Staying the course: the Captain's Log continues.

This paper introduces the reader to the context for the papers in this journal supplement by describing the background and task assigned to the authors, a short history of the development of the field of literacy and health in Canada, some recent developments and opportunities, some information on the nature and magnitude of the issue, and an overview of the supplement. The publication results from the Second Canadian Conference on Literacy and Health. Authors were asked to summarize what was learned at the conference, what we need to know, and what we need to do to move the field forward in relation to the themes of the conference.

Leaders' forum on health research in Canada: the urgent need for innovation.

In the fall of 2003, the Council for Health Research in Canada (CHRC) formed a Leaders' Forum Steering Committee, a multi-sectoral partnership representing organizations and agencies at both the federal and provincial levels, that strongly believed it was time to bring health research leaders together to take stock of our accomplishments, identify our challenges and discuss future directions.