About IMHA

IMHA supports research to enhance active living, mobility and movement, and oral health; and addresses causes, prevention, screening, diagnosis, treatment, support systems, and palliation for a wide range of conditions related to bones, joints, muscles, connective tissue, skin and teeth.

To achieve its vision, IMHA focuses on three strategic research priorities:

• Physical activity, mobility and health
• Tissue injury, repair and replacement
• Pain, disability and chronic disease

Who we are

Vision

IMHA's vision is to sustain health and enhance quality of life by eradicating the pain, suffering and disability caused by arthritis, musculoskeletal, oral and skin conditions.

Mission

The Institute of Musculoskeletal Health and Arthritis enables the creation and translation of knowledge to improve musculoskeletal, skin, and oral health.

Guiding principles

IMHA:

• fosters a culture of inquiry and cooperation that will provide the integration of research across all pillars of IMHA and its foci;
• encourages cooperation as it strives to involve the participation of the stakeholders including related and other researchers, practitioners, governments, consumers and the public;
• embodies leadership to create new knowledge in all areas relevant to IMHA and to ensure results can be translated into improved health and quality of life;
• focuses outward to communicate and promote the value of IMHA and its research, researchers, people and vision to other researchers, partners and supporters of IMHA;
• promotes research excellence and integrity to build and sustain capacity across all pillars ofIMHA and its foci to build an international reputation for research excellence;
• stimulates and fosters innovation in research and its application within IMHA and with the other 12 Institutes of CIHR; and
• embodies the highest standard of honesty, integrity and ethics.

What we do

IMHA is the champion and primary funder of strategic initiatives 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.

MSK diseases and conditions represent approximately 29 per cent of all the world's chronic illnesses. According to a recent Public Health Agency of Canada report, more than 4.2 million Canadians aged 15 years or older were affected by arthritis in 2007-2008. In 2000, the economic burden of musculoskeletal diseases was the highest of any group of diseases, at $22.3 billion. 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 the age of 75.

Read facts & figures about IMHA's work and it impacts.