Basic Science in IBD

As part of Crohn’s and Colitis Canada’s efforts to reach our Promise of finding the cure(s) for Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, Crohn’s and Colitis Canada and the co-Chairs of Meeting of the Minds are pleased to welcome year 2 of the basic science stream of Meeting of the Minds conference.

The Basic Science in IBD meeting is joining the 12th successful annual national event, Meeting of the Minds, comprised of Mentoring in IBD XXV and Canada Future Directions in IBD.

Basic Science in IBD will convene parallel to the Mentoring in IBD XXV (MIIBDXXV) program on Day 1. On Day 2, Canada Future Directions in IBD (CFD) will include bench-to-bedside research topics and raise questions to encourage and promote multidisciplinary collaboration among laboratory and clinical researchers and clinicians. With this in mind, some topics covered in Basic Science in IBD will be carried forward to CFD for further exploration. The goal of collaboration is to identify and support unmet clinical needs with research, and translate research into practice.

We are very excited to have the Basic Science stream to answer an unmet need for Canadian scientists and researchers in the field of IBD. This opens up an opportunity for shared knowledge and discussion among International and Canadian scientists in an intimate setting.

Basic Science in IBD is partially funded by unrestricted educational grants.

Co-Chairs

Heather Armstrong, MSc PhD
Assistant Professor and Tier 2 CRC
Max Rady College of Medicine
Department of Internal Medicine
University of Manitoba
Winnipeg, MB​

Jean-Eric Ghia, PhD HDR CAGF AGAF 
Professor
Director, Micro-Diploma Science Communication
Director, Gastrointestinal Basic Biology Research
IBD Clinical & Research Centre
Department of Immunology, Internal Medicine Section of Gastroenterology
Max Rady College of Medicine, Rady Faculty of Health Sciences
University of Manitoba
President, Alliance Française Manitoba
Vice-Président, Acfas-Manitoba
Winnipeg, MB

  • Canada has among the highest incidence rates of Crohn's and colitis in the world.
  • 1 in 140 Canadians lives with Crohn’s or colitis.
  • Families new to Canada are developing these diseases for the first time.
  • Incidence of Crohn’s in Canadian kids under 10 has doubled since 1995.
  • People are most commonly diagnosed before age 30.