Canadian MSK Rehab Research NetworkWe are pleased to share our latest MSK Rehab Research Network Newsletter.
It has been a busy spring and summer with several recent awards, funding successes and opportunities with our members.
Included in this newsletter:
Network News: Recent Awards and Funding Successes
IMHA Call for Patient Partners
Grant & Award Recipients
Upcoming Events & Past Highlights
Member Opportunities
…and much more!
IMHA is seeking to enhance the diversity of experiences within its PERA group to build a more inclusive representation of patients and caregivers who live with, or represent conditions, related to bones, joints, muscles, connective tissue, skin and teeth.
IMHA commits to authentically engage those who have historically been excluded from participating as research partners, by ensuring equity, diversity and inclusion are of central focus in our recruitment to PERA.
IMHA is seeking members who reflect the breadth of intersectionality of the community (e.g. geography, age, race, language, sex and gender, etc.).
Call for Members: https://cihr-irsc.gc.ca/e/53091.html
Congratulations goes to Network NPI, Dr. Joy MacDermid for receiving Western University’s prestigious Hellmuth Prize for Achievement in Research.
This award recognizes Dr. MacDermid’s innovation of patient-reported outcome measures to advance clinical practice and research, her world-class publication record and her leadership in integrated knowledge translation.
“The Hellmuth Prizes for Achievement in Research are named in honour of Bishop Isaac Hellmuth, who founded The University of Western Ontario in 1878. There are two such prizes offered annually, one in the area broadly defined as the natural sciences and engineering […] and one in the social sciences and humanities” (Western University).
More information on the award can be found here: https://www.president.uwo.ca/honour_roll/faculty/research/hellmuth_recipients.html
The Canadian MSK Rehab Research Network is committed to supporting high-impact, high-potential research and teams across Canada. Our annual Collaborative Catalyst grants are aimed to encourage new, externally funded, transdisciplinary research initiatives.
We were thrilled with the both the number and quality of submissions in response to this year’s call. The Rehab Network initially intended to fund up to six projects at up to $25,000 each – a total of $150,000. However our reviewers felt the quality of the submissions warranted funding additional applications. Therefore, we were happy to increase our budget for this call, funding a total of eight (8) applications at $25,000 each – a total investment of $200,000.
Below are the successful teams:
| PI Name | Institution | Project Title | Team |
| Cheryl Kozey | Dalhousie | A pilot feasibility multicenter study to identify risk factors for rapid progression in those with early mild to moderate knee osteoarthritis | Janie Wilson, Trevor Birmingham, Top Applteon, Sarah Manske, Steve Boyd, Olga Theou, Rebecca Moyer, Michael Dunbar, Joy MacDermid, Angelo Rudic (P), Bernadette McCann (T), Ann Smith Viera (P) |
| Kevin Deluzio | Queens | Characterizing patient mobility and functional status while on waitlist for total knee replacement: A multi-center feasibility pilot study | Janie Astephen Wilson, Dylan Kobsar,, David Wilson, Elise Laende (T), Jereme Outerleys (T), Cheryl Kozey, Michael Dunbar, Glen Richardson, Ann Smith-Veiero (P), Gavin Wood, John Rudan, Mark Harrison, Aaron Campbell, Anthony Adili |
| Hugo Masse Alarie | Laval | Spine motor control and pain processing as predictive and explanatory factors of chronic low back pain | Luc Lacombe (P), Pierre Langevin, Guillaume Léonard, Clermont Dionne, Lisa Carlesso, Michel-Pierre Coll, Anaïs Lacasse, Jean-Sébastien Roy |
| JS Roy | Laval | Do psychosocial factors predict the persistence of shoulder pain? | Simon Beaulieu-Bonneau, Dayana Patricia Rosa, (T), Hugo Masse-Alarie, Alex Scott, Frédérique Dupuis, Marc-Olivier Dubé, Gilles Drouin (P) |
| Lora Giangregorio | Waterloo | Virtual Intervention for Vertebral frACture (VIVA): Feasibility of implementation in a multicentre trial | Larry Funnell, Sheila Brien (P), Cheryl Bulycz (P), Heather Keller, Alecandra Papaioannou, Lehana Thabane, Ravi Jain, Jenny Thain, Timothy Wideman, Suzanne Morin, Jenna Gibbs, Zach Weston, Catlin McArthur, Lauren Beaupre, Maureen Ashe, Allison Legg (T), David Emond (T), Matteo Ponzano (T), Nochilas Tibert (T), Judi Laprade |
| Luciana Macedo | McMaster | Feasibility testing of a pre-surgical rehabilitation program for patients with lumbar spinal stenosis: a multi-center pilot randomized controlled trial | Nora Bakaa (T), Doug Gross, Lisa Carlesso, Joy MacDermid, Flo Slomp, Alison Rushton, Laura Katz, Maxi Miciak, Tara Packham, Kenneth Thomas, Andrew Nataraj, Raja Rampersuad, Brian Drew, Pahuta Markian, Aleks Cenic, Sandra Dorley (P), Joanna Thorne (P) |
| Michael Hunt | UBC | A multi-centre feasibility study assessing shoe-worn insoles to improve clinical and biomechanical features of knee osteoarthritis | Trevor Birmingham, Rebecca Moyer, Dylan Kobsar, Jesse Charlton |
| Kamair Ghoseiri | Saskatchewan | The effects of a novel phantom exercise execution program on phantom limb pain and mobility in people with unilateral transtibial amputation: a feasibility pilot study. | Audrey Zucker Levin, Julia Totosy de Zepetnek, David Kingston, Susan Hunter |
Congratulations to MSK Rehab Research Network member and Western University Associate Professor, Dr. Ryan Willing and his team for receiving a US$2.3-million grant from the U.S. National Institutes of Health’s National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases.
The project is “working to develop and test a self-powered knee load sensor, encased in a flexible but durable material, to send signals of the knee’s health to the world outside the body” (Western News).
Read the full story from Western News here: https://news.westernu.ca/2022/07/big-step-in-knee-pain-research/
Western University PhD candidate and Canadian MSK Rehab Research Network trainee, Codie Primeau recently presented some of his thesis work at the Canadian Student Health Research Forum held in Winnipeg, MB from June 13th to 17th, 2022.
Codie was selected as one of 9 Western doctoral students to represent the university at the conference which aims to connect over 100 students from across Canada from various fields of health/basic science research.
During the National Poster Competition, Codie was the recipient of a Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) Honourable Mention Award for his project titled: Association of Changes in Gait Biomechanics with Clinically Important Improvements in Pain and Subsequent Total Knee Replacement after High Tibial Osteotomy.
Congratulations to Codie!
Edit: acceptance of applications has been closed as of June 29, 2022. We were thrilled with the response to this call and are currently reviewing the received applications. Thank you for your interest!
We are pleased to announce the return of our annual Canadian MSK Rehab Research Network Trainee Travel Awards. 2022 will mark our fourth Trainee Awards competition and up to $15,000 in total funding is available to:
Call for Applications: May 17, 2022
Deadline: CLOSED FOR 2022
First funding decisions will be made by June 24th, 2022, subsequent decisions will be made within two weeks of receiving application.
Description
The purpose of the award is to assist with travel expenses for trainees to attend a conference related to MSK rehabilitation research at which they are presenting their research project (via poster, oral or other form of presentation). Note that funding may be subject to abstract submission and approval at the conference that you plan to attend.
This allows the Network to fund a much larger number of trainees this year than traditional awards and provide additional professional development opportunities not covered by their current funding.
Funds Available
In 2022 the Network will be offering a total of up to $15,000 in three tiers of travel stipends based on traveling distance:
Within Province or Virtual Presentation – $500
Neighbouring Province (ex. Ontario to Quebec, Alberta to BC) – $1,000
National or International Travel – $1,500
These awards are intended to cover conference travel and registration expenses to attend a conference at which the trainee’s research project is presented. Applicants will submit expenses or a proposed budget of CIHR-eligible costs and awarded stipends will be given based on incurred/budgeted expenses to the maximum of each funding tier above. Applicants will be eligible for a maximum of one (1) award per calendar year.
Eligibility Criteria
Expectations
How to Apply
Apply online: https://uwo.eu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_9HnL9CXHAzqrJPM
Fillable PDF application form:
Any questions can be directed to Ryan Power (Network Coordinator) at rehabnet@uwo.ca
Registration and abstract submissions for the upcoming 2022 Canadian Bone and Joint Conference are now open! And we are thrilled to announce that this exciting virtual conference will be FREE for Rehab Network trainees!
The MSK Rehab Research Network is covering the cost of registration for our trainee members. Trainees can contact rehabnet@uwo.ca before registering to receive a discount code that will cover your full registration fee!
The Canadian MSK Rehab Research Network is thrilled to once again co-host this unique and exciting virtual conference that will include an interactive panel hosted by Dr. Joy MacDermid on “MSK Innovation Factory” – co-creation of technology-enabled interventions for MSK health. We strongly encourage our members to attend as we introduce the MSK Innovation Factory initiative at Western University and its concepts; followed by a series of presentations from MSK Rehab Research Network members on their projects in development.
The conference will include Live-streamed Oral Presentations and Pre-recorded Video Open Poster Sessions focused on several topic areas including (but not limited to):
In addition to an exciting and interactive scientific line up, this year’s conference will once again include a Young Investigator’s Forum – a full block of offerings organized by trainees just for you. Interactive sessions include Insider View of Tri-Council Scholarships, No Time to Be Human: Making Room for Self-Care in Graduate School, and Academia and Beyond: Career Opportunities After Graduate School.
Full details and registration can be found here: https://cbjc.ca/
In partnership with Western’s Bone and Joint Institute and the Canadian Network for Mobility Research (CaNMoR), we are pleased to announce the Save the Date for the 2022 Canadian Bone and Joint Conference (CBJC) to be held April 21 & 22 2022.
This event will once again be preceded on April 20th by the Canadian Bone and Joint Young Investigator’s Forum, a forum organized by trainees for trainees, which will include trainee-focused workshop offerings and presentations.
At this time, we are planning to deliver workshop components of the event in a hybrid manner, but for this year all Keynote, Plenary and Poster presentations will be continued to be delivered virtually.
Conference themes will include but may not be limited to: Human & Technology Interaction for Health; Rehabilitation; Inflammation & Autoimmune Diseases; Phenotyping, Context and Design Principles; and Juvenile Arthritis, Care, & Transitions.
Confirmed speakers for this year’s events include:
Carl Blobel, Cornell University
Natoshia Cunningham, Michigan State University
Irene Davis, Harvard University
Natasha Gakhal, University of Toronto
Danielle McCormak, The Arthritis Society
Dana Orange, Rockefeller University
Christopher Overall, University of British Columbia
Brian Pietrosimone, University of North Carolina
Angelo Ravelli, University of Genoa, Italy
Evelyn Rozenblyum, University of Toronto & Hospital for SickKids
The conference website is being updated as details are confirmed. The abstract submission details will be distributed in the near future with the submission portal opening soon. Check back frequently for updates here:
The MSK Rehab Research Network is pleased to announce our partnership with REHAB+
What is REHAB+?
As part of McMaster University’s McMasterPLUS suite of services, REHAB+ provides “one-stop” access to pre-appraised evidence to support clinical decisions. REHAB+ provides a new path to address the key question in this era of evidence-based health care: what is the current best evidence available to support clinical decisions?
The MSK Rehab Research Network has partnered with REHAB+ to provide our members free access to the site for the latest pre-appraised research publications. Our website will also host a continuously updated feed of publications from our membership, so you can stay up-to-date on the latest research from our members.
Learn more here: https://plus.mcmaster.ca/rehab/
How does it work?
REHAB+ incorporates the McMasterPLUS email alerting system and searchable database of best evidence from the health care literature of particular interest to rehabilitation professionals.
Users with interests in a specific clinical problem or treatment can search the database for articles dating back to 2007, or they can be sent email notifications when new publications are posted in their specific area(s) of interest.
All articles posted in REHAB+ have already passed critical appraisal and the system can provide access to the newest research available.
Get Involved and Gain Early Access
REHAB+ also provides the opportunity to gain first access to new publications and review an article’s clinical relevance and newsworthiness. Anyone interested in gaining early access to new research, or providing valuable feedback on new publications to the research community, will have articles tailored to their research interest sent directly to their inbox.
Providing reviews on new publications ensures that REHAB+ is a pipeline for high quality research to improve clinical decision making and, ultimately, patient outcomes. You can join the site and select your alerting preferences here: https://plus.mcmaster.ca/rehab/Account/Register
If you are interested in acting as a reviewer for the latest articles, please contact: rehabnet@uwo.ca