A look ahead at 2018

Dear colleagues,

This month we are very excited to be launching our new newsletter, as part of our ongoing commitment to effectively and efficiently communicate INMHA activities. I hope that you will read through the articles, forward to your friends and colleagues that may be interested in joining our mailing list, and share with us any ideas you have for things you would like to see in future editions. As we develop our Strategic Plan and a communications strategy to support it, we are waiting with open ears to hear about the issues that are most important to you.

There is no doubt that 2018 is shaping up to be a busy year for INMHA, and this month I would like to provide you with a brief preview of a few of the major initiatives we will be working on in the year ahead.

Cannabis initiatives

As you can read more about here, I was very pleased to be in Toronto this month to participate in the announcement of a $1.4 million investment in new cannabis research. In total, 14 catalyst grants were announced that will improve our understanding of the health, social and economic impacts of cannabis legalization and regulation in Canada. These research projects will provide timely evidence on a broad spectrum of issues, including the potential impacts of cannabis on driving, pregnancy and childhood health, youth mental health, Indigenous populations, and workplace health and safety, among others.

Cannabis is currently one of the top priorities for CIHR, INMHA and the Government of Canada. As such, we are working collaboratively with the CIHR institutes of Circulatory and Respiratory Health, Gender and Health, Human Development, Child and Youth Health, and Musculoskeletal Health and Arthritis, as well as Health Canada, Indigenous Services Canada, Public Safety Canada, Statistics Canada and several NGOs and Health Funders to develop a comprehensive and integrated research funding strategy that will help inform the ongoing development of policies, practises and programs involving cannabis.

Pan-Canadian collaboration is essential to formulate a cannabis research agenda for CIHR and the Government of Canada and to address the wide-ranging issues that are important to Canadians. The catalyst grants represent important progress, and we have additional opportunities in development now, that I look forward to sharing with you soon.

Opioids initiatives

As you heard about in a previous message, the opioid research agenda is another important initiative for our institute. The Canadian Research Initiative in Substance Misuse (CRISM) has now geared up to do multiple ancillary studies as part of the innovative OPTIMA Trial. This trial represents a unique addiction care model that aims to develop novel and more efficient treatment programs based on the real needs of individuals afflicted by opioid-use disorder.

Additionally, the recipients of the Opioid Crisis Knowledge Synthesis grants will be announced in the next couple of months. These grants will support reviews and syntheses to address the most urgent elements of the opioid crisis, including reducing opioid-related mortality rates.

INMHA Institute Advisory Board (IAB)

With the INMHA IAB now officially convened, we have had our first meeting by teleconference and set the schedule for upcoming meetings in 2018. The IAB has decided on a quarterly schedule, including biannual face-to-face meetings. The first of these face-to-face meetings will be held in Calgary in early April, followed by a teleconference meeting in June. We plan to post the minutes of these meetings on our website and will be sure to share those and other important developments with you through both newsletter and website communications.

The INMHA IAB is considering current gaps in membership in advance of the forthcoming Call for Nominations. This is an open and transparent recruitment process that is expected to launch soon, and I encourage anyone interested to review the nominations page for more information.

Additional initiatives on the horizon

In addition to the topics highlighted above, I expect 2018 to be a productive year for some of our other areas of interest – including but not limited to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and youth mental health. These topics are of major research interest to INMHA and are stated health priorities of the Government of Canada and its international partners. Significant discussions are currently underway, which we hope will lead to new funding opportunities.

In closing, I would like to thank you for your interest in INMHA’s activities. We are working hard to support the creation of new knowledge that will help meet the brain and mental health needs of Canada’s 36 million residents and we look forward to working with you and to all that 2018 will bring.

Best,

Samuel Weiss, PhD, FRSC, FCAHS
Scientific Director
CIHR Institute of Neurosciences, Mental Health and Addiction

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