Our Vision

Vision:

A world without Arthritis and preventable bone and joint injuries

Mission:

To achieve our vision through excellence in research and education

Motto:

Pain-free mobility for life

What does the McCaig Institute logo represent?

The grey and yellow curves that together, make up the McCaig Institute logo, are intended to illustrate the two opposing surfaces in any diarthroses or synovial joint (shoulder, elbow, hip, knuckle, knee, ankle). In reality, the two surfaces of these various joints throughout our bodies differ in form because of the diverse functions they are required to perform to allow us to move freely however, the McCaig logo has been chosen to represent a simplified version of this concept.

Explaining the Differences

Alberta Bone and Joint Institute and The McCaig Institute

Overview: This very brief overview explains some similarities and differences between two different – but linked -Institutes within the University and the Health Care system in Alberta which cooperate with each other but which have different objectives and accountabilities. The two Institutes are “The McCaig Institute for Bone and Joint Health” and the second is the “Alberta Bone and Joint Health Institute”. Both Institutes share a similar overall objective: to improve the care of people with musculoskeletal (bone and joint) injuries and diseases. As Figure 1 shows, the two Institutes address overlapping parts of a continuum.

ABJHI is working at the clinical problem end of the health care spectrum by supporting processes that lead to clinical system redesigns, system analysis and supporting clinical decisions (and education) with evidence. It does no ‘research’ per se but it does support and small number of McCaig Institute members.

The McCaig Institute has >20 Investigators contributing new knowledge through basic and applied research on bone and joint injuries and diseases. The new knowledge at the base will hopefully be moved up the pyramid more quickly by having a ‘receptor’ for the research at the top who can help the health system test it in the ‘real world’. See the current McCaig Institute report and strategic plan

The McCaig Institute is a University-based multidisciplinary laboratory effort – aimed almost solely at doing basic science research (and related education of graduate students) – to find the causes and cures of bone and joint injuries and diseases in the laboratory. It is currently based mainly within the University of Calgary (currently with only a few researchers at the U of A). It is currently aspiring to add leadership in Edmonton and more U of A members so that it can become a pan-Alberta research effort. The McCaig Institute currently has members in 4 Faculties at the UofC and is accountable to the University of Calgary for its productivity.

McCaig Institute progress is measured annually by the number of researchers funded, by their national peer reviewed grants attracted (numbers and dollar amounts), by the number and quality of their peer-reviewed papers published and by the number and quality of the students they train each year. The McCaig Institute thus advances new knowledge in diagnosing and treating bone and joint injury and diseases and creates more research capacity by training people to do bone and joint research.

The Alberta Bone and Joint Health Institute (ABJHI) is a small provincial non-University, not-for-profit entity in the province of Alberta (formed in 2004). It currently leases space at the U of Calgary and is doing some specific contract work for AHS (and others). Its purpose is to provide decision support and consulting support for improvement in the delivery of health care for bone and joint problems via: evidence reviews, care pathway redesigns, measurement of clinical performance, modelling and sharing of best practices within a clinical network of services. While ABJHI does no laboratory research it does work closely with members of the McCaig Institute who are health services researchers (studying how to improve the health care system). Expanding this cadre of researchers at both the U of C and the U of A is a current ABJHI goal.

“Maecenas blandit ultrices consequat. Phasellus purus urna, accumsan sit amet elementum in, consequat sed mauris. Ut vitae egestas enim. Proin odio quam, malesuada sit amet aliquam at, tincidunt vel eros.”