CORD
(Collaboration On Repair Discoveries)
Formed in 1995,
CORD is an Inter-departmental / Inter-Faculty Research Group concerned with
neurotrauma (spinal cord and brain injuries). Current faculty members hold
appointments in the Faculties of Science, Medicine, Applied Science and
Education. We are also recognized as the dedicated neurotrauma research group
by Vancouver Hospital and Health Sciences Centre.
Members of CORD
provide information to the community on all aspects of neurotrauma injury,
clinical care, and research advances to improve the outcomes of neurotrauma
disabilities. This information is geared towards patients, families and
friends of people with neurotrauma injuries (spinal cord and brain damage), as
well as, hopefully, stimulating UBC colleagues (traditionally outside the
field of neurotrauma or neuroscience) to bring their expertise and experience
to issues and problems associated with neural disabilities
Funded by
research grants, endowments, university funding and fundraising, CORD receives
the generous support of several UBC departments and faculties, the Rick Hansen
Institute and the Vancouver Hospital and Health Sciences Centre.
Several issues face CORD as we move into the future, the two most important being access to coordinated administration for research planning and priorities, the dissemination of information, and access or delivery of services, and the need for contiguous research space for CORD members to encourage the valuable interaction and collaboration between faculty and students. We hope that CORD can serve as an example to the Faculties and Departments at UBC of how, with adequate support, inter-faculty activities can strengthen the delivery of education, research and service programs.
To address
the challenges of neurotrauma injuries (in general) and spinal cord injuries
(in particular) as well as to facilitate rapid development of effective
therapies, while providing the best environment for training highly qualified
personnel, CORD will advance innovative:
·
basic science research,
·
applied clinical care,
·
rehabilitation programs, and
·
neurotrauma prevention programs.
·
Identify the mechanisms of neural
development that would stimulate new strategies for neural repair after adult
spinal cord damage,
·
Develop experimental therapies to
facilitate functional repair of spinal cord injuries.
·
Evaluate new clinical treatment and
management paradigms, as well as maintain comprehensive patient databases and
outcomes profiles.
·
Participate with community partners in
the design and implementation of assistive devices and evidence-based
rehabilitation programs to speed re-activeation of a fulfilling life-style.
·
Develop effective injury prevention
programs, especially those related to young people.
In September
1995, CORD was officially identified as a dedicated research group. Since
then, CORD has developed rapidly and currently comprises 18 affiliated UBC
faculty and VH&HSC members and more than 60 trainees (graduate students
and fellows), primarily within the Faculties of Science, Applied Science and
Medicine. Research grants and training fellowships obtained by CORD members
exceed $2.3 million dollars per year. CORD members have been the recipients of
numerous national and international honours.
In addition,
with the support of The Rick Hansen Institute (RHI), The BC Neurotrauma Fund,
UBC and individual donations, CORD has benefited from the establishment of
endowments totaling over $7 million dollars. The BC Provincial government
created an ongoing $2 million /
year fund (The BC Neurotrauma Fund) to provide dedicated support for BC
programs directed to the prevention, rehabilitation and research of spinal
cord and brain injuries (i.e. neurotrauma).
CORD was an
active participant in helping RHI to create the BC Neurotrauma Fund.
John Steeves (Zoology/Neurosurgery/Anatomy) –
Biomedical Research
Trainees and Technicians:
|
Roya Azanchi (M.Sc.) |
Greg Gillespie (M.Sc.) |
John McGraw (Ph.D.) |
|
Giovanna Bernal (B.Sc.) |
Jacqui Hudson (B.Sc.) |
Rishard Salie (Ph.D.) |
|
Jaimie Borisoff (Ph.D.) |
Leanne Lewis (M.Sc.) |
Darren Sutherland (Tech) |
Other Staff:
Jason Dyer (Research Assoc.) Cheryl Niamath (Admin Assistant)
Wolfram Tetzlaff (Zoology/Neurosurgery) -
Biomedical Research
Trainees and Technicians:
|
Carmen Chan (M.Sc.) |
Oren Oschipok (Ph.D.) |
Jackie Vanderluit (Ph.D.) |
|
Kourosh Khodarahmi (M.Sc.) |
Ward Plunet (Ph.D.) |
Chris McBride (Post-doc) |
|
Brian Kwon (M.Sc.) |
Egidio Spinelli (M.Sc.) |
Jie Liu (Research Assoc.) |
|
Lowell McPhail (Ph.D.) |
Dave Stirling (M.Sc.) |
Gordon Hiebert (Research Assoc.) |
Vanessa Auld (Zoology) - Biomedical Research
Trainees and Technicians:
|
Joost Schulte (PhD) |
Christina MacKinnon (Ph.D.) |
Mary Gilbert (PDF) |
|
Katherine Sepp (PDF) |
Claudia Salinas technician |
Dennis Venema (Ph.D.) |
Tim O’Connor (Anatomy/Zoology) - Biomedical Research
Trainees and Technicians:
|
Jennifer Bonner, (Ph. D) |
Thorlief Thorlin, (PDF) |
Vincent Chan, (B.Sc.) |
|
Arthur Legg, (M. Sc.) |
Winnie Wang, PDF/Tech |
|
|
Eve Boileau, (M. Sc.) |
Kim Gerrow, Tech. |
|
Jane Roskams (Psychiatry/Zoology) - Biomedical
Research
Trainees and Technicians:
|
Edmund Au |
Jimmy Thai (B.Sc. Hon) |
Hannder Janjua (B.Sc. Hon) |
|
Catherine Cowan (PhD.) |
Jenny Cheng (PhD) |
Joellen Fuong (B.Sc. Hon) |
|
Lindsay Carter (PhD) |
Lisa Garcia (B.Sc.) |
Kenny To (B.Sc. Hon) |
Philip Horner (starting Jan 1, 2001 – CORD / Zoology / Neurosurgery) – Biomedical Research
Marcel
Dvorak (Orthopaedics) – Clinically Applied
Trainees and Technicians:
|
M Kim (M.Sc.) |
H Underwood, MD, |
Charles Fisher (Orthopaedics) – Clinically Applied |
|
L Inster (M.Sc.) |
B Ott, (M.Sc.) |
|
Thomas Oxland (Orthopaedics / Mechanical Engineering)
– Clinically Applied
Trainees and
technicians:
|
P. Grant |
H. Frei |
W.
Taha |
|
Choo |
D. Liu |
Chang |
|
Speirs |
T.
Pitzen |
Z.
Jehta |
|
T. Nydegger |
D.
Blanchette |
D.
Samarasekera |
Linda Siegel (Education) – Clinically Applied
Trainees and
technicians:
|
Kaveh Farrokh (PhD) |
Pam Ottley |
Winnifred Tang |
|
Kim Koh |
Nonie Lesaux (MA) |
Joanna Lee (MEd) |
|
Orly Lipka |
Kim Kozuki |
Ayala Reshef |
Peter Wing (Orthopaedics) – Clinically Applied
Tom Zwimpfer (Neurosurgery / Zoology) – Clinically
Applied
Some
grants currently held by CORD members in the Zoology Department:
|
Wolfram Tetzalff |
||||
|
MRC |
Operating |
1999-2001 |
$84,400/yr |
|
|
BC-Neurotrauma Foundation |
Operating |
1998-2000 |
$59,000/yr |
|
|
BC-Neurotrauma Foundation |
Operating |
1999 |
$35,000/yr |
|
|
BC-Neurotrauma Foundation (shared with Dr.
Steeves) |
Operation |
1999-2000 |
$60,000/yr |
|
|
CNRP |
Operation |
2000-2002 |
$74,000/yr |
|
|
John Steeves |
||||
|
MRC |
Operating |
1998-2001 |
$98,000/yr |
|
|
BC Neurotrauma Fund (shared with Wolfram Tetzlaff) |
Operating |
1999-2001 |
$60,000/yr |
|
|
CNRP |
Operating |
2000-2002 |
$50,300/yr |
|
|
BC Neurotrauma Fund |
Operating |
2000 |
$60,000/yr |
|
|
Vanessa Auld |
||||
|
CIHR |
Operating |
2000-2003 |
$68,000/yr |
|
|
BC Neurotrauma Fund |
Operating |
1999-2000 |
$60,000/yr |
|
|
CNRP |
Operating |
2000-2002 |
$70,700/yr |
|
|
NSERC |
Operating |
1996-2000 |
$30,000/yr |
|
|
HHMI |
International Scholars Operating Grant |
1997-2001 |
US$55,000/yr |
|
Zoology graduate students working with CORD Faculty members received $88,000 in studentships and travel / research grants from the BC Neurotrauma Fund in 1999, and $110,000 in 2000. In addition to this, Post-doctoral Research Fellows working with CORD faculty received almost $130,000 in grant support in 2000.
In addition to research grants, CORD has endowments totaling more than $7 million.
More information about CORD and its researchers is available at http://cord.ubc.ca