Maternal, Infant, Child & Youth Research Network (MICYRN)

In 2006, the CCYHC identified a national clinical research network as a top priority and established the Maternal, Infant, Child, and Youth Research Network (MICYRN). MICYRN is a multi-disciplinary initiative to support world-class clinical research nationwide. It is believed that the synergistic strength gained from a formal collaborative network of leading researchers and integrated infrastructure will spur tremendous advances unattainable by individual groups.

MICYRN’s primary objectives are to build innovative platforms to address gaps in the clinical research environment through the establishment of core programs in research partnerships, training, knowledge translation, research methods, research ethics and regulatory affairs, and funding partnerships. This network also sets out to establish integrated access to innovative tools in data management, genomics, and biobanking.

MICYRN has the capacity to improve the health of virtually every mother and child in the country through creating an environment of innovation, research efficiency and effective application of new discoveries to policy and practice.

Through this collaboration, MICYRN will achieve the following:

• Increase the speed of research advancement through access to larger numbers of specific patient populations.
• Establish a coordinated infrastructure for clinical research that will translate into increased efficiency and competitiveness for research grant funds.
• Address the common ethical challenges related to conducting clinical research in children and youth.
• Focus on the development of clinical investigators and high quality research staff to significantly increase training and career development opportunities in the field, thereby attracting outstanding clinical scientists to tackle important problems for children and youth.
• Position Canada as an international leader in clinical research related to child and youth health.

Specific goals of MICYRN are to:

• Support high-quality, multi-centre, trans-disciplinary projects in clinical research
• Enable new Canadian research capacity through linkages of existing infrastructure and expertise and minimization of resource duplication
• Identify and remove or reduce barriers to clinical research
• Identify gaps and needs in existing infrastructure and expertise and develop innovative approaches to filling these gaps
• Build trust among diverse national stakeholders by encouraging contributions by all clinical researchers and research centres, regardless of size, and representing a broad array of research specializations
• Determine the optimal training pathways needed to enable clinician investigators to translate biological discoveries into innovative diagnostic and therapeutic strategies
• Have a significant impact on researcher career development through active and on-going mentorship, training, education, and knowledge transfer
• Include groups and initiatives from across the continuum of care, in both hospital-based and community settings
  

Please see the MICYRN Executive Summary for a complete rationale and outline of the program development plan.

Steps taken thus far to establish the Maternal, Infant, Child & Youth Research Network are as follows:

• Selection of Leader: A Coalition sub-committee was charged with identifying a leader for MICYRN and, after a national search and interview process, Dr. Terry Klassen was selected in the spring of 2006.

• Establishment of a Steering Committee: Dr. Klassen then established a national Steering Committee and a sub-committee structure for MICYRN. Chairs have now been identified for each sub-committee and committee members are being added as the work plan continues to be established. The Steering Committee has held two face-to-face planning meetings in Winnipeg and Vancouver and is now meeting monthly by teleconference.

• Establishment of a governance structure: The CCYHC has worked with Dr. Klassen to establish a governance structure that allows MICYRN to manage the development and operation of MICYRN while being fully accountable to the Coalition Steering Committee. MICYRN Steering Committee will be responsible for major allocation decisions and Dr. Klassen will report to the Coalition Steering Committee on a regular basis with regard to program progress and financial expenditures. Via the Coalition Secretariat, all of the Coalition partner organizations will receive regular updates on progress.