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In this issue:
 Right now – and over a period of 200-plus days – Rick Hansen’s 25th Anniversary Relay is taking place. A positive, empowering and celebratory event, the Anniversary Relay will see over 7,000 participants replicate the Canadian route of Rick’s original “Man In Motion” World Tour. As this historic event begins, there is no better time to reflect on Rick’s personal journey – and the way in which his achievements became the catalyst for Canada’s global leadership in spinal cord injury research and care.
Today, new research is revolutionizing the treatment of SCI both in the hospital and in the community. New discoveries, progressive drug therapies, and advanced surgical techniques are helping people to better manage quality of life issues associated with SCI, such as chronic pain, bladder and bowel complications, pressure ulcers, sexual dysfunction, and increased susceptibility to respiratory problems.
In the spirit of recognizing individuals who have made a difference in creating solutions to complex issues, we profile the work of three members of the Rick Hansen Institute network: Dr. Luc Noreau, a tireless SCI community research champion for close to three decades; and Dr. John Hurlbert and Dr. Steve Casha, neurosurgeons who have developed applications of a common drug for an uncommon problem.
We hope you enjoy this latest update from the Rick Hansen Institute, and stay tuned for more from us over the course of the 25th Anniversary of the Rick Hansen Man in Motion World Tour.
Sincerely,
Bill Barrable, CEO
Rick Hansen Institute
RHI First Agency Outside U.S. to Join Consortium for Spinal Cord Medicine
With the recent news of RHI joining the Consortium for Spinal Cord Medicine, RHI is pleased to announce that it has appointed Dr. Peter Wing (Interim Chair of RHI’s Translational Research Advisory Committee and Clinical Professor, Division of Spine, Department of Orthopaedics, University of British Columbia) as liaison on the consortium Steering Committee. Dr. Wing is well known in the SCI community research and clinical community for the development of guidelines in Acute Care Management.
We look forward to joining the other members of the Consortium, and to new collaborative opportunities for us all.
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A Champion for SCI Community Research
Affiliated with RHI since 2005, Dr. Luc Noreau is currently the Principal Investigator on the SCI Community Survey, an RHI-sponsored project to determine the most critical needs of people with SCI, and Canada’s largest ever survey to be conducted on the SCI community. He began by working on the RHSCIR study in its early days and, as the Lead of the Community Integration Practice Network, supported colleagues throughout the development of SCI-specific practice guidelines for family physicians, SCI patient education tools, and physical activity guidelines for adults with SCI.
A champion for community research, Dr. Noreau remains focused on SCI rehabilitation outcomes, the process of community reintegration, the quality of social participation for people with SCI, and how the environment contributes to social participation for people with disabilities.
Dr. Luc Noreau is the Scientific Director of the Centre for Interdisciplinary Research in Rehabilitation and Social Integration (CIRRIS), the research centre of the Quebec Rehabilitation Institute (IRDPQ).
Photo: Dr. Luc Noreau
Minocycline: A Common Drug for an Uncommon Problem
Minocycline, an antibiotic used as an acne treatment for more than 30 years, was found to have neuroprotective properties that minimize inflammation and secondary damage to the spinal cord. As minocycline is an off-patent drug, pharmaceutical companies have little incentive to invest in developing new applications for its use. In 2004, Dr. John Hurlbert and Dr. Steve Casha, neurosurgeons at the University of Calgary, led a RHI-supported 52-patient trial over three years... continue reading.
Photo: Dr. Steve Casha (left) and Dr. John Hurlbert
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Interdependence 2012 Conference & Exposition
May 15–18, 2012, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Interdependence 2012 will offer a progressive agenda in response to opportunities, challenges and developments in accelerating progress towards improved physical access to the built environment, and a cure for paralysis after SCI.
For the SCI Research & Development “pillar” of the conference program, over 20 high profile speakers – many well-known to our community – have been confirmed and topics for 12 sessions identified. These include Dr. Jane Lebkowski of the Geron Corporation and Dr. Susan Harkema of Frazier Rehabilitation Institute. They will join a few, perhaps, less-familiar speakers to regular SCI conference attendees, to ensure the program is unique.
Because Interdependence 2012 has two distinct – yet complementary – pillars, keynote plenary sessions have been designed to appeal to all delegates. These sessions will focus on four critical themes relevant to both the accessibility and SCI research agendas, and have the potential to inspire a dialogue in pursuit of a more healthy and inclusive world. On a similar note, delegates are encouraged to view the accessibility “pillar” sessions under development.
You are invited to:
The final conference program is expected to be available by the beginning of November. www.interdependence2012.com.
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Spread the Word: Take the SCI Community Survey
The SCI Community Survey is the largest study of its kind in Canada among people with SCI. Once completed, it will become the largest repository of SCI data related to people living in the community. The primary intent of the SCI Survey is to confirm the most important SCI-specific needs of Canadians with SCI. It is also intended to determine how successfully the Canadian health and social services systems are meeting those needs across the country. And, ultimately, it will create a clearer picture of where in Canada's support systems there is opportunity to improve so as to truly minimize disability and maximize the quality of life of Canadians with SCI.
More than 700 Canadians with SCI have added their input. Please encourage friends and colleagues to take this survey and help spread the word about this hugely important project.
www.sci-survey.ca.
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Upcoming SCI Conferences
Second Canadian Stroke Congress October 2-4, Ottawa ON, presented by the KMN Group
- Presentation by RHI’s Director of Best Practice Implementation, Amir Rasheed: Canadian Stroke Best Practices and Performance Measurement Processes for Innovation Fluency Capacity Building: Ontario Neurotrauma Foundations & RHI – BPI for Secondary Complication of SCI.
Society of Research Administrators Conference, October 23-26, Montreal, QC
- RHI’s Director of Clinical Research Operations, Erin Cherban, is presenting The Rick Hansen Institute: Lessons Learned from Developing a National Registry into an International Clinical Research Network.
RHSCIR Coordinators Conference, October 27 & 28, Montreal, QC
- Training on use of Global Research Platform to enter RHSCIR data.
Cervical Spine Research Society 2011, December 8-10, Scottsdale, AZ
- Podium presentation by RHI’s Scientific Director, Dr. Marcel Dvorak: Incidence and Impact of Acute Adverse Events in Patients with Traumatic Spinal Cord Injury; as well as an ACT model poster – Development of a health progression model (Title: Evaluating Long-term Health and Economic Outcomes in Traumatic Cervical Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) using a Health Progression Model), co-authored by Dr. Dvorak.
American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) annual meeting, February 17-20, Vancouver, BC.
- ICORD's symposium Curing Spinal Cord Injury: The Need for Global Collaboration will be moderated by Dr. Michael Fehlings (Toronto Western Hospital). Confirmed speakers include Rick Hansen, Dr. Wolfram Tetzlaff (UBC), Dr. Marcel Dvorak (UBC), Dr. Judy Illes (Stanford Center for Biomedical Ethics), Dr. Charles Tator (University of Toronto) and Dr. Naomi Kleitman (NIH).
Canadian Spine Conference, February 29 - March 3, 2012, Sun Peaks Resort, (near Kamloops), BC
- Abstract deadline October 1.
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