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The Canadian Interdisciplinary Network for CAM Research (IN-CAM) was officially launched in January 2004. This unique Canadian initiative was founded by two of Canada’s leading CAM researchers, Dr Heather Boon and Dr. Marja Verhoef. They believed that a coordinated, interdisciplinary, collaborative effort was needed to address the many gaps that exist in CAM research. They expected that a research network would provide the opportunity to foster dialogue and communication among CAM researchers, to pool resources, create and transfer CAM knowledge and awareness, and build research capacity.
Founding and developing IN-CAM was supported by a Canadian Institutes of Health Research’s (CIHR) five-year Interdisciplinary Capacity Enhancement (ICE) grant, through a unique collaboration between Health Canada’s Natural Health Products Directorate and CIHR. IN-CAM was established in 2003. An Advisory Committee (chaired by Drs. Boon and Verhoef, who continue to co-direct IN-CAM) created a five-year strategic plan to guide IN-CAM’s development. IN-CAM is indebted to the commitment of the founding members and past Advisory Board members.
IN-CAM’s major activities have focused on building research capacity, developing research priorities and a research agenda, promoting knowledge transfer and linking with relevant networks, organizations, and educational institutions to develop partnerships that further the Network's objectives.
This innovative Network has helped define a CAM research community in Canada. It has also served as a model for several other CAM networks and organization such as The Homeopathic Research Network of Canada (HomeoNet) and the Pediatric Complementary and Alternative Medicine Network (PedCAM).
Past Advisory Committee members:
John Crellin, Memorial University of Newfoundland
Sylvie Dodin, Université Laval
Trish Dryden, Centennial College
Barb Findlay, Samueli Institute,USA
Pierre Haddad, Université de Montreal
Merrijoy Kelner, University of Toronto
Anne Leis, University of Saskatchewan
Silvano Mior, Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College
Dennis O’Hara, University of Toronto
Sunita Vohra, University of Alberta
Sandy Welsh, University of Toronto
Mark Ware, McGill University
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