harvey, a multi summer and winter games Olympian, Chevalier de l’Ordre national du Québec and one the greatest athletes in the history of sports in Canada, provided their expertise and perspectives on training, nutrition, and health.

Congratulations to Benoît Lamarche (Laval Univ.), for organizing and moderating this successful and lively Café.

Partnerships Supporting Gastroenterology Research

INMD is pleased to announce an upcoming launch that supports gastroenterology (GI) research, including inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), in Canada. This relates to a long-standing partnership with the Canadian Association of Gastroenterology (CAG) and its partners, Abbvie Canada, Aptalis Pharma, the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of Canada, Pentax Medical, Takeda Canada, and Ferring Pharmaceuticals. Relevant applicants to the CIHR fall Open Fellowship, New Investigator Salary Award, and Open Operating Grant competitions will have the opportunity to simultaneously apply to the following partnered Priority Announcement funding opportunities:

  1. IBD Fellowships - supported by Abbvie, CCFC, Ferring, CAG, and INMD
  2. IBD New Investigator Award - supported by CCFC, CAG, and INMD
  3. IBD Operating Grant - supported by Abbvie, CAG, and INMD
  4. Gastroenterology Fellowships - supported by Aptalis, Pentax, Takeda, CAG, and INMD

CIHR Funding Announcements!

The following upcoming INMD funding opportunities will be launched as part of the CIHR fall 2013 competitions:

Operating Grant Priority Announcements:

  1. INMD Mandate Bridge Funding
  2. INMD Start-Up Funds (New Investigator, Assistant Professor, Clinician Scientist)
  3. Bariatric Care (Bridge Funding) (OPB)

CAG IBD Operating Grant

Are you attending the Vascular 2013 Conference from October 17-20, 2013 in Montreal, Quebec?

INMD and the Institute of Circulatory and Respiratory Health (ICRH) are pleased to host a breakfast session for researchers on Friday, October 18, 2013.Presentations will outline INMD and ICRH Strategic Priorities and provide a preview of forthcoming CIHR funding opportunities, including SPOR and other Signature Initiatives. Space is limited, so please RSVP Denise Haggerty by August 15, 2013 if you are interested in attending.

PDGI 2013

10th Symposium on the Physiology and Diseases of the Digestive Tract
October 2-4, 2013
Estrimont Suites & Spa
Orford, Quebec

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