Joint & Bone Initiative

Core Values

Collaboration

collaboration
  • Transdisciplinary research breakthroughs are made possible through cohesive participation of skilled researchers in basic and applied disciplines
  • Researchers work together to link or create new conceptual and methodological frameworks that integrate and move beyond discipline-specific approaches to address a common problem
  • Collaboration facilitates a “Molecule to Community and Back Again” approach that is fundamental at the BJI

Excellence in Innovation

excellence - rat hands
  • Discoveries are sought related to novel and creative patient-centered:
    • preventive and rehabilitative medical/surgical therapies
    • diagnostic and evaluative tools
    • medical and assistive devices for bone and joint disease
  • Clinical and cost-effective solutions are investigated
  • The development and transfer of intellectual property to private sector partners is emphasized, with the goal of contributing to thriving industries and associated economic benefits for Canadians

Education & Research Training

trainee at conference
  • The BJI team administers Western’s Collaborative Graduate Program in Musculoskeletal Health Research (CMHR)
  • There is an emphasis on research skills, leadership, mentorship, and ethics
  • The program offers integrated, interdisciplinary training, and combines technology, mechanistic research, ethical considerations, and clinical applications in a real-world context
  • Through CMHR, the BJI will help to produce the next generation of MSK research leaders

Knowledge Translation

trainees in scrubs
  • Translation and exchange of innovative discoveries are key to having a global impact on the burden of MSK conditions
  • Efficiently moving new knowledge from the laboratory to the marketplace, clinic, and community is a priority
  • BJI is focused on guiding policy related to bone and joint healthcare
values collage