Most people just see a mouse.
We see a cure for cancer.
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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
biomedical-based 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:
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.
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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.
About This Site
This site has been designed to be compatible with
Firefox, Netscape, Opera and Microsoft Explorer 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
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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:
