Research

Research Partnerships

DMRF Canada proudly partners with the DMRF in the United States in funding the best world-wide research.  Since 1976 this collaberation has funded over 400 grants awarding $22 million in research funding.

The Canadian Institutes of Health Research through its SHOPP program, partners with DMRF Canada in funding excellent Canadian Research. 

DMRF Research

Dystonia Medical Research Foundation (DMRF) prides itself on a long history of supporting dystonia research. Always the primary goal of the DMRF, research has led to a better understanding of dystonia as well as to breakthroughs in genetics and therapeutics.

The DMRF has a long history of funding research.The funding which researchers obtain from the DMRF usually serves as "seed money" before generating even greater funding from the National Institutes of Health.Beyond the funding of research, the scientific program of the DMRF is multi-faceted, encompassing workshops, a residency elective program, and international medical symposiums, all to further the understanding of dystonia.

DMRF Canada and DMRF in the United states share a Medical and Scientific Advisory Council.

The Medical and Scientific Advisory Council (MSAC) is comprised of pre-eminent researchers and clinicians from various scientific disciplines. At any one time, the MSAC has 25 to 30 scientists from the United States, Canada and Europe.

The members are responsible not only for grant review but also for setting the direction of the research to find more effective treatments and ultimately a cure. Each member serves a four-year term, and the Scientific Director serves approximately eight to ten years.

DMRF research projects are funded in part by the Bachmann-Strauss Dystonia & Parkinson Foundation, Inc. We gratefully acknowledge their support.
 

Canadian Institutes of Health Research

 The Dystonia Medical Research Foundation Canada (DMRFC) has taken a significant leap towards increasing the visibility of the debilitating neurological disorder it represents, in government and across Canada.

DMRFC has entered into a valuable new partnership with the Canadian Institute of Health Research’s Small Health Organization Partnership Program (CIHR-SHOPP), an initiative which supports small, national health organizations by co-funding training and salary awards.

The Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) is the major federal agency responsible for funding health research in Canada.

To ensure the excellence of the research CIHR funds, applications to CIHR for funding of research projects are evaluated by peer review. Peer review is carried out by committees of experts (grants committees) . Peer review system ensures that CIHR's funding process is fair and open, that taxpayers' money is spent wisely, and only the best and brightest researchers are funded:

The objective of the SHOPP program is to help advance research of small not-for-profit organizations that have modest health research funding capacity and to provide a simple and efficient mechanism for CIHR to partner with these organizations.