ICORD’s Annual Research Meeting for 2012 will take place at the Blusson Spinal Cord Centre on February 21st and 22nd. All ICORD PIs, Investigators, Associate Members, staff and trainees are encouraged to participate. Registration and abstract deadline is February 8th.
Contact admin@icord.org to request a registration form.
In response to requests from around the globe, ICORD’s first Café Scientifique event, Spinal cord injury research: it’s not rocket science, it’s harder, will be webcast (for both live-streaming and later viewing). Click here to join in or view the webcast.
We are excited to announce that the event is now booked to capacity. In order to make it an enjoyable evening for everyone, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to accommodate unregistered guests.
If you are registered but know you will be unable to attend, please email cafe@icord.org to let us know, as we have a considerable waiting list. Information about parking in the neighbourhood can be found here.
Congratulations to ICORD students Leanne Ramer and Greg Duncan, who both won Paralyzed Veterans of America Poster Awards at the 14th International Symposium on Neural Regeneration in Pacific Grove, California last week. Ms. Ramer is finishing her PhD with Drs. Andrei Krassioukov and John Steeves, and Mr. Duncan is a PhD student with Dr. Wolfram Tetzlaff.
Congratulations to ICORD Principal Investigator Dr. Wayne Moore, who is a co-applicant on a recently-announced $3.8 million grant from the MS Society of Canada. Dr. Moore, who is a Clinical Professor in Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at UBC, researches MRI correlation in multiple sclerosis and neuropathology of spinal cord injury.
“Scientific breakthroughs” often appear in the news, yet we still have no cure for spinal cord injury. Join our expert panel of ICORD researchers for refreshments and lively discussion about how discoveries in the laboratory translate into treatments that affect lives now, as well as the inherent challenges in that process.
Speakers: Brian Kwon, MD, PhD • John Steeves, PhD • Andrei Krassioukov, MD, PhD • Bonita Sawatzky, PhD
7-9 pm, Thursday 19 January 2012 Blusson Spinal Cord Centre Atrium No charge • Registration required. RSVP to cafe@icord.orgSupported by CIHR • Firefly Fine Wines and Ales • The Lazy Gourmet • Lonsdale Event Rentals
ICORD and the SCI Resource Centre are pleased to present SCRIBE, a new blog highlighting recent developments in SCI research at ICORD and around the world. This is a forum for SCI researchers to connect with the greater community. Check it out, and add your comments!
The 5th National SCI Conference organizing committee is putting together an exciting program featuring keynote addresses, podium and poster presentations, workshops and breakout sessions. Additional highlights include a hands-on pre-course, consumer participation and a delegate reception. You are invited to participate in the pre-eminent gathering of clinicians, research scientists and consumers in Canada and North America who are focused on understanding and achieving recovery among the spinal cord injury population.
Location: Hilton Toronto, 145 Richmond Street West, Toronto (Oct 18th preconference at Toronto Rehab’s Lyndhurst Centre)
Abstract Deadline: March 4th, 2012 (by midnight)
More information? 416-597-3422 ext. 3693 / conferences@torontorehab.on.ca
BC Rehab Foundation recently announced the recipients of the 2011 BC Rehab Research Awards, a funding competition that offers rehabilitation professionals an opportunity to undertake clinical research in their area of expertise, helping improve the lives of people living with physical disabilities, and a team of ICORD Researchers was one of the winners.
“One of the ways that BC Rehab supports people with disabilities is by sponsoring research and educational programs aimed at improving clinical care at GF Strong and other rehabilitation facilities. The BC Rehab Research Awards are an important part of this support,” said Paul Richard, Chairman of the BC Rehab Board. Each award provides research groups at GF Strong with $15,000 per study to investigate and research ideas that might otherwise not receive funding, and we are proud to play a role in expanding the techniques and knowledge that can improve the life of anyone living with a disability.”
The ICORD Research team includes Marie Carlson, Dr. Ross Davidson, Dr. Stacy Elliott, Dr. Andrei Krassioukov and Dr. Vanessa Noonan, and is entitled Validation of the International Autonomic Standards for Evaluation of Individuals with Chronic Spinal Cord Injury: Focus on Sexual, Bladder and Bowel Function. Research partners for this project include the Rick Hansen Institute and UBC.
ICORD’s Annual Report for 2010-11 is now available. Download a low-resolution version here or contact the ICORD Administrative Office to request a high-res PDF or have a paper copy mailed to you.
An appendix listing selected publications by ICORD researchers is available here.
ICORD Principal Investigator and BCIT Faculty member Dr Jaimie Borisoff has been named a Canada Research Chair for his work in Rehabilitation Engineering Design at BCIT. Started in 2000 by the Federal Government, the awards are given to exceptional emerging researchers, acknowledged by their peers as having the potential to lead in their field. The award of $100,000 annually for five years will support Dr Borisoff’s work in the research and development of assistive technology for people with disabilities.
Dr Borisoff and his team focus on technology that allows for inclusiveness and access for anyone with mobility impairments. Borisoff created the ElevationTM wheelchair, which allows the user to adjust the chair and backrest in real-time throughout the day. “The wheelchair was born from my own experiences using conventional wheelchairs,” says Borisoff, a former national wheelchair basketball competitor. “For sports or activities that you need greater speed and stability, you want to be lower to the ground. But when you want to make eye contact while talking to someone who is standing up, or reach for something on a shelf, then a conventional wheel chair can’t help you. Elevation allows you a greater range of motion and capabilities.”
Dr Borisoff’s path to Rehabilitation Engineering was prompted when his own spinal cord was injured in a car accident while he was a student in Engineering Physics at UBC. He went on to earn a PhD in Neuroscience and to do postgraduate research with the Neil Squire Society on assistive devices for people with disabilities. As a graduate student, he studied spinal cord regeneration at ICORD, a world leading health research centre focused on spinal cord injury located at Vancouver General Hospital.
His current projects include working with Occupational Therapists at ICORD to implement a wheelchair activity monitor that will log how people use the Elevation wheelchair throughout the day in order to make any refinements and to demonstrate changes to the user’s quality of life. His team is also focusing on improving home access for people with mobility challenges and are creating a prototype of a new lift.
As a Canada Research Chair, Dr. Borisoff will maintain two labs, one at ICORD, and a new lab at BCIT in Rehabilitation Engineering Design. Dr. Borisoff and his team will draw on a wide range of experts that include human factor engineers, product developers, technicians, neuroscientists, and occupational therapists to develop innovative rehabilitation tools.
“Whether someone has a spinal cord injury, is elderly, or is using a stroller, entrances to buildings can often present unnecessary access challenges,” says Borisoff. “What is great about working with research teams at BCIT and ICORD is that we have access to a huge range of skills to create solutions for mobility issues.”
Dr Borisoff’s research also receives support from the Rick Hansen Foundation and Rick Hansen Institute.
