About IHDCYH

The CIHR Institute of Human Development, Child and Youth Health (IHDCYH) supports research that ensures the best start in life for all Canadians and the achievement of their potential for optimal growth and development. Through our support, researchers address a wide range of health concerns, including those associated with reproduction, early development, childhood, and adolescence.

There is a compelling need for an institute that is dedicated to human development and child and youth health. In Canada there are more than 5 million women of childbearing age, and their offspring will add to the 8 million children and youth in Canada that represent the future of our country.

The transition of the developing fetus through infancy, childhood, adolescence and eventually adulthood is influenced by multiple, complex factors. By facilitating partnerships and working to accelerate the transfer of new knowledge, IHDCYH addresses the causes of illness, its prevention, screening, diagnosis, treatment, short- and long-term support systems, and palliation for the benefit of Canadian mothers and their children.

Who we are

The best way to learn about who we are is to understand our vision for Canadians, our mission, and the values of our Institute.

Vision: To be recognized as an organization that creates knowledge, and facilitates its application, to ensure the best start in life and to optimize reproductive and child health, growth, and development.

Mission: To promote and support research that improves the health and development of mothers, infants, children, youth, and families in Canada and throughout the world.

Values and principles that guide our decisions, strategies and actions:

• Leadership
  Mobilize commitment and influence future research directions.
• Innovation
  Create an environment favourable to the emergence of new ideas, approaches and solutions.
• Excellence
  Support research, researchers and research trainees of the highest international standard.
• Transdisciplinarity
  Embrace the multiple disciplines required by IHDCYH's mission and research priorities; create research initiatives and projects that encourage transdisciplinary approaches.
• Ethics, integrity, and respect
  Be ethical, transparent, and respectful in all our actions and programs, and in all our relationships and dealings with researchers, partners, other stakeholders, children, youth, families, and communities.
• Knowledge translation
  Support knowledge exchange between investigators and users of research at all stages of the research cycle; support the application of research findings to improve health products, practices, services, behaviours, and policies.
• Capacity building and nurturing
  Attract, train and retain investigators in the domains of IHDCYH's mandate; build and strengthen links among researchers and within and across research communities; support research initiatives with strong career development potential.

What we do

As a life-cycle based Institute, IHDCYH has a broad mandate that covers defined time periods and a wide range of issues pertaining to human development: pre-conception; fertilization; embryonic and fetal development; the health of the mother; and child health and development.

IHDCYH supports and links researchers located in universities, hospitals and other research centers across Canada. In addition to supporting research development and capacity, IHDCYH also encourages partnerships and alliances, research transfer, and dissemination of research finding into policy.