Thank you, and good afternoon.
We are here to explain what our research institute can do in the research field for veterans. I'll start with a short background and then Dr. Cramm will carry on with some more specific examples.
The Canadian Institute for Military and Veteran Health Research was founded in 2010 and is now composed of 42 university members, which includes about 1,000 active researchers in military, veteran, and family health. What we do is bring the efforts of all the researchers together so that they can better inform policies and practices. We are here right now to talk about what our researchers do, what they produce, and what they publish to better inform policies and practices as opposed to saying what our own personal research projects are.
It's really important for the institute to ensure the knowledge translation of our products, meaning the publication of it, so that it goes as rapidly as possible from research to practices. For us to participate in parliamentary testimony like this is extremely important.
Because the main topic today is on transition, even though it is a pluri-disciplinary institute, we do have a lot of research that is being produced on the transition from military to veteran, to civilian life. It is a priority area for many university researchers as well as for the government, so we are lucky enough to have government advisers who tell our researchers what their needs are and what they need to know about transitions, and then researchers who can produce, at arm's length, the evidence-based and informed-based data.
Actually just last year there were three research projects that were completed under a contract we have through Public Works with DND and Veterans Affairs Canada. It allowed us to build knowledge around what constitutes a good transition, a successful transition; what mental health might look like during that transition; and what kinds of programs and supports are available during that time. All this has been published and it's on our website.
Right now there is another project that continues to build that knowledge around transition. It's a work-in-progress, and this is where Dr. Cramm could give a bit more detail.