Canada s brain gain could well revert back to a brain drain, as Canadian researchers who are not funded adequately seek alternatives.

m. (feminine gravitatis) a quality of substance or depth m. (feminine gravitatis) caractère de ce qui a de l importance Association of Faculties of Medicine of Canada L Association des facultés de médecine du Canada As with most budgets, the recent budget set down by the Government of Canada has not satisfied everyone. Of particular importance to AFMC, investments in human capital to support and expand Canada s critical and transformative research and development activities did not fair terribly well, or measure up to our needs, or to what other countries are doing. Important contributions were made to Canada Health Infoway and the Canada Foundation for Innovation, and nearly $3 Billion were allocated to physical infrastructure. se are valuable contributions, but alone, are not enough. It is virtually inevitable that the cuts made to the budgets of the Canadian Institutes for Health Research, the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council and the National Science and Engineering Research Council, made in the name of administrative Volume 2 N o.1 March/mars 2009 Reflections Nick Busing, President & CEO 2 Patient-Oriented Research Strategy Paul Hébert Framing Impact Hope for Change Catharine Whiteside efficiencies, will translate into fewer scientists receiving grants than in recent past. This will be a real blow, as current success rates are already at an all time low. Canada s brain gain could well revert back to a brain drain, as Canadian researchers who are not funded adequately seek alternatives. Canada s health research community is doing much good work to ensure it provides significant value to Canadians; for example, the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences Return on Investments in Health Research report that has just been released, and collective work of many stakeholders to improve the efficiencies of our Health Research Ethics Board system (as mentioned in Dr. Penny Moody-Corbett s editorial in this newsletter). We can apply these findings and recommendations to our existing scientific community, but these developments will not help our primary 5 Budget 2009: Lost oppportunity? Irving Gold Building Advantages for Canada through S&T Advice Howard Alper challenge of building world-class research capacity that will ultimately benefit both the economic and health status of our country. AFMC is working closely with 6 other partners (ACAHO, BioteCanada, Rx and D, Health Charities Coalition of Canada, MEDEC and Research Canada) to convince our government that building our research infrastructure and making targeted investments in research are strategies that must compliment, but not replace, investments in programs that directly support career and clinician scientists. We need robust clinical and applied health research programs with adequate salary support to bring our research to the marketplace and to remain competitive. CIHR needs significantly more funding to allow us to not only move forward, but simply to keep up. entire scientific community in Canada should rally to this important and unfortunately overlooked need. WWW.AFMC.CA 265, avenue Carling Avenue, Suite/pièce 800, Ottawa, Ontario K1S 2E1 Tel/Tél. : (613) 730 0687 Fax/Téléc. : (613) 730 1196 6 7 Developing Data on Research Careers in Canada Steve Slade Ground Rules for Ethics in Health Research Penny Moody-Corbett

Association of Faculties of Medicine of Canada L'Association des facultés de médecine du Canada President & Chief Executive Officer/ Président directeur général Nick Busing (nbusing@afmc.ca) VP, Government Relations and External Affairs/ Vice-président, Relations gouvernementales et affaires externes Irving Gold (igold@afmc.ca) VP, Research and Analysis CAPER-ORIS/ Vice-président, Recherche et analyse CAPER-ORI Steve Slade (sslade@afmc.ca) VP, Education and Special Projects/ Vice-présidente, Éducation et projets spéciaux Susan Maskill (smaskill@afmc.ca) AFMC Executive Committee/ Comité Exécutif de l AFMC Chair/Président Harold Cook, Dalhousie University Past Chair/Président sortant Gavin Stuart, University of British Columbia Chair-elect & Treasurer/Président désigné et trésorièr James Rourke, Memorial University of Newfoundland Members-at-large/Membres Thomas Feasby, University of Calgary Réjean Hébert, Université de Sherbrooke Jean Rouleau, Université de Montréal Catharine Whiteside, University of Toronto Committee on Accreditation of Canadian Medical Schools (CACMS)/ Comité d agrément des facultés de médecine du Canada (CAFMC) Chair/Président Abraham Fuks, McGill University Secretary/Secrétaire Nick Busing, AFMC Assistant Secretary Linda Peterson, University of British Columbia Committee on Accreditation of Continuing Medical Education (CACME)/ Comité d agrément de l éducation médicale continue (CAÉMC) Chair/Président Richard Handfield-Jones, University of Ottawa Secretary/Secrétaire Nick Busing, AFMC Canadian Post-M.D. Education Registry (CAPER)/ Système informatisé sur les stagiaires post-m.d. en formation clinique Chair/Présidente Kristin Sivertz, University of British Columbia VP, Research and Analysis CAPER/ORIS/ Vice-président, Recherche et analyse CAPER-ORI Steve Slade (sslade@afmc.ca) Editor/Éditeur: Irving Gold Managing Editor/Coordonnatrice: Natalie Russ ISSN: 1913-9616 WWW.AFMC.CA Guest Editorial Patient-Oriented Research Strategy Paul Hébert, Executive Director, Patient-Oriented Research Strategy Canadian Institutes of Health Research Investments in health care innovation through health research help improve health outcomes, as well as strengthen our international competitiveness and productivity. This is why the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) has initiated a major initiative in Patient-Oriented Research to help transform our health care system into an evidencebased and research-driven system. Research involving patients helps us fully understand the risks and benefits of drugs and other treatments, determine how best to diagnose and monitor patients, as well as advise patients about expected outcomes. Through this initiative, CIHR will foster a shift in culture to a knowledge-based health care system and accelerate the uptake of research findings for the benefit of Canadians. We believe that this is essential if we are to fully realize the benefits of some of our investments in health research. initiative on Patient-Oriented Research is a key priority of CIHR s President, Dr. Alain Beaudet. It expands and enriches upon the organization s previous Clinical Research Initiative. What do we mean by patient-oriented research? We use the phrase to remind ourselves that we are working to help patients real people who are looking to our health system for the best possible care or treatment. Our goal is simple: to support research that will focus on health outcomes, and improve patient care while reducing health care costs. Additionally, through the initiative on Patient- Oriented Research we plan on addressing the following challenges and opportunities: Improving patient care through the rigorous evaluation of new and existing health interventions; Developing clinical research programs in areas of greatest need, including primary care and mental health; Filling key gaps in Canada s research infrastructure and human resources (research capacity); Breaking down barriers to implementing and executing world class academic and industry-based patient-oriented research; Capitalizing on Canada s existing strengths in patient and system-based research, including our universal health system, our superb administrative databases, and our expertise in systematic reviews; Implementing changes and strategies that facilitate integration between translational, clinical and health services research; Providing advice on how to maintain the highest international ethical standards while improving patient-centered research; and Helping CIHR stay abreast of new international trends and opportunities for growth. We have already taken important steps to realizing the new initiative. Foremost among these has been consultation: we have constituted a President s Advisory Board, comprising experts from across the country who represent critical stakeholder groups. Board has already had its first meeting, and has provided us with strategic advice toward the creation and implementation of a plan. An early draft of the strategy s plan has been created, and is under review by the board. Once a reasonable draft is prepared, we will be going across Canada seeking input, consultation, and advice from the stakeholders. We expect the stakeholder consultation phase to begin in July this year, and look forward to hearing your opinions. President says, re is much work to do, but I can promise you that the Patient- Oriented Research initiative will be a flagship program for CIHR. It will foster a culture of inquiry at all levels of the health system by supporting people, infrastructure and programs devoted to leading-edge patientoriented research, with the aim of ultimately improving health outcomes. 2

Deanery Framing Impact Hope for Change Catharine Whiteside, Dean, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto On January 20, President Barack Obama filled our consciousness with the promise of change. He highlighted the importance of scientific research and already has enabled significant increase in funding for the NIH long awaited by our colleagues in the USA. AFMC is engaged in important advocacy strategies with national partners such as the Association of Canadian Academic Healthcare Organizations and Research Canada, focusing on enhanced funding of health and biomedical research in Canada aligned with the investments in Canada Research Chairs and new infrastructure via the Canada Foundation for Innovation. On January 20, the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences (CAHS) launched the report of its Assessment Panel on the Return on Investments in Health Research entitled: Making an Impact a Preferred Framework and Indicators to Measure Returns on Investment in Health Research. CAHS was founded in 200 as a non-profit organization composed of elected Fellows representing the full spectrum of health disciplines with the goal of providing expert, independent and timely assessments of issues relevant to the health of Canadians. This report represents the first full CAHS assessment conducted by a blue-ribbon international panel of experts chaired by Dr. Cy Frank from the University of Calgary. assessment was generously sponsored by the Canadian Health Services Research Foundation, CIHR, Canada s Research-Based Pharmaceutical Companies (Rx&D), the Public Health Agency of Canada and many national agencies and organizations including AFMC. prospectus was that greater investments in health research have come with increased expectations for returns and how best to capture returns. Extensive analysis of global methods to measure return on investment informed the panel that proposed a best framework and a menu of metrics that are practical but robust. panel chose the payback model framework that demonstrates how research activity informs decision-making that eventually results in changes in health, and economic and social prosperity. A similar framework was adapted by CIHR in 2005 and 2008 and the CAHS report highlights how the payback model with indicators and metrics can be used for each of Canada s four pillars of health research. Improved support for health and biomedical research will require both advocacy and evidence that our investigators and scientists are contributing to improved health of Canadians. convergence of the political events in the USA, the successful coalition of Canadian research leaders and a new framework for providing evidence about impact creates hope for change. full CAHS report can be found at: http://www.cahs.acss.ca/e/assessments/ completedprojects.php 2009 CCME Publishing Announcement May 2-6 (Edmonton) 2009 workshop and oral presentation abstracts will be published as a supplement to Medical Education! For more conference details, including new sessions added, go to mededconference.ca AFMC Standing Committee Chairpersons/ Présidents des comités permanents de l AFMC Continuing Medical Education/ Éducation médicale continue Michael Rosengarten Postgraduate Medical Education/ Enseignement médical postdoctoral Ira Ripstein, University of Manitoba Research and Graduate Studies/ Recherche et études supérieures Penny Moody-Corbett, Memorial University of Newfoundland (Acting Chair) Undergraduate Medical Education/ Enseignement médical prédoctoral Alan Neville, McMaster University AFMC Resource Groups/ Groups ressources de l AFMC Admissions and Student Affairs/ Admissions et affaires étudiantes Richard Hébert, University of Ottawa June Harris, Memorial University of Newfoundland Faculty Development/ Formation du corps professoral Danielle Blouin, Queen s University Finance and Administrative Affairs/ Finances et affaires administratives Johanne Miller, McGill University Francophone Minority Communities in Canada/ Les communautés francophones minoritaires du Canada Aurel Schofield, Université de Sherbrooke Equity, Diversity and Gender (EDG)/ Équité, la diversité et le genre (ÉDG) Nahid Azad, University of Ottawa Lori Charvat, University of British Columbia Global Health/ Santé à l échelle mondiale Timothy Brewer, McGill University Institutional Advancement/ Développement institutionnel Michèle Joanisse, McGill University Hélène Véronneau, Université de Montréal Libraries/Bibliothèques Patrick Ellis, Dalhousie University Medical Informatics/ Informatique médicale Rachel Ellaway, Northern Ontario School of Medicine Physician Health and Well-being/Santé et mieux-être des médecins Derek Puddester, University of Ottawa Professionalism/ Professionalisme Richard and Sylvia Cruess, McGill University Gravitas is the official publication of Association of Faculties of Medicine of Canada. It is published four times a year. Opinions expressed in this bulletin do not necessarily reflect the views of the Association. Contributions to Gravitas in either English or French are welcomed. Advertisements are also accepted. Gravitas is sent free of charge to members of the Association. Gravitas est l organe officiel de L Association des facultés de médecine du Canada et paraît quatre fois par an. Les opinions exprimées dans ce bulletin ne sont pas nécessairement celles de l Association. Les contributions à cette publication sont les bienvenues et peuvent être rédigées en français ou en anglais. Les annonces publicitaires sont également acceptées. 3

Association of Faculties of Medicine of Canada L'Association des facultés de médecine du Canada Budget 2009: Lost oppportunity? Irving Gold, Vice President, Government Relations and External Affairs current global economic crisis has become the backdrop against which virtually all public policy is occurring. Governments all over the globe are enacting legislation and implementing budgets meant to provide much-needed economic stimulus, and Canada is no exception. Budget 2009 was crafted in a doubly difficult period for this government, as it faced not only the economic crisis, but also a domestic crisis in the form of serious and broad-based challenges to its legitimacy. For those of us in the business of influencing public policy in favour of investments in science, research and development, and innovation, the lead-up to budget 2009 presented challenges and opportunities. main challenges stemmed from the realization that the Federal Government would be under great pressure to present a budget that was fiscally responsible. It was widely expected that the budget would be a deficit budget, the first in years, but it was also understood that there would be an effort to present the impression of fiscal prudence. reality that investments in science, research and innovation could fall victim to these pressures was not lost on many. re was also an opportunity, however. Many of us, myself included, thought that the government might well fight the temptation to under-fund research and follow the lead of the United States, France, and other countries by making large investments in science to strengthen our position in the new global knowledge-based ecomony. AFMC, along with other organizations, made our case to anyone who would listen that investments in science and technology would translate into increased economic activity, innovation, employment, and most importantly, situate Canada as a global leader in science and create a more resilient country that could withstand economic crises such as this in the future. Unfortunately, Budget 2009 did not realize those opportunities as we had hoped. Investments in infrastructure were contained in the budget, but CIHR, SSHRC and NSERC actually saw a collective reduction in their operating budgets. Genome Canada fared no better. Canada missed the opportunity to flag research as one of the solutions to Canada s economic challenges and this will have significant implications if, as a community, we are unable to convince the government to address the situation. Budget 2009 was clearly not an easy budget to create. Pressure was on the government from all quarters and the Canadian population had great expectations. Recognizing this, it is clear that we need to turn our collective attention to Budget 2010. We will need to do more than convince the government that investments in science are in the nation s best interest we need to convince Canadians of this as well. We know that the public values research, but we have not turned that public opinion into political pressure effectively. Our challenge in the coming months will be to add the voices of everyday Canadians to ours so that the government is compelled to bolster investments in this important area, and to reassure them that this bold move will be met with support from the public. Réflexions Nick Busing, Président-directeur général Comme pour la majorité des budgets, le récent budget déposé par le gouvernement du Canada n a pas satisfait tout le monde. Parmi les points particulièrement importants pour l AFMC, on a constaté que les investissements en capital humain visant à appuyer et à élargir les activités de recherche et de développement critiques et transformatrices n ont pas été à la hauteur et ne correspondaient pas à nos besoins ou à ce qui se faisait dans les autres pays. D importantes contributions ont été versées à l Inforoute Santé du Canada et à la Fondation canadienne pour l innovation et près de 3 milliards de dollars ont été affectés à l infrastructure matérielle. Bien que valables, ces seules contributions ne sont pas suffisantes. Il est pour ainsi dire inévitable que les coupures faites au nom de l efficacité administrative dans les budgets des Instituts de recherche en santé du Canada, du Conseil de recherches en sciences humaines et du Conseil de recherches en sciences naturelles et en génie du Canada, se traduiront par une diminution du nombre de chercheurs bénéficiant de subventions par rapport à ce que nous avons connu récemment. Il s agira d un dur coup car les taux de succès actuels connaissaient déjà un creux sans précédent. Le Canada pourrait connaître un exode des cerveaux alors que les chercheurs canadiens qui ne bénéficient pas d un financement suffisant examinent les options qui s offrent à eux. Le milieu de la recherche en santé au Canada déploie tous les efforts possibles pour offrir encore davantage aux Canadiens. Pensons au rapport sur le rendement des investissements consentis en recherche en santé publié récemment par l Académie canadienne des sciences de la santé et au travail collectif de plusieurs intervenants afin d accroître les gains du système lié à notre Comité d éthique de la recherche en santé (tel que mentionné dans l éditorial de la D re Penny Moody-Corbett paru dans le présent bulletin). Nous pouvons appliquer ces résultats et ces recommandations à notre milieu scientifique actuel, mais ces développements ne nous aideront pas à relever notre principal défi, soit mettre sur pied une capacité de recherche de renommée internationale qui profitera à la fois à l économie de notre pays et à la santé de sa population. L AFMC travaille en étroite collaboration avec six autres partenaires (ACISU, BioteCanada, Rx & D, la Coalition canadienne des organismes bénévoles en santé, MEDEC et Recherche Canada) afin de convaincre notre gouvernement que le fait de bâtir notre infrastructure de recherche et d effectuer des investissements ciblés en recherche sont des stratégies qui doivent compléter et non remplacer les investissements dans des programmes qui appuient directement les chercheurs de carrière et les cliniciens-chercheurs. Nous avons besoin de solides programmes de recherche clinique et de sciences appliquées dotés d une aide salariale appropriée afin de nous imposer sur le marché et demeurer concurrentiels. Les IRSC ont besoin d un financement encore plus grand pour nous permettre d une part d aller de l avant, et de l autre de demeurer à la hauteur. Le milieu scientifique canadien tout entier devrait se rallier derrière ce besoin important et malheureusement négligé.

Commentary Building Advantages for Canada through S&T Advice Howard Alper, Chair, Science, Technology and Innovation Council Appointments, awards and honours from Canada s faculties of medicine / Nominations, prix et honneurs décernés par les facultés de médecine canadiennes foundation of Canada s science, technology and innovation system is a robust and focused research enterprise. This is particularly important in Canada s health system, where our researchers are accelerating the pace of discovery, and engaging in knowledge translation to improve the health of Canadians. Scientific and technological innovations not only can provide solutions to world health issues and other important challenges, but they can also generate wealth to support our economy, which is critical in the current economic environment. Government of Canada, through its Science and Technology Strategy, is focusing its attention on strategic areas of research and innovation including health and life sciences research. Canada s Science, Technology and Innovation Council (STIC) is making a meaningful contribution in this respect. We provide independent, objective and expert advice to government, in a nimble fashion, on issues affecting science, technology and innovation. STIC s mandate is to give advice on science and technology issues, identified by the government, and to produce regular reports that benchmark Canada s S&T performance against global standards. Council members are well-respected Canadian leaders in their fields with a broad range of experience. Our membership includes four university researchers (three of whom hold Canada Research Chairs), four university and college presidents, and seven corporate leaders. Three senior representatives from government round out the council and make a valuable contribution by helping members understand the federal policy-making environment as we form advice on key issues. Since the council began its operations in October 2007, we have provided advice to the Government of Canada, through the Minister of Industry, on a range of S&T matters. For example, in September 2008, we recommended where Canada can focus its research excellence by identifying sub-priorities in the four research priorities set out in Canada s S&T Strategy. sub-priorities were accepted, and will assist government, including research agencies such as CIHR, in serving as a springboard to accelerated development in areas including regenerative medicine, neuroscience, health in an aging population as well as biomedical engineering and medical technologies. government also accepted STIC s advice on shaping two new initiatives the Vanier (Canada Graduate) Scholarships and the Canada Global Excellence Research Chairs programs, which will help Canadian universities attract and retain the world s best researchers. We recently provided advice on three other issues identified by government: enhancing research and development in industry; using government procurement to stimulate business innovation; and creating an international S & T strategy to benefit Canadians. In addition, this spring, the Council will bring forward its first state-of-the nation report, informing Canadians about our outcomes/accomplishments in STI relative to other nations. STIC is looking forward to its continued work with government to strengthen Canada s science, technology, and innovation capabilities. For more information on the STIC, please visit our web site at www.stic-csti.ca Queen s University at Kingston New Faculty Appointments: Jorge L. Martinez-Cajas, Medicine- Infectious Diseases and Christine M. Armour, Paediatrics Albert Y. Jin has received a Faculty appointment in the Neurology division. Dr. Iain D. Young has been appointed Vice-Dean Academic, Faculty of Health Sciences University of Toronto Michael Baker of Medicine and Paul Garfinkel of Psychiatry have been appointed to the Order of Canada. Professor Anthony Graham of Medicine is the recipient of the Heart of Gold Award of the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Ontario. award is given to honour volunteers who have demonstrated loyalty and service to the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Ontario through contributions of time, talent, material and ongoing financial resource support. Professor Emeritus Joseph Schatzker, Department of Surgery and Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, was named to the Order of Canada. He is known internationally for his expertise in trauma and fracture management. University of Western Ontario Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry Dean Carol Herbert has been named chair of the Canadian Medical Hall of Fame Board of Directors. University of British Columbia Max Cynader and Ross Petty have been appointed to the Order of Canada, the country s highest civilian honor for lifetime achievement. 5

Association of Faculties of Medicine of Canada L'Association des facultés de médecine du Canada Articles of Interest Visit the AFMC website for links to these journal articles at www.afmc.ca/news-articles-e.php Issues in the Mentor-Mentee Relationship in Academic Medicine: A Qualitative Study Sharon E. Straus, University of Toronto; Fatima Chatur, University of Calgary; and Mark Taylor, Alberta Heritage Foundation for Medical Research Academic Medicine January 2009 Evolving Curriculum Design: A Novel Framework for Continuous, Timely, and Relevant Curriculum Adaptation in Faculty Development Susan Janet Lieff, University of Toronto Academic Medicine January 2009 Right Time to Rethink Part-Time Careers Valerie A. Palda and Wendy Levinson, University of Toronto Academic Medicine January 2009 Recruiting medical students to rural practices: Perspectives for medical students and rural recruiters Leah Jutzi, Kelly Vogt, Erin Drever, and Jeff Nisker, University of Western Ontario, Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry Canadian Family Physician January 2009 Congratulations to our award winners / Félicitations à nos récipiendaires AFMC Young Educators Award/ Le Prix AFMC des jeunes éducateurs Dr. Nancy Dudek, University of Ottawa AFMC May Cohen Gender Equity Award/Le Prix AFMC May Cohen pour l léquité entre les sexes Dr. Wilfreda Thurston, University of Calgary Dr. Sarita Verma, University of Toronto AFMC Award for Outstanding Contribution to Faculty Development in Canada/Le Prix AFMC pour contribution exceptionnelle au perfectionnement du corps professoral au Canada Dr. Ivan Silver, University of Toronto AFMC John Ruedy Award for Innovation in Medical Education/Le Prix AFMC John Ruedy pour l innovation en enseignement médicale Dr. Chi-Ming Chow, University of Toronto Developing Data on Research Careers in Canada Steve Slade, Vice President, Research and Analysis CAPER-ORIS, AFMC It s remarkable what the numbers tell us about health research in Canada. According to Statistics Canada, R&D spending in the health field increased from $5,168 Million in 2003 to $6,311 Million in 2007. About 60% of health research was carried out by the higher education sector in 2003. This figure grew to 65% by 2007. Furthermore, the health education sector accounted for 86% of total growth in health research funding between 2003 and 2007. In relative terms, total R&D spending dropped from 2.0% of GDP in 2003 to 1.88% in 2007. Total health R&D spending dropped from 0.3% of GDP in 2003 to 0.1% in 2007. However, health R&D performed by the higher education sector remained relatively stable at about 0.26% of GDP in 2003 and 2007. re are other interesting facts and figures. Based on AFMC data, faculties of medicine reported $2,25 Million in biomedical and health related research funding in 2003/0. This figure grew to $2,506 Million in 2006/07, an 11% increase over three years. Compared to Statistics Canada figures, faculties of medicine accounted for an estimated 73% of higher education s total $3,087 Million R&D performance in 2003/0. However, in 2006/07 faculties of medicine accounted for an estimated 6% of the higher education sectors $3,893 Million R&D performance. Over the three year period 2003/0-2006/07, faculties of medicine account for a decreasing amount of R&D dollars within the higher education sector. faculty of medicine research revenue trend is particularly important when we think about the people who make their careers in research. At present, we do not have solid data on health researchers in Canada (more on that in a moment). AFMC data shows that the number of MSc and PhD degrees awarded by faculties of medicine increased 13% between 2003/0 and 2006/07, slightly more than the growth in research revenues. During the same time period enrolment in faculty of medicine MSc, PhD and post-doctoral studies increased 1%. Looking a little further back, enrolment in advanced degree programs has increased % since 1997/98. It is uncertain if these data are a reasonable proxy of how Canada s health research workforce is growing. However, it is not unreasonable to ask how well our research funding infrastructure supports the careers of health researchers. AFMC has started to tackle this very question. Since last November, AFMC has worked in partnership with CIHR, ACAHO and the University of Montreal to flesh out a data development plan for research careers in Canada. Research questions, work plan, budget and data collection instruments have been drafted. An effort to secure project funding is underway. aim is to conduct a pilot study before the summer of 2009, followed by a full-scale survey of all biomedical and health related researchers by the end of the year. This new data development initiative promises to address key questions about research careers in Canada. For example, how do investigators distribute their time across research, teaching, administrative and other activities? What percentage of researchers hold grants that support their personal income? What is the average end date for current research funding? What other types of income do researchers rely on? This study will provide new insight on the adequacy of current research funding programs and Canada s ability to recruit and retain research talent. Please watch for future results from this study, and do not hesitate to contact me if you d like to know more about the project. 6

Ground Rules for Ethics in Health Research Penny Moody-Corbett, Associate Dean, Research and Graduate Studies, Faculty of Medicine, Memorial University of Newfoundland translation of research results into improved health and effective health products and services is dependent upon, among other things, the proper care and use of research subjects (animal and human). In Canada the national granting councils have played a leadership role in establishing guidelines for the proper care and handling of animals in research through the establishment of the Canadian Council on Animal Care (CCAC). Institutional animal care committees oversee best practices for use of animals in research and participate in regular assessments by CCAC. A similar system for the oversight of human participants in research is less clear and one might become confused by the number of committees currently involved in discussion of this topic. New Staff Announcement Dr. Nick Busing, President and CEO of the Association of Faculties of Medicine of Canada, is pleased to announce the appointment of Kathryn Crabbe to the position of Project Associate, replacing Yannick Fortin. Kathryn brings a wealth of experience and knowledge to AFMC. Most recently, Kathryn worked as the project manager and data analyst on the CIHR-funded projects Continuity of Care in Palliative Services and Managing Transitions in Lung Cancer Care. Since 1995, Kathryn has worked in the health and social services field in service delivery, information management and technology, training, and research. Please join us in welcoming Kathryn to the team (yes..that s our 3rd Kathryn at AFMC)! guiding principles for conducting human research in Canada were established by CIHR, NSERC and SSHRC in the Tri-Council Policy Statement (TCPS): Ethical Conduct for Research Involving Humans. Interagency Advisory Panel on Research Ethics is responsible for these guidelines and has completed a major revision of TCPS (http:// www.pre.ethics.gc.ca/english/index.cfm). Utilizing the TCPS guidelines the National Council on Ethics in Human Research (NCEHR) conducts site visits and provides guidance to the Research Ethics Boards (REBs) reviewing human research studies. In order to address concerns for more well established oversight of the REBs, similar to that conducted by CCAC, two additional committees have been meeting: the Sponsors Table for Human Research Participant Protection in Canada and the Canadian General Standards Board (CGSB) Committee on the National Standard of Canada for Research Ethics Boards Reviewing Clinical Trials. major focus of the Sponsors Table (http://www.hrppc-pphrc.ca/english/ sponsors.html) is to review the options for an accreditation system, including expenses and identification of the accrediting body. Experts Panel, established by the Sponsors Table, produced the report Moving Ahead which highlights the key issues that need to be addressed. In contrast, the CGSB committee s mandate is to develop standard operating procedures for REBs that review and approve protocols submitted as part of a clinical trial application under Health Canada regulations. outcome of this committee will be a voluntary national standard which will provide quality assurance for REBs reviewing clinical trials with the goal of improving efficiencies in the REB system across the country. Once the standard is developed and approved by the Standards Council of Canada it will be published by the National Standard of Canada and available for use. Given the major role faculty members in Canadian faculties of medicine play in research, it is essential that AFMC participates in discussions on the oversight of REBs and in the move towards a more formal accreditation system for ethics boards reviewing health research involving humans. 7

Association of Faculties of Medicine of Canada L'Association des facultés de médecine du Canada We have a new project website. Find out more about this project by visiting www.aiphe.ca ACCREDITATION OF INTERPROFESSIONAL HEALTH EDUCATION (AIPHE) is a partnership of eight national organizations that accredit prelicensure education for six health professions in Canada. goal of this collaboration is to create and support the use of core joint principles/ guidelines in formulating standards for interprofessional education. AGRÉMENT DE LA FORMATION INTERPROFESSIONNELLE EN SCIENCES DE LA SANTÉ (AFISS) s agit d un partenariat regroupant 8 organismes nationaux d agrément de la formation préalable à l obtention d un permis d exercice temporaire pour 6 professions de la santé au Canada. L objectif de cette collaboration est de créer des directives et principes fondamentaux conjoints et d appuyer leur utilisation dans la définition des normes de formation interprofessionnelle. Gravitas m. (feminine gravitatis) a quality of substance or depth m. (feminine gravitatis) caractère de ce qui a de l importance recent budget translate into fewer scientists receiving grants of building world-class research capacity that set down by the than in recent past. This will be a real blow, will ultimately benefit both the economic and Government of Canada as current success rates are already at an all health status of our country. has been found wanting by time low. many. Of particular importance to AFMC, AFMC is working closely with 6 other partners (ACAHO, BioteCanada, Rx and D, Health investments in human capital to support and Canada s brain gain could well revert back to expand Canada s critical and transformative a brain drain, as Canadian researchers who Charities Coalition of Canada, MEDEC and research and development activities did not are not funded adequately seek alternatives. Research Canada) to convince our government that while building our research infra- measure up to our needs, or to what other Canada s health research community is doing countries are doing. structure and making targeted investments in much good work to ensure it provides significant value to Canadians; for example, the but not replace, investments in programs that research are strategies that must compliment, Important contributions were made to Canada Health Infoway and the Canada Foundation for Canadian Academy of Health Sciences Return directly support career and clinician scientists. Innovation, and nearly $3 Billion were allocated to physical infrastructure. se are valu- has just been released, and collective work of research programs with adequate salary sup- on Investments in Health Research report that We need robust clinical and applied health able contributions, but they are not enough. It many stakeholders to improve the efficiencies port to bring our research to the marketplace is virtually inevitable that the cuts made to the of our Health Research Ethics Board system and to remain competitive. CIHR needs significantly more funding to allow us to not only budgets of the Canadian Institutes for Health (as mentioned in Dr. Penny Moody-Corbett s Research, the Social Sciences and Humanities editorial in this newsletter). We can apply move forward, but simply to keep up. Research Council and the National Science these findings and recommendations to our entire scientific community in Canada should and Engineering Research Council, made in existing scientific community, but these developments will not help our primary challenge looked rally to this important and unfortunately over- the name of administrative efficiencies, will need. Volume 2 No.1 March/mars 2009 Reflections Nick Busing, President & CEO 2 Patient-Oriented Research Strategy Paul Hébert Framing Impact Hope for Change Catharine Whiteside 5 Budget 2009: Lost oppportunity? Irving Gold Building Advantages for Canada Through S&T Advice Howard Alper Association of Faculties of Medicine of Canada L Association des facultés de médecine du Canada 6 7 Developing data on research careers in Canada Steve Slade Ground Rules for Ethics in Health Research Penny Moody-Corbett WWW.AFMC.CA 265, avenue Carling Avenue, Suite/pièce 800, Ottawa, Ontario K1S 2E1 Tel/Tél. : (613) 730 0687 Fax/Téléc. : (613) 730 1196 e-gravitas Subscribe today by emailing us at gravitas@afmc.ca