The Cassie + Friends Care and Research Network (CREW) is a bold next step in our vision of a pain-free future for all kids with juvenile arthritis and other rheumatic diseases.

About the Cassie + Friends Care and Research Network (CREW)
Our CREW is made up of youth, parents, pediatric rheumatology teams, answer-seeking champions (aka researchers) and dedicated friends who are committed to rapidly increasing research, awareness and support for children and families affected by Juvenile Arthritis (JA) and other rheumatic diseases in Canada. To date, we have directly funded over $1.5 million dollars in research and helped to secure an additional $25 million in external research funding through our support as a key patient partner.

Our goal is to get kids from diagnosis to remission as quickly, safely and as pain-free as possible.

What has our CREW
achieved to date?

• In 2021, we funded our first nine CREW grants totalling $130,000 to advance research and patient/family care in pediatric rheumatology centres across Canada.Read more about our funded projects below.
  
  
• In May 2023, we announced our second major CREW funding opportunity – an unprecedented $480,000 in new research funding made possible by a partnership with Brain Canada – as part of a coordinated strategy to transform youth mental health in pediatric rheumatic diseases over the next two to three years. Read about our Youth Mental health Strategy here or learn more about the funding opportunity with Brain Canada below.

How can you get involved?

A pain-free future for kids will take youth, families, healthcare and many friends working together in coordinated and efficient action to get the job done. Our CREW’s work happens in hospitals, schools and communities with the help of our dedicated youth and parent ambassadors. And it also happens when we speak as one strong and unrelenting voice for kids together through advocacy campaigns and as part of research studies. We hope you, too, will be inspired to join our CREW and help us transform kids’ and families’ lives. To get started, you can check out our research opportunities page and participate in a current study, make a gift in support of research or even help advocate to your school or government official. Have another idea or want to get involved as an official C+F ambassador? Email jennifer@cassieandfriends.ca

To join our CREW and support our mission to transform kids’ lives, please consider making a donation today!

Cassie + Friends and Brain Canada Announce a New $480,000 Research Partnership to Transform the Mental Health of Youth with Paediatric Rheumatic Disease.

We are thrilled to announce our new partnership with Brain Canada to fund research that will address mental health in youth with rheumatic diseases such as juvenile arthritis and lupus – conditions that affect every 3 in 1000 kids or 24,000 children across Canada. The program represents Brain Canada’s first Pediatric Rheumatology focussed partnership – a huge win for kids and families at Cassie + Friends! – and one part of our new, national Youth Mental Health Strategy.

Why are we offering this funding?

Up to 40% of youth living with pediatric rheumatic disease, and especially females, will develop mental illnesses such as anxiety and depression. Together with Brain Canada, we want to provide support to children and families living with these painful, chronic, and potentially devastating conditions, and ensure they receive timely care, including mental health screening for early identification and assessment, and treatment for their mental health needs.

What funding is being offered?

With a total funding envelope of $480,000, C+F and Brain Canada are pleased to support two team grants of $240,000 each over two years with an aim to support research that will improve our understanding of the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of mental illnesses in children and youth. Read the official press release.

Who is Brain Canada?

Brain Canada plays a unique and invaluable role as a national convenor of those who support and advance brain research. A greater understanding of how the brain works contributes to the prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and cure of disorders of the brain, ultimately improving the health outcomes of people in Canada and around the world. Visit BrainCanada.ca or @BrainCanada to learn more.

The call for applications will be announced later this Spring. For more information about the program and how to apply, please subscribe to receive funding opportunities from Brain Canada here.

2022 CREW Funding Recipients

Read about the incredible projects we were able to fund as part of our first CREW grant competition. These projects are all currently underway and anticipated to be completed in 2024. If you see your clinic or hospital name below, we highly encourage you to ask about these projects and other current research study opportunities at your next appointment! Getting involved is an amazing way to give back and help others.

“Rheum to Grow”
Getting Ready for Adult Care,
Dr. Nadia Luca,
Alberta Children’s Hospital

When youth with arthritis turn 18 and become adults, how do they access care to manage their rheumatic condition? Cassie + Friends CREW is proud to be funding the creation of an engaging and educational video for youth and families outlining the transition process in Southern Alberta that would include a showcase of adult rheumatology clinics, health care providers, and orientation to adult rheumatology care.

Complex Rheumatic Diseases in the Age of Precision Medicine, Dr. Lori Tucker, BC Children’s Hospital

This research project is aimed at developing a consensus-based approach for further testing, care and research for BC kids with suspected rheumatic disorders after initial genetic testing has failed to provide answers. Secondary purposes of the research are to educate/discover values of patients and families around genetic testing and to establish a multidisciplinary team invested in the future study of complex rheumatic diseases.

Ultrasound machine for a treat to target approach in JIA,
Dr. Johannes Roth, Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario

CHEO will be receiving funding for the acquisition of a new ultrasound machine in order to use ultrasonography as an outcome measure in a treat-to-target approach for JIA, lead research on MSK ultrasonography reliability (w/ focus on enthesitis) and continue hands-on education at the local and national level for fellows and graduates in pediatric rheumatology in Canada.

Rate of Vaccination Against COVID-19 in Children Following Hospitalization for MIS-C at a Tertiary Care Hospital, Dr. Julie Barsolou, CHU-Sainte Justine

This study is to assess the rate of vaccination against SARS-COV-2 in children following an episode of MIS-C as well as to explore other MIS-C-related factors including vaccine acceptability, recurrence of MIS-C and possible association between SARS-COV-2 vaccination and recurrence of MIS-C.

Data management to support Canadian and International JIA and rheumatology registries,
Dr. Brian Feldman,
The Hospital For Sick Children (SickKids)

Funding for a contract data manager/programmer to create a process by which SickKids data, currently only shared with the CARRA registry, can be ported into the CAN-DIO database for the purposes of sharing with other major research registries like CAPRI and PR-COIN.

Pediatric Rheumatology Previews: An Educational Video Series for Kids and Families,
Dr. Lillian Lim,
The Stollery Children’s Hospital

This project aims to create three educational online resources for pediatric rheumatology patients and their families to support their understanding of, and adherence to, the treatment plans for Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis (JIA), including home injections, steroid injections under general anaesthesia and OT/PT exercises.

Phenotype of musculoskeletal manifestations in a Canadian inception cohort of pediatric patients with inflammatory bowel disease
Dr. Roberta Berard, London Health Sciences Centre (LHSC)

This study is looking at the impact of MSK extraintestinal manifestations in pediatric patients w/ Crohn’s and IBD as well as the impact of biologics in pIBD related arthritis with the further goal of establishing a ‘first of its kind’ combined multidisciplinary pediatric gastroenterology and rheumatology clinic in Canada.

PROPER Project: Saskatchewan Pediatric Rheumatology Research Digital Presence Platform: Propelling Discovery and Innovation to Action
Dr. Alan Rosenberg, Jim Pattison Children’s Hospital

The funding for this project will be used to develop and deploy an integrated, multi-pronged digital presence to describe, disseminate, exchange, and mobilize-to-action information pertaining to Saskatchewan pediatric rheumatology research activities and results. The project also aims to increase participation, foster exchanges and heighten awareness of/advocacy for pediatric rheumatology research with the goal of engaging with funders and health policymakers.

The RADAR Study: Rheuminating about Alcohol, Drugs & sex? Assessing information needs of adolescents and young adults with rheumatic disease,
Dr. Michelle Batthish, McMaster Children’s Hospital

This study aims to identify and address gaps between the informational needs of adolescent and young adult patients with regards to the safe use of alcohol, drugs, and contraception and what is currently available to this patient population.

About the CREW Granting Program

For Community Partners:
We welcome questions and inquires about how you/your company can join our CREW as a sponsor. For more information, please email Executive Director, Jennifer Wilson at jennifer@cassieandfriends.ca.

For Researchers:
Please note, the following expenditures are NOT eligible for funding received through this funding opportunity:

• Travel
• Indirect costs associated with the conduct of research*
• Fringe benefits for students, postdoctoral fellows and clinical research fellows
• Entertainment and hospitality costs
• Membership fees, union dues

*All grant funding is to be paid in a single allocation to the grant recipient. Cassie + Friends Society shall not be responsible for any percentage or fixed fee costs payable by the grant recipient to their institution or employer for the receipt or maintenance of same.