If we had to describe the past two years, we could confidently say that we have seen a flood of new clinical research activities. And that is understandable, for fostering more exchanges between the clinical areas at the Institut universitaire de gériatrie de Montréal (IUGM) and researchers at the CRIUGM was one of our priorities. All this was done in collaboration with the Advisory Board for Clinical Research (CAREC).
One result of this collaboration was the biennial presentation of clinical cases, with the goal of pooling clinicians' and researchers' expertise on a complex clinical issue. For two years now, the "CAREC Clinical Cases," directed by three experienced clinician-researchers, Drs. D. Clerc, B. Gilbert and C. Tannenbaum, have been an opportunity to discuss rare neurodegenerative forms of dementia, co-morbidities associated with cognitive disorders and differential diagnosis. This is a highly interactive event, tremendously popular with clinicians and researchers as well as students.
Each year, the clinical research department and CAREC host an event entitled La recherche clinique s'affiche, a forum that focuses on the research work carried out by the Institute's clinicians. Over the past three years, CAREC has integrated this event into the Centre's Science Day, once again encouraging exchanges between clinicians and researchers on subjects of common interest.

A new role
Another noteworthy achievement is the creation of the role of clinical liaison officer. What exactly are clinical liaison officers? They are researchers with clinical training, or an interest in clinical research, whose job it is to stimulate interaction between the Centre and a hospital department. They are supported by the Office of the Associate Director of Clinical Research, and can quickly identify researchers who are likely to be able to answer the questions raised in meetings in their departments and explain to them their departments' needs and capacities. In this way they act as catalysts, encouraging more productive relations between the research sector and the hospital.

Repositioning clinical research
Two special mandates helped to reposition clinical research priorities. First of all, in collaboration with Fouad Medouar, an action plan for structuring and encouraging contract clinical research was defined, organized and strengthened, and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) were implemented. In collaboration with Hélène Côté, we prepared exchange procedures applying to the new assessment and intervention tools resulting from research work at the Centre, to be made available to clinicians at the Institute. With these procedures, clinicians will have direct on-line access to the latest and most useful tools and findings. This initiative means that research work will quickly have a tangible impact on clinical practice. Secondly, we designed a proposed centralized bank of adults, young people and seniors wishing to take part in research work at the Centre and contribute to advancing knowledge on aging. The bank will contain the contact information and all relevant data on each individual.

Continuing CAREC support
CAREC continued to support research with rapid clinical impact. Over the 2006-2008 period, two major projects deserve mention:

• the impact of physical activity on cognition, quality of life and functional capacities of fragile elderly individuals.
• the neurobiological bases underlying the recovery of aphasic individuals following a speech therapy program.

CAREC also supported five pilot projects aimed at helping IUGM professionals benefit from the expertise of the Centre's researchers in answering questions closely related to their clinical concerns. The projects look at different subjects, ranging from screening for the risk of vitamin deficiencies in elderly patients to assessing an on-line intervention program for family caregivers and assessing continuing development of skills among orderlies. In addition, we established a publication support program, with the goal of assisting clinicians receiving CAREC support in writing scientific papers.

The importance of teamwork
Many of our researchers are working on research projects with considerable clinical relevance, most often in collaboration with clinicians or clinical researchers. For instance, their work deals with early diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease, treatment of incontinence among elderly women, memory changes associated with aging, physical or cognitive training programs to improve elderly individuals' cognition and autonomy, the role of nutrition in healthy aging, and the contribution of vascular diseases to cognitive impairments in the elderly. The different forms of clinical research at the IUGM foster innovation and encourage real sharing of expertise between the Institute's clinical and research sectors. They also help to enrich the practice of professionals working with the elderly. Finally, they make a significant contribution to the advancement of knowledge, and hence improve adapted clinical care and the development of optimal conditions for promoting the health and well-being of the elderly and their families and those around them.

Dr. Sylvie Belleville
Associate Director of Clinical Research