Pain-Free Mobility for Life
We envision a world without arthritis and preventable bone and joint injuries.
Our mission is to achieve this vision through excellence in research and education.
The McCaig Institute for Bone and Joint Health is home to researchers and clinicians whose work ranges from basic science at the molecular level to whole joint transplants in the operating room, in addition to effective and efficient health service delivery. The Institute currently has 109 faculty members (rheumatologists, orthopaedic surgeons and researchers), 85 trainees (graduate students, post doctoral fellows), 50 laboratory personnel (research associates, lab technicians, nurses and LPNs), and 64 office staff (administrative assistants) from 5 different faculties at the University of Calgary and 5 partner institutions (University of Alberta, Oxford University, University of Lethbridge, University of Michigan, and the Institute for Reconstructive Sciences in Medicine). Your interest in who we are and what we do is greatly appreciated.
What’s New
Music in Motion
Join us at Music in Motion and support the McCaig Institute!
On September 21, 2010, friends and colleagues are invited to join us at a fabulous musical concert featuring The Canadian Tenors, The Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra, Tommy Banks and special guests. Proceeds from Music in Motion will support funding for the Advanced Diagnostics and Therapeutics Unit of the McCaig Institute for Bone and Joint Health and The Alberta Bone and Joint Health Institute. Click here
for more information and to purchase tickets.
“Shaking” the spine could be good for your back.
From Utoday News, July 07, 2010
Photo by Riley Brandt, University of Calgary
“Shaking” the spine could be good for your back, says, Christopher Hunter, biomedical engineer at the Schulich School of Engineering and the McCaig Institute.
Slipped discs, pinched nerves, whiplash and disc degeneration affect millions of North Americans. Sufferers often rely on medication for relief, and that medication can be addictive. It’s long been thought that people exposed to mechanical vibrations, such as construction workers and truck drivers are more prone to back disorders. But, new research at the University of Calgary’s Schulich School of Engineering in collaboration with Optima Health Solutions International Corp. has uncovered potential benefits of these vibrations. Click here to learn more
Stem Cell Program Profiled at Osteoporosis Canada Annual General Meeting
On June 12, 2010, the Alberta Chapter for Osteoporosis Canada held their annual general meeting which included a public forum in which the topic of using stem cells to regrow bone was discussed. Over 100 people came out to the forum including doctors, advocates and patients suffering from Osteoporosis. The panel at the forum was comprised of five McCaig Institute members: Dr. David Hanley, Dr. Derrick Rancourt, Dr. Steve Boyd, Dr. Jeff Dunn and PhD. Graduate Student Jaymi Taiani
UofC Connections to Body Worlds Exhibit
From Utoday News, April 30, 2010
The Soccer Player, 2005
Copyright:
Gunther von Hagens, Institute for Plastination, Heidelberg, Germany
The world famous exhibit makes its Canadian debut today at the TELUS World of Science – Calgary. Dr. Gunther von Hagens’ BODY WORLDS & The Brain features more than 200 specimens, including full body plastinates. This is the first time in Canada the exhibit also features the latest in neuroscience.
Faculty of Medicine academics and students are helping to educate the public about the intricacies and the importance of studying the human body, as well as giving lectures on the brain and volunteering as roving expert guides for the exhibit.
Dr. John Bertram, the Director of the Gross Anatomy Lab and the university’s Body Donation Program, is training volunteers from the McCaig Institute for Bone and Joint Health to give tours at the exhibit. He is also giving tours himself, and speaking about the role of body donation programs in medical education and research. Read more…
Funding Accelerates Research Program for Engineers
From Utoday News, April 19, 2010
Photo: Ken Bendiktsen
Two researchers at the Schulich School of Engineering have received Discovery Accelerator Supplements, each worth $120,000 over three years, from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC).
These awards go to experts who have demonstrated research excellence and show strong potential to become international leaders in their fields. The funding accelerates their research programs by providing additional staff or specialized equipment.
Neil Duncan, Canada Research Chair in Orthopaedic Bioengineering, investigates the mechanobiology of musculoskeletal tissues—how mechanical loads at the tissue level are transferred to the cell level and create a biological response. He is developing tissue engineering treatment options for musculoskeletal disorders such as degenerative disc disease and osteoporotic fractures. more…
McCaig Collaborative Research Award
March 26, 2010 We are excited to announce this new award that is open to trainees within the McCaig Institute whom are supervised by an Investigator(s) who is part of the McCaig Institute. This award is meant to encourage collaborative research efforts amongst trainees in the McCaig Institute for Bone and Joint Health. Increasingly, funding agencies are supporting research endeavors put forth by multidisciplinary teams. Please click here to read more…
$250,000 Grant Awarded For Groundbreaking Ligament And Tendon Repair Research
March 01, 2010
Source: Lisa Weisenberger - American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine
Dr. Robert C. Bray of the University of Calgary was recently selected as the winner of the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine’s (AOSSM) $250,000 Ligament and Tendon Repair and Regeneration Grant for his project, “Biological Augmentation of Ligament and Tendon Healing: Role of Neuropeptides.”
Dr. Bray and his colleagues (Paul Salo, University of Calgary, and Per Renstrom and Paul Ackermann, both with the Karolinska Institutet) will conduct a series of experiments designed first to define the cellular, physiological, mechanical and structural changes in healing chronically injured tendons and ligaments and then assess the impact of blocking the action of a specific inflammatory neuropeptide, or augmenting the action of an anti-inflammatory neuropeptide. more…
Upcoming Events
Music in Motion
Join us at Music in Motion and support the McCaig Institute!
On September 21, 2010, friends and colleagues are invited to join us at a fabulous musical concert featuring The Canadian Tenors, The Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra, Tommy Banks and special guests. Proceeds from Music in Motion will support funding for the Advanced Diagnostics and Therapeutics Unit of the McCaig Institute for Bone and Joint Health and The Alberta Bone and Joint Health Institute.
Click here for more information and to purchase tickets.
The McCaig Institute holds a weekly seminar series in HRIC every Wednesday at noon. All graduate students and post-docs are required to give an annual talk on their own research project. Seminars will also include special guest speakers from outside the McCaig Institute and the University of Calgary communities. Click here for the schedule of speakers…
