About Partners in Research    

Most people just see a mouse. We see a cure for cancer.

Partners In Research (PIR) is a national Canadian charity established in 1988 to educate the lay public - particularly young people - about the history, importance, accomplishments and promise of health research in all its aspects.

Our mandate is to educate the public, especially primary and secondary school students, on issues relating to biomedicalbased health research - including its past history, recent advances in medical research, and the crucial role of biomedical research in all medical advances.

Specifically, we have five goals:

• To Provide evidence-based information about the nature, importance and promise of health research.

• To build and strengthen partnerships with the research community and health-related organizations.

• To encourage our researchers to communicate publicly about the nature and importance of their research.

• To stimulate interest in - and encourage the pursuit of - health research, particularly among the young.

• To celebrate the achievements of Canadian health research.

---

Partners in Research at work:

Public Outreach

• Our Speakers Bureau has reached several thousand people in interactive dialogue. We have recently added to the topic menu offered through our London Speakers’ Bureau, which serves Southwestern Ontario, and that model is now under development for the Greater Toronto area.

• We have established working chapters in Toronto, London and Ottawa to advance lay biomedical science educational initiatives.

• We initiated the Medical Miracle Movement in Canada. Its members are made up of people living a quality life today because of the miracles of medical science.

Professional Liaison Activity:

• We enjoy a collaborative relationship with the Friends of Canadian Institutes of Health Research (FCIHR), particularly in the areas of educational initiatives and joint fund-raising activities. Our two organizations collaborate annually on 16-month educational calendars, which have been sent to a number of high-schools across Canada and can be downloaded from this site.

• We maintain an active liaison with several of the larger single disease groups in Canada.

• We actively collaborate with similar educational organizations in Canada, the U.S.A. and Great Britain.

• We contribute actively to the international knowledge base of scientific facts about medical research, for the benefit of the general public.

• We are a partner in ‘The Scientific Journey’ - an annual lecture series at The University of Western Ontario, Canada, open to students and all members of the general public, featuring contemporary scientific and medical topics.

• We played an active role on the planning committees for Health Research Awareness Week (1999) and National Health Research Awareness Month (October, 2000). Partners’ involvement in these projects was in the educational sector, guiding the development of an educational calendar featuring historical and contemporary Canadian medical researchers. The calendars, available in English and French, were distributed to high schools across the country.

Educational Outreach:

• This educational website has become a comprehensive reference and a significant public resource on lay educational medical science topics. Currently under development is a “Download Gallery” which will make all of our printed materials available online. Thousands of visitors, from over 100 countries, continue to utilize the site.

• We offer a High-School Curriculum designed for teachers, as well as a Grade-School Curriculum supplement entitled “Animals Helping Animals” (the first of three segments). These curricula are available in print and online.

• Our award-winning video (Columbus Film Festival) entitled “Biomedical Research: Is It Really Necessary?” conveys historical and contemporary information about the medical sciences, and has been placed in schools across Canada. The accompanying Teacher’s Guide expands on the information provided throughout the video. The video has recently been tri-segmentized to improve its tutorial capabilities. Click here to order.

• We sponsor essay contests in the Greater Toronto Area and in Southwestern Ontario. This educational initiative is offered under the banner of “Pathways to Discovery: The Role of Biomedical Research in Canadian Society.”

• We have produced and distributed several thousand copies of “Let’s Visit a Research Laboratory” – a lesson plan and colourful poster kit for grades two through five. This kit was designed by the U.S. National Institutes of Mental Health,and PIR was granted permission to modify it for Canadian schools. The kit, also featured online, is available in print in both French and English.

• In response to ongoing student requests, we maintain a resource library to supply a wide variety of educational materials to Canadian students.

• Our grade school curriculum will soon include a package in three segments: Grades 2-3 (“The Lucky Puppy”); Grades 4-6 (“Animals Helping Animals” – nowonline); Grades 7-8 (“The Challenge: Treating Sickness and Diseases in Animals and People”).

• We produce a biannual newsletter, ‘The Partner,’ featuring educational articles and updates.

Awards and Recognition - We Have:

What would their lives be without animal research? About 25 years shorter.

Established the Biomedical Science Ambassador Award, which is designed to recognize individuals, both lay and scientific, for their exceptional contribution in advancing the understanding of and support for health research. Awardees are individuals who have made stellar contributions and whose influence radiates from the strength and outreach of their personalities and commitment. To date, there have been 11 recipients in the lay category and 10 in the scientific category, from all across Canada.

Partners In Research can serve as an educational resource for teachers. Individualized information packages about biomedical research can be prepared on request.

Additionally, our Speakers Bureau would welcome the opportunity to assist in identifying research professionals in your area willing to volunteer their time to speak to classroom audiences and community organizations about all aspects of research in the biomedical sciences. PIR has, on occasion, facilitated arrangements for field trips for students and teachers to visit or connect with research facilities in their area.

Contact us to order our educational materials (or request a speaker) for your school.

---

Search Here!

Match ALL words Match ANY word

---

About This Site

This site has been designed to be compatible with Microsoft Explorer, Netscape Navigator and Opera browsers. It can be viewed at any resolution -- though 800 x 600 pixels or higher is optimum. This site has also been designed to work on small screens using Opera's "View>Small Screen" option. All external links have been configured to open a new window so finding your way back should be easier.

Some downloads on this site will require specific software to view:

Download Adobe Acrobat Reader HERE

If you need a new browser:

Download Netscape Navigator HERE	Download Internet Explorer HERE
Download Opera HERE

 

If you have comments, questions or suggestions about the workings of this site please contact the webmaster.

Thank you for enjoying the Partners in Research web site!

---

Credits

Partners in Research is indebted to the Massachusetts Society for Medical Research (MSMR) for granting permission to paraphrase, reproduce and use statistics from sections of their manual, "People and Animals: United for Health."

This manual has proven to be one of the most detailed publications available on the subject of biomedical research. It is available directly from MSMR for a cost of $100.00 (U.S.). Large quantities (i.e. for workshops) can be sold to institutions at a reduced cost.

In addition, MSMR offers a "Critical and Creative Thinking Activities" manual, for $15.00, which walks teachers as well as speakers through various ways to introduce these concepts to all age groups.

More information on these and other resources is available at:

Massachusetts Society for Medical Research
73 Princeton Street, Suite 311
North Chemlsford, Massachusetts
United States of America
01863

Phone: (508) 251-1556
Fax: (508) 251-7683

Partners in Research also wishes to thank the following organizations for their support, cooperation, and permission to use information from their printed materials as resources:

• American Medical Association
• Canadian Council on Animal Care
• Canadian Foundation for AIDS Research
• Canadians for Health Research (Email: chrpat@total.net)
• Foundation for Biomedical Research
• Health Canada (Health Protection Branch)
• Michigan Society for Medical Research (MISMR)
• Ontario Farm Animal Council
• Seriously Ill For Medical Research (SIMR)
• University of Western Ontario
• U.S. Department of Health and Human Services