Forrest, Jean

This article was originally published on The Faculty of Medicine’s website. View the original article here.

Karim Khan, Professor in the Department of Family Practice and outgoing Co-Director of the Centre for Hip Health and Mobility, has been appointed the new Scientific Director of the Institute of Musculoskeletal Health and Arthritis of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR).

Dr. Khan, who assumes the role October 1, will work with the Canadian musculoskeletal, skin and oral health communities to identify research priorities, develop research funding opportunities, build partnerships and translate research evidence into policy and practice to improve the health of Canadians and people around the world. Finally, as a member of CIHR’s leadership team, he will participate in setting and implementing CIHR’s strategic direction.

In keeping with his new role, Dr. Khan will step down from his co-leadership role (which he shares with Pierre Guy) at the Centre for Hip Health and Mobility which has received major funding from the Canada Foundation for Innovation. He will continue to pursue his research responsibilities in the Faculty of Medicine and the Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute on a half-time basis.

“There are preventive measures and existing solutions to musculoskeletal, joint, skin and teeth problems,” Dr. Khan said. “I look forward to working with my colleagues at CIHR, community partners and patients to improve the health of Canadians through knowledge translation and new discoveries.”

Dr. Khan has been a professor at UBC since 2000, where he also holds an appointment in the School of Kinesiology. He has co-authored the best-selling textbook “Brukner & Khan’s Clinical Sports Medicine,” now in its fifth edition, and has a track record of over 300 highly cited peer-reviewed publications.

Since 2008, Dr. Khan has also been the editor-in-chief of the high-impact British Journal of Sports Medicine (BJSM). In the pursuit of knowledge translation and stakeholder engagement, he established the BJSM social media accounts, podcast and blog that have reached millions of viewers and listeners.

“I’m grateful to Dr. Karim Khan for accepting the position of Scientific Director of the CIHR Institute of Musculoskeletal Health and Arthritis,” said Roderick McInnes, CIHR’s Acting President. “Dr. Khan is truly a leader in his field and his appointment is both a boon for CIHR, which has gained a new expert voice around its management table, and to patients living with musculoskeletal health conditions.”

Musculoskeletal conditions affect 11 million Canadians over the age of 12, and this number is expected to rise as the baby boomer generation ages. Conditions include: osteoporosis, which is estimated to affect 1.5 million Canadians; arthritis, which strikes more than 4.2 million Canadians; psoriasis, a chronic skin condition which affects nearly 1 million Canadians; tooth decay and periodontal disease, which causes millions of Canadians to lose teeth, endure pain and develop oral infections.

“Karim Khan’s appointment to this important national post is a reflection of his enormous contributions to the field, especially in promoting physical activity for public health,” said Robert McMaster, the Interim Executive Associate Dean, Research, the Vice President, Research for Vancouver Coastal Health and the Executive Director of the Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute, which includes the Centre for Hip Health and Mobility. “Canadian efforts to improve musculoskeletal health and arthritis will be in good hands with Dr. Khan, and we expect his skills in knowledge translation and public engagement will prove immensely useful in this new role.”