CIORA
Canadian Initiative for Outcomes in Rheumatology cAre (CIORA) is a unique granting division of the CRAF that is committed to being a catalyst for improving the care of Canadians living with all rheumatic diseases. CIORA’s grant program supports sustainable projects related to:
- Academic clinical research initiatives related to all rheumatic diseases
- Clinical research initiatives for community rheumatologists related to all rheumatic diseases
CIORA will have achieved its mandate when:
- Just like cancer and diabetes, all rheumatic diseases are widely recognized by doctors, patients, government and the general population as a serious chronic illness, urgently in need of early intervention and resource allocation.
- Efficient and appropriate systems for rheumatic disease care and referrals are in place across the country.
- Optimal care is available to all Canadians who need it, regardless of where they live.
2022 Grant Recipients
Jessica Widdifield
“CIORA has been an essential part of my maturity as a researcher and has supported me throughout my career development by providing financial support as I started my early research career. As a result of receiving several CIORA project grants, the funding has allowed me to advance my career by generating a long line of research publications, and presentations, developing preliminary data for future projects and funding, and knowledge dissemination activities. These research projects have helped to shape health policy to improve access to care and strengthen rheumatology workforce capacity. Overall, I believe CIORA has been a tremendous asset to Canada’s rheumatology research community and is creating a lasting legacy.”
Dr. Claire Barber
“Receiving funding from CIORA has been instrumental in my career. It has allowed me to embark upon a research program dedicated to measuring and improving the care for individuals living with inflammatory arthritis and developing and implementing clinical tools and pathways to improve care. The funding has supported the hiring of my talented research staff, students and also enabled meaningful patient partner engagement. Early on in my career one of the first grants I received was from CIORA, the results of this work have been leveraged for two further subsequent successful CIHR grants on care quality in rheumatology. I feel strongly that I would not have the research career or impact without the support from CIORA and am deeply grateful for the funding and support for my research and my team.”