2011 MSFHR Scholar and Trainee award recipients announced
MSFHR recently announced the outcome of our 2011 career investigator and research trainee award competitions. After a rigorous peer-review process, 95 outstanding researchers working in diverse fields of health research were selected to receive funding from more than 300 applicants. Thirty-two scholar awards will support researchers establishing or building research programs to address critical health-related issues. Awards to 63 trainees will provide three years of advanced research training to help prepare the next generation of scholars for BC universities and hospital-based research centres. A full list of MSFHR-funded scholars and trainees is available online.

This year, nine provincial and national organizations co-funded MSFHR's post-doctoral trainee awards. We gratefully acknowledge the support of AllerGen NCE, BC Cancer Foundation, BC Epilepsy Society, Breast Cancer Society of Canada, Crohn's and Colitis Foundation of Canada, NeuroDevNet NCE, Provincial Health Services Authority, Rick Hansen Institute, and Women's Health Research Institute. Read more about our partners.

10th annual general meeting and Board changes 
On Sept. 15, MSFHR held our 10th annual general meeting. Our thanks to outgoing Board members Mr. Bill Barrable, Mr. Alastair Duncan and Dr. Judith Hall, who were founding members of MSFHR's Board. At the Board meeting following the AGM, Ms. Sue Paish was appointed Board chair and Mr. Don Avison took on the role of vice-chair. Dr. Paul Terry continues as secretary-treasurer.

Left: Newly appointed MSFHR Board Chair Ms. Sue Paish thanks outgoing Chair Dr. Martin Taylor for his contributions.

Dr. Jeff Reading, professor, School of Public Health & Social Policy at the Faculty of Human & Social Development, University of Victoria, has been appointed vice-chair of the Research Advisory Council (RAC). Several new members were also appointed to RAC — Drs. Ronald G. Barr, Jennifer Gardy, Aziz Ghahary, Martha MacLeod, Margot Parkes, Ryan Rhodes and Ms. Victoria Schuckel.

To learn more, read about our Board of Directors and RAC members, and review a comprehensive report on last year's activities and our financial statements for the year ended March 31, 2011.

Evaluating primary and community care 
MSFHR is developing a monitoring, evaluation and learning system (MELS) in support of the integration of primary and community care (IPCC) throughout BC. IPCC is a partnership of the BC Ministry of Health, the health authorities, and the BC Medical Association that seeks to create a more sustainable health-care system that is also more effective, efficient, and that optimizes patient, family, and care provider experiences. The core elements of MELS will include a network of evaluators based in the health authorities, a data collection and reporting system, and a system for linking existing health system administrative data with data on the progress and effectiveness of integration initiatives. MSFHR is working with Population Data BC and other key partners to build the infrastructure that will support the evaluation of this system change initiative.

Ethics harmonization proposal under review
The BC Ethics Harmonization Initiative (BCEHI) is moving into its second stage of implementation with the goal of developing a coordinated provincial approach to the approval of health research studies requiring multiple research ethics board reviews. Following the recent completion of the project's first stage, a new proposal has been submitted to MSFHR outlining objectives for the next four years (2011 – 2015). This proposal, currently under review by an expert panel, represents the joint efforts of a consortium encompassing the four major research universities (UBC, SFU, UVic and UNBC) and those health authorities not covered under university affiliation agreements. These groups collectively conduct about 80 percent of human subject ethics reviews in BC.

The proposal aims to improve timeliness and efficiency of ethical review processes through facilitation of reciprocal agreements between BC institutions for the ethical review of health research. The long-term goal is to make BC a more attractive environment in which to do health research that involves multiple sites, regions and populations. Learn more about the BCEHI.

Report highlights value of MSFHR team awards 
A new MSFHR report analyzes the role of our team programs in building BC's capacity for excellent health research. Using data from 2008/09 and 2009/10 progress reports from award recipients, the analysis found MSFHR team awards make a unique contribution to health research capacity by funding shared resources that support team development and research collaboration. This support benefits grant applicants and research activities, which in turn contribute to the development, dissemination and application of research. Read the full report, or check out four feature stories profiling the work of our funded research teams.

Knowledge translation workshop sells out quickly, more events planned 
MSFHR continues to play an active role in providing knowledge translation skills training and resources for local researchers, health care professionals, and research users. Building on the success of May's Scientist Knowledge Translation Training (SKTT™) workshop, MSFHR recently co-sponsored a second SKTT event in partnership with Simon Fraser University's Faculty of Health Sciences and Fraser Health's Department of Evaluation & Research Services. The workshop, held Sept. 8 and 9 at SFU's Surrey campus, sold out quickly, demonstrating a clear appetite for further KT training opportunities. To meet this demand, MSFHR is currently working with the Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute to present another workshop this fall and is planning additional workshops in 2012. More information will be posted on MSFHR's website as it becomes available. Read more about MSFHR's KT activities.

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Former RAC member takes on two new roles 
Dr. Harvey Lui, a former MSFHR Research Advisory Council (RAC) member, has been elected secretary-general of the World Congress of Dermatology for a term beginning in 2015. Dr. Lui has also been elected to the board of the International League of Dermatologic Societies after being nominated by the Canadian Dermatology Association. He recently completed a four-year term on MSFHR's RAC, providing advice on research and program matters.

MSFHR Board member's new appointment 
Ms. Karimah Es Sabar has been appointed chair of the board of trustees of the Providence Health Care Research Institute. She brings to that board strong ties to the local and international research communities, as well as experience from a dynamic career in the life sciences industry. In addition to her Board role at MSFHR, Ms. Es Sabar currently serves as a senior vice-president at the Centre for Drug Research and Development, and sits on the board of the Vancouver Prostate Centre.

Scholar wins Virginia Greene Leadership Award 
Dr. David Huntsman, holder of an MSFHR Senior Scholar award, is the first recipient of Ovarian Cancer Canada's Virginia Greene Leadership Award. The award, presented Sept. 9, recognizes Dr. Huntsman for his landmark discoveries, which have significantly advanced our understanding of ovarian cancer and facilitated improvements in prevention, early detection, and customized treatments. Dr. Huntsman received scholar funding in 2002 and senior scholar funding in 2007 through MSFHR's Career Investigator Program and led the Genetic Pathology Evaluation Centre, funded by a 2004 MSFHR Research Unit award. He currently serves as director of OvCaRe, BC's ovarian cancer research project, which is supported in part by a 2007 MSFHR Research Unit award. Read more about Dr. Huntsman's award.

Trainee the first recipient of jointly funded fellowship 
Dr. Clement Mugabe, a 2008 MSFHR trainee, is the first recipient of a new post-doctoral fellowship jointly funded by MSFHR and Merck at the Centre for Drug Research and Development (CDRD). Dr. Mugabe will work with CDRD's drug delivery team to develop new formulations and delivery systems, contribute to collaborative research, and conduct studies in support of drug development projects. CDRD is a non-profit research centre, funded in part by MSFHR, created to transform therapeutically promising discoveries stemming from publicly-funded health research into viable investment opportunities for the private sector. Read more about Dr. Mugabe and the CDRD fellowship. 

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