About ICORD: Overview

This page provides a brief overveiw of ICORD and its facilities. You can also view ICORD overviews by downloading the ICORD Info Sheet and viewing our newsletter and Annual Report.

ICORD at a glance, 2006/7

• Number of Principal Investigators (PIs): 51
• Number of Trainees: 273
• Number of Publications, April 2006 to March 2007: 386
• Total research grants held by ICORD PIs: more than $12.1 million
• Total research endowments: $18.4 million

Director

Dr. John Steeves, Professor and John & Penny Ryan BC Leadership Chair
(Please click here for a Short Biography of Dr. John Steeves)
Click here to learn more about ICORD's Associate Directors and Administrative Team.

Mission

To foster and maintain an interdisciplinary, collaborative research and training environment for the development and translation of more effective strategies to promote functional recovery and improved quality of life after spinal cord injury (SCI).

Mandate

Accelerate the discovery and translation of therapeutic strategies to promote functional repair after spinal cord injury Validate and implement evidence-based clinical/rehabilitation practices to facilitate functional recovery, improved quality of life and community reintegration for people with spinal cord injury.

What is ICORD Research?

From Cells to Community: ICORD research is anything from cellular to community level research that addresses a question concerning the promotion of improved functional outcomes and quality of life for people with spinal cord injury. ICORD's research activities span the continuum from basic, preclinical discovery, to human-based discovery, to acute clinical interventions, to chronic care and rehabilitation, to community integration and participation.

ICORD Activities

There are currently 51 principal investigators, 273 trainees and combined total of over 400 researchers (including staff) involved in ICORD research to:

• Identify mechanisms of neural development that stimulate new strategies for neural repair after adult CNS damage.
• Develop experimental therapies to facilitate functional repair of spinal cord and brain injuries.
• Evaluate new clinical treatment and management paradigms, as well as maintain comprehensive patient databases and outcomes profiles.
• Design and implement assistive devices
• Improve reintegration and participation in the communities in which people with SCI live.

ICORD also plays a leadership role in several national and international initiatives, including the ICCP's development of clinical trials guidelines for SCI, the Rick Hansen SCI Translational Research Network, and the Rick Hansen SCI Registry. ICORD is also in discussions with the World Health Organization to be a lead site in the new International Classification of Function's Core Data Set for SCI.

The Blusson Pavilion: home of ICORD's new SCI Research Centre

Construction has begun on the approximately 11,000 square meter (120,000 sq. ft), $45 million facility, located at the Vancouver General Hospital site. The building will bring ICORD's multidisciplinary researchers together under one roof where they can work closely with each other and with people spinal cord injuries. This will accelerate the discovery, development and validation of therapies and practices to promote full functional recovery and improved quality of life after spinal cord injury. The building is named after Dr. Stewart and Marilyn Blusson in recognition of their generous donation to the Rick Hansen Foundation in support of this new building, which will also house VCH's Spine Clinic, integrated SCI outpatient clinics and the Rick Hansen Foundation.

ICORD has been awarded $12.9 million from the Canadian Foundation for Innovation towards building and equipping the centre, which will attract some of the best and brightest Canadian and international research talent. Matching funds were subsequently awarded from the BC Knowledge Development Fund. Further contributions from the University of British Columbia, the Rick Hansen Foundation, Vancouver Coastal Health and the Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute have made the construction of this new facility a reality. The building is scheduled to open in Fall 2008.

ICORD Awards

• Canada Foundation for Innovation - $12.9 million
• BC Knowledge Development Fund - $12.9 million

ICORD Endowments

ICORD's research endowment's now total over $18 million. Interest earned on these permanent endowments funds key research, retains vital research talent, and helps sustain ICORD's research programs.

• John & Penny Ryan BC Leadership Chair in Spinal Cord Injury Research (held by Dr. John Steeves, Professor and Director of ICORD) = $6 million
• BC Neurotrauma Professorship Endowment (RHF; held by Dr. Matt Ramer) = $2 million
• Rick Hansen Spinal Cord Endowment (includes Rick Hansen Man in Motion Chair in SCI Research held by Dr. Wolfram Tetzlaff) = $4 million
• Cordula & Günter Paetzold Endowed Chair in Clinical Spinal Cord Research (held by Dr. Marcel Dvorak) = $3 million
• Spinal Cord Rehabilitation Endowed Chair (held by Dr. Armin Curt) = $3 million
• ICORD Trainee Endowment = $30,000