Season’s Greetings
Message from the President
December 16, 2021
Dear colleagues,
As 2021 draws to an end, I wanted to take this opportunity to wish you a joyous holiday season!
While this past year was a challenging one for many of us – and on many different fronts – I continue to be amazed by the resiliency of our health research community. Despite the ongoing global pandemic and its far-reaching impacts, as a community we can take pride in the many achievements and advances that were made over the past year.
I am particularly proud to note that CIHR-funded researchers continue to lead Canada’s research response to the pandemic, with over 650 COVID-19 research projects supported to date. Your efforts have helped to develop made-in-Canada, evidence-based solutions to the many challenges that Canadians are facing during this pandemic, while also contributing to the global effort in meaningful ways. In the upcoming year, we can also look forward to the launch of the new Centre for Research on Pandemic Preparedness and Health Emergencies, which will further these efforts significantly and help to make us more resilient to future pandemics.
As we close out this year, it is a fitting time for us to take stock of the other significant achievements that we have made together, which included:
- Developing a new Applicant Profile CV for Indigenous organizations and non-academic or international participants to help eliminate barriers for some groups;
- Launching Global Health 3.0: CIHR’s Framework for Action on Global Health Research, 2021–2026;
- Hosting an online dialogue with the research community on systemic racism in Canada’s health research funding system and establishing an Anti-Racism External Advisory Committee to shape community engagement initiatives and guide the development of a CIHR Anti-Racism Action Plan;
- Developing a pan-Canadian genomic consent process to help advance CIHR’s role in the ethics of health research; and
- Renewing our investment in federal, provincial, and territorial health priorities through the Strategy for Patient-Oriented Research.
On behalf of all of us at CIHR, I wish you a wonderful holiday season and extend my best wishes for a healthy and productive New Year!
Sincerely,
Michael J. Strong, MD, FRCP, FCAHS, FAAN
President, CIHR
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