August 17-23

You may have received an email from Ashley Williams regarding a Professional Grant Development Workshop, offered by the Grant Training Center. Please note that this workshop is NOT endorsed by UBC.

The Weston Brain Institute is launching the Early Phase Clinical Trials 2015 program to help outstanding Canadian researchers accelerate the development of treatments for neurodegenerative diseases of aging.

Goal: To provide funding for Phase I and II clinical trials to accelerate the development of therapeutics for neurodegenerative diseases of aging

Funding: Up to $1,500,000 for up to 4 years

Eligibility: The Principal applicant must be a researcher(s) with a full-time staff or faculty appointment (at or above the level of Assistant Professor or equivalent) at institutions that are registered CRA qualified donees in Canada. Projects must focus on the development of therapeutics for the symptomatic relief, disease modification, or prevention of neurodegenerative diseases of aging as we define them (AD, PD, ALS, DLB, FTD, PSP, MSA, and MCI as prodromal to one of these diseases).

All approaches below qualify for this funding opportunity:

To apply, submit a Letter of Intent through the Institute’s online grant management system – click here

The online program information session is intended to provide you with comprehensive information on the application process and an opportunity to ask any questions.

To sign-up for the information session and submit any questions in advance of the session, please register by clicking here

The Institute welcomes inquiries about our funding programs at neuro@weston.ca or 416-935-4056.

Families of SMA funds and directs  research programs aimed at  developing  treatments and a cure for Spinal Muscular Atrophy disease, a hereditary condition that causes weakness and wasting of the voluntary muscles in the arms and legs of infants and children.

Families of SMA has issued a Request for Proposals for research projects with the potential to advance current understanding of Spinal Muscular Atrophy disease. Grants of up to $150,000 will be awarded for novel research related to SMA disease pathology that generates key reagents and tools that facilitate drug development and clinical trials and/or identifies new therapeutic strategies for SMA. The organization anticipates providing a total of up to $665,000 in this funding round.

To be considered, studies should focus on the molecular and biochemical mechanisms regulating SMN expression or mediating SMN function; result in greater understanding of the pathophysiology of SMA using well-validated animal or cellular models of the disease; provide early proof-of-concept assessment of novel therapeutic approaches for SMA in well-validated animal or cellular models of the disease; and/or focus on generating research and clinical trial tools such as new animal models for SMA, phenotypic cellular assays, biomarkers or outcome measures for clinical trials, and newborn screening protocols.

Visit the Families of SMA website for complete program guidelines and application information.

The American Academy for Cerebral Palsy and Developmental Medicine promotes excellence in research for the benefit of persons with CP and other childhood-onset disabilities. To support its mission, AACPDM, with support from the Pedal-With-Pete Foundation, is inviting applications for seed funding grants.

Through its Pedal-With-Pete awards program, the academy will award seed funding grants of up to $25,000  for the development of a high-quality, interdisciplinary, multi-investigator/center clinical research project/program in any area relevant to  AACPDM. The award is expected to produce a competitive grant proposal for submission to larger agencies/funders and may be used to fund any of the elements necessary to develop the full grant proposal, including teleconferences or meetings of the collaborating team of investigators; methodologic/statistical support or consultation; preparation of applications for institutional ethics approval; support for investigators time; pilot project/feasibility studies in preparation for the project; and validation of outcome measures.

Any AACPDM member is eligible to apply.

For complete program guidelines, information about past grant recipients, and application procedures, visit the AACPDM website.

The Sexual Medicine Society of North America aims to increase public awareness of healthy sexuality and sexual problems,  foster the finest care for individuals suffering from sexual debility, and  encourage scholarship and research. It is the society’s hope that this program will encourage young people to become interested in sexual medicine research and make it a focal point of their careers.

To support this mission, the society has issued a Request for Proposals for its SMSNA Scholars in Sexuality Research Grants Program, which provides young investigators who are interested in sexuality research with the opportunity to obtain funding to support their research while engaged in qualifying research in sexuality.

Grants will be awarded to graduate or medical students, residents in graduate medical education training programs, and postdoctoral/post-residency fellows. Because sexual medicine is a multidisciplinary field and sex impacts almost every aspect of human endeavor in some way, the society encourages applications from aspiring researchers representing diverse backgrounds, including but not limited to urology, psychology, psychiatry, gynecology, internal medicine, geriatrics, public health, physiology, genetics, molecular biology, social work, and law.

1) Undergraduate/Medical/Graduate School Level: Grants of up to $5,000 will be awarded for direct research costs and/or living expenses while the scholar conducts a summer research project.

2) Residentor Postdoctoral/Fellow: Grants of up to $7,500 will be awarded to subsidize a mentored one-year fellowship in sexuality and sexual health. Smaller grants may be considered to subsidize research expenses for a postdoctoral fellow’s independent  project with an established mentor as co-PI.

Please visit the SMSNA website for complete program guidelines and application instructions.

The National Psoriasis Foundation is seeking applications that encourage the advancement of innovative research into psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis.

Grants of up to $75,000 will be awarded to support researchers as they explore preliminary ideas and conduct proof-of-concept experiments. The goal of the program is to stimulate the development of new research programs in the field of psoriatic disease capable of competing for long-term funding from the National Institutes of Health or other agencies. Researchers with a specific focus on psoriatic arthritis, public health, and co-morbidities are strongly encouraged to apply.

To be eligible, the principal investigator must be personally and actively responsible for the conduct of the proposed research and be eligible to apply for research grants under the guidelines of the applicant’s host institution. The principal investigator need not be a citizen of the United States.

For complete program guidelines and application instructions, visit the NPF website.

The Canadian Orthopaedic Foundation is pleased to announce that applications are now being accepted for the following two research awards:

The premier award for orthopaedic research in Canada, the $15,000 J. Edouard Samson Award recognizes the best orthopaedic research over a period of five (5) years or more at a Canadian centre and is intended to promote further research by the recipient. The recipient will present his/her research at the Annual General Meeting of the Canadian Orthopaedic Association (presentation opportunity to be determined). The award consists of a medal, a $5,000 educational grant and a $10,000 personal research grant to be used by the recipient at the Canadian institution where he/she currently resides.

The Canadian Orthopaedic Research Legacy (CORL) program enables orthopaedic surgeons to make designated donations to ensure continued Canadian research in orthopaedics. Established in 2006, CORL funds new and innovative research leading to improved patient outcomes. Each award consists of a $20,000 grant to be used by the winner to further their research project.

The deadline for submitting applications is October 31, 2015. Winners will be announced early in 2016.

Please visit the COF website for application forms and guidelines.

The Family Caregiver Alliance is accepting nominations for the Rosalinde Gilbert Innovations in Alzheimer’s Disease Caregiving Legacy Awards, an annual program that recognizes organizations that focus primarily on family/informal caregivers of adults with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias.

The alliance will make awards of $20,000 to organizations for projects or programs that respond to a pressing community need in the areas of creative expression, diverse/multicultural communities, and policy and advocacy.

1) Creative Expression: This award recognizes projects that use imaginative and creative approaches in supporting persons with dementia or family/informal caregivers of persons with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias. Some examples are programs or projects using art, music, theater, journaling, multimedia (e.g., film, documentary, radio), or other types of creative expression.

2) Diverse/Multicultural Communities: This award recognizes programs or projects that provide services, support, or other types of outreach to family/informal caregivers of persons with Alzheimer’s disease or related dementias in communities characterized by ethnic, religious/spiritual, socioeconomic, LGBT, geographic, and other types of diversity.

3) Policy and Advocacy: This award recognizes programs or projects that advocate for systems change for the benefit of family/informal caregivers or care recipients with Alzheimer’s disease or related dementias. Such efforts could focus on legislation, executive, or administrative changes; advocacy campaigns; or any other action to strengthen the public or private sector’s recognition and support of family/informal caregivers.

To be eligible, organizations must be considered tax exempt under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code and must be responding to a community need with a program or project that focuses primarily on family/ informal caregivers of adults with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias. Family or informal caregivers are unpaid caregivers.

Visit the Family Caregiver Alliance website for program guidelines and application instructions.

We invite nominations for the 2016 Canada Gairdner Wightman Award (deadline October 1, 2015), am annual award of $100,000 CDN given to an established scientist who has demonstrated outstanding national leadership in medicine and medical science in Canada. Normally, the scientist should have a high level sustained research career in a biomedical discipline. The award is given for:

The evaluation of the contributions of the Nominee(s) depends heavily on the quality of information supplied. Therefore, nominations should be accurate, detailed, current, complete, and with independent supporting letters from several institutions reflecting the Nominee’s accomplishments.

The recipient will be formally announced on March 23, 2016 and presented at the awards dinner on October 27, 2016 in Toronto.

Please visit the Gairnder website for further details about the nomination process.

The American Gastroenterological Association is accepting nominations for its William Beaumont Prize in Gastroenterology.

The annual award program is designed to recognize an individual who has made a major contribution (a single accomplishment or series of accomplishments) that has significantly advanced gastroenterological research (basic or clinical). The winner will receive a $5,000 cash prize and an engraved commemorative plaque, which will be presented by the AGA Chair during Digestive Disease Week. In addition, the recipient is invited to deliver a presentation at the plenary session on the development and significance of his or her work and will receive a travel grant to attend the meeting.

Nominees must have made a unique, outstanding contribution to the field of gastroenterology that has  led (or will lead) to important new insights or advances in understanding, diagnosing, or treating digestive disease; or provides significant new knowledge of basic cellular and genetic structures or functions relevant to digestive function or disease.

AGA membership is not required to be considered for this award. In addition, nominees need not be gastroenterologists;  however, the nominee’s contributions must have significantly affected the understanding and/or practice of gastroenterology.

Visit the AGA website for complete program guidelines, a list of previous prize recipients, and nomination instructions.

Please note that there will be two speakers at our upcoming seminar on Monday, August 17:

PDF, Hancock Lab,

Centre for Microbial Diseases and Immunity Research

PDF, Strynadka Lab,

Centre for Blood Research

Research Orientation Day is a FREE annual, day-long event intended for assistant, associate and full professors who are new to UBC’s Vancouver campus (and affiliated health research institutes) since January 1, 2013. This year’s event is scheduled for Thursday, August 27, 2015 and will connect new faculty members with research support units and available resources. New researchers will also meet experienced faculty, research directors and other new faculty.

Presentations include an overview of support services available to researchers in all disciplines, advice on securing funding, and an introduction to research ethics and financial compliance procedures. Attendance is not mandatory but is strongly recommended.

Attached is the event poster with further information. If you have any other questions, please contact Clement Woo (clement.woo@ubc.ca).

Target audience: Physicians, Ophthalmologists, Orthoptists, Residents & Students, Nurses

Accreditation: Up to 13.5 MOC Section 1 credits, 14.0 COC credits

International leaders in the field will share insights about changes at the leading edge of these specialties.

Key Speakers:

Dr. Michael Brodsky: Papilledema, infantile nystagmus

Dr. Burt Kushner: Vertical strabismus

Dr. Tony Moore: Retinal dystrophies, developmental abnormalities, genetics of strabismus

Target Audience: Health care professionals who want to use simulation as a teaching method.

During the course participants interact in small group workshops that provide a mixture of theory and practice. There is an emphasis on providing a practical debriefing/feedback training relevant for simulation educators.

This course aims to provide an experience that will allow learners to:

Open to health care professionals involved in clinical teaching.

Course Cost:      British Columbia Staff Physicians $600.00

Residents/Fellows and Non-physicians $450.00

Non British Columbia participants $1200.00

Register: via the LearningHub

For more information: contact Debbie Cain – dcain@cw.bc.ca

ACCREDITED by UBC CPD: This event is an Accredited Group Learning Activity eligible for up to 14 Section 3 credits as defined by the Maintenance of Certification program of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada.  This program has been reviewed and approved by UBC Division of Continuing Professional Development