October 28, 2005 - Issue Ten
:: CFRI Announces Board Members The institute’s annual report was distributed at the meeting, and has since been mailed internally and externally. If you did not receive a copy, please contact Tobin Postma at tpostma@cw.bc.ca or 604-875-2000 ext. 5936. A PDF version of the annual report is also available on the CFRI website. 2005/06 Board Members are: Mr. Maurice Mourton (Chair) Ms. Helen Low (Vice Chair) Ms. Patricia Hanbury (Secretary-Treasurer) Dr. Don Brooks Ms. Sue Carruthers (by invitation) Dr. Diane Finegood Ms. Carol Gibson Dr. David Hardwick Ms. Lynne Kent Mr. Michael Marchbank (Alternates: Ms. Sharon Toohey/Dr. Liz Whynot) Dr. Gavin Stuart (Alternate: Dr. Alison Buchan) Dr. Ron Woznow Dr. Donald Rix (BCCHF rep) Dr. Stuart MacLeod (ex officio) For a list of the CFRI Board Executive Committee and Finance Committee see our website. |
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| :: Grants & Awards Philippe Chessex Awarded Proof of Principle Grant Congratulations to Dr. Philippe Chessex, investigator with the CFRI Nutrition research program, and Medical Director of the Newborn Care Program, and Division Head of Neonatology at BC Children’s Hospital, who was recently awarded a CIHR Proof of Principle Phase II grant. He will be working to develop a novel formulation of surfactant and vitamin A that can be administered intratracheally to extremely low birth weight (ELBW) infants.
Chronic lung disease is the most common cause of death and long-term disability of ELBW infants. Currently, premature babies that have respiratory disease are given surfactant intratracheally to reduce surface tension in the lungs, and keep the lungs from collapsing. 60-80% of ELBW infants are unable to produce surfactant in their lungs. These infants have also been found to have low levels of vitamin A, which further increases the risk of chronic lung disease. Some hospitals administer vitamin A because of its antioxidant properties, and its ability to stimulate lung development. However, such administration is usually through multiple intramuscular injections, and this method is extremely invasive. It is also not very efficient at improving lung function because of the lower absorption and availability rates of vitamin A when it is administered systemically. Studies done to date by Dr. Chessex show a significant increase in the availability of vitamin A when it is administered intratracheally in combination with surfactant. Dr. Chessex’s Proof of Principle grant is partially supported by industry partner BLES Biochemicals Inc. The Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) Proof of Principle Phase II (POP-II) grants fund proof of principle research projects of up to 12-months duration at the co-investment stage, in partnership with a non-academic investor. These funding opportunities are aimed at providing a platform to better enable researchers and academic institutions to develop new discoveries and inventions. Dr. Chessex worked with the University of British Columbia’s University-Industry Liaison Office (UILO) to put together the grant application. Stuart Turvey Publication is Science Editor’s ChoiceKudos to Dr. Stuart Turvey, investigator with the CFRI Infectious & Inflammatory Diseases research program, for having one of his publications picked as an 'Editor's Choice' in the September 16 issue of Science. Dr. Turvey recently arrived at CFRI; the highlighted research was performed when he was a postdoctoral fellow at Harvard, and was published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation. Not resting on his laurels, Dr. Turvey also recently secured funding from the New Investigator Program of the Sick Kid's Foundation. For a listing of grants and awards to members of the CFRI’s community for the period June 2005 to September 2005, see our Grants & Awards posting. |
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PHSA & CFRI Partner on MSFHR Trainee Awards The CFRI & the Provincial Health Services Authority have entered into a partnership with the Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research (MSFHR) to jointly support trainees applying to the MSFHR's next trainee award competition. The CFRI will jointly support one senior graduate student and one postdoctoral fellow and the PHSA will support one postdoctoral fellow. Specifics about the partnerships can be found at: http://www.msfhr.org/sub-partnerships-partnerships.asp. The intent to apply deadline is November 1, 2005, and the application deadline for this trainee competition is November 15, 2005. These funding arrangements are in addition to those already offered by the RI-CFRI Postdoctoral deadline on November 15th and CFRI Graduate Student deadline on January 18th. |
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| :: CFRI Members Elected to Canadian Academy of Health Sciences Congratulations to members of the CFRI community who have been elected as inaugural members of the newly established Canadian Academy of Health Sciences (CAHS): board member Dr. David Hardwick, Executive Director Dr. Stuart MacLeod, and investigators Dr. Judith Hall and Dr. Michael Hayden. CAHS held its inaugural meeting September 22 in Vancouver. The CAHS is one of the three founding academies of the Canadian Academies of Science. CAHS members are recognized nationally and internationally for their contributions to the promotion of health science and their leadership, creativity, distinctive competencies and commitment to the advancement of academic health sciences. The federal government created the academy as a future source of expert advice. |
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:: Kudos: Institute Investigators & Trainees Contribute to Those in Need Scientific discovery requires idealism, creativity, dedication, and hard work, as well as a desire to contribute to the well-being of others. At CFRI, these qualities are in abundance, and contribute to the institute’s outstanding research success. Institute investigators, trainees and staff also regularly extend themselves and their efforts in other areas, as evidenced by some recent fundraising endeavours. • Dr. David Speert, head of the CFRI Infectious & Inflammatory Diseases research program recently rode 3000 km to raise money for a former patient, Chris Adams, who has chronic granulomatous disease (CGD). Chris had to travel to Toronto to be assessed for a possible lung transplant, and funds raised by Dr. Speert supported travel and prolonged living expenses of Chris and his mother. Dr. Speert rode from Minneapolis to Maine in about one month, and raised almost $11,400 through the BC Lung Association SuperTeam initiative. A number of institute investigators and staff contributed to the cause. Lung transplantation for Chris has since been assessed to be too risky; however, there is evidence that bone marrow transplantation can reverse lung disease in CGD, and Chris is now under evaluation for possible bone marrow tranplantation. • The research institute and postdoctoral fellows Drs. Annette Plesner (Verchere lab) and Christina Tognon (Sorensen lab) were recently recognized by the Red Cross for raising almost $1500 for victims of the tsunami that hit Southeast Asia earlier this year. |
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The Child & Family Research Institute congratulates Ms. Lin Miada, Administrative Assistant, Research & Education Services, on the birth of her baby girl, Emily Chai, on October 11. Emily weighed in at 7 lbs. 2 oz. She is Lin’s and her husband’s second child. Lin will be on maternity leave for the year. In the meantime, her role will be taken over by Ms. Tessa Russel. Ms. Russel will be available to assist researchers with processing grant applications processing (incl. obtaining signatures), grant review/approval application forms, and research review committee procedures. Ms. Russel will work with Ms. Allison Rintoul, Director, Research & Education Services on several projects in conjunction with UBC over the next year, with the intention of improving the services offered at CFRI and to further streamline the processes between our institutions. Tessa's email address is trussel@cw.bc.ca and she can be reached at 604-875-2000, ext. 3103. Ms. Nathalie Pilkington, previously Communications Assistant, has moved to the CFRI Finance department, as Administrative Assistant. She can still be reached at npilkington@cw.bc.ca or 604-875-3194. Mr. Tobin Postma will be filling in for the Communications Assistant position, and is available to assist with general enquiries related to communications, including requests for newsletters and electronic stationery templates. He can be reached at tpostma@cw.bc.ca or 604-875-2000 ext. 5936. Ms. Mia Woerler has returned from maternity leave and has taken on a new role as Project Assistant with PHSA Academic Development. Her duties include support for the PEIF project, administrative support for the Clinical Research Support Unit and room bookings for CFRI. She can be reached at mwoerler@cw.bc.ca or 604-875-2000 ext. 5935. |
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Our apologies for the delay in sending out the October issue of Research Reporting Online. The next issue will be distributed in mid-November, and we’ll be back on schedule for the first week of December. If you have any comments or questions about RR Online, please feel free to contact CFRI Communications at communications@cfri.ca |
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MSFHR has joined the Canadian Common CV Network, a partnership of Canadian research funding organizations working to streamline processes for researchers to submit their curriculum vitae (CV). The Common CV is a web-based tool that allows researchers to manage their CV data in a single repository. Beginning this fall, MSFHR will require all award applicants to fill out the Common CV, and the MSFHR-specific screens, as part of completing funding applications. MSFHR is also piloting the development of a directory of health researchers and trainees in British Columbia, with the Common CV as its data source. BC residents who complete or update information on the Common CV will be invited to join the directory. |
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MSFHR Research Unit Program Offers Two New Awards Beginning with its 2005 competition, the Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research is expanding its Research Unit program. Besides a competition for established research teams (Research Unit Awards), the program will now offer two new team building awards: Team Planning Awards and Team Start-Up Awards. |
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• At its annual general meeting on September 23, the Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research (MSFHR) welcomed Dr. Simon Sutcliffe, President of the BC Cancer Agency, as its new Chair. Mr. Alistair Duncan will serve as Past Chair. Dr. Paul Terry was reappointed for a second term as Secretary-Treasurer. New Board members include Dr. Moura Quayle and Dr. David Dolphin. Other members are Dr. Judith Hall, Dr. Bill Hunter, Dr. Penny Ballem, Mr. Bill Barrable, Dr. Bruce Clayman, Ms. Natalie Dakers, Dr. Lorraine Greaves, Dr. Patricia Petryshen, Dr. S. Martin Taylor and Dr. Andrew Wilkinson. • The MSFHR Board has appointed Dr. Janet Werker as Chair of its Research Advisory Council. • Dr. Angela Todd will begin as new Senior Director, Infrastructure at MSFHR in December. Most recently, she was Director of Policy and Research for the Canadian Pharmacists Association in Ottawa. |
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Dr. John Hepburn Takes Over as New UBC VP Research Effective October 1, Dr. John Hepburn assumed the role of Vice President, Research at the University of British Columbia. Dr. Hepburn, a laser scientist, takes over from Acting Vice President, Research, David Dolphin. Dr. Hepburn has been a UBC faculty member since 2001, when he was appointed Head of Chemistry. He was appointed Dean of the Faculty of Science two years later. Dr. Hepburn received his BSc in Chemistry in 1976 from the University of Waterloo, and his PhD in 1980 from the University of Toronto, where his supervisor was Nobel prizewinner Dr. John Polanyi. Following a period as a NATO Fellow at the Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory at the University of California, Berkeley, Dr. Hepburn taught Chemistry and Physics at the University of Waterloo from 1982-2001, chairing the Chemistry Department for two years. |
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• CFRI Board member Dr. Alison Buchan has been named Sr. Associate Dean, Research, UBC. • Dr. Peter Suedfeld has been appointed the incoming Chair of the UBC Behaviour Ethics Board (BREB). He succeeds Dr. Jim Frankish, who was BREB Chair for three and half years. • The BREB Application Form and Guidance Notes have recently been updated, and the BREB office has requested that researchers use the newest versions. |
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