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About the CIP

CIP LOGO with a stethoscope and a microscope with the words Clinician Investigator Program

The ±«ÓãÖ±²¥ Clinician Investigator Program (CIP) is designed to provide current medical residents with an integrated pathway to pursue careers as clinician-scientists. The RCPSC-accredited program combines clinical training with two years of rigorous research experience, aiming to foster a strong foundation in both clinical practice and scientific inquiry.

The purpose of the CIP is to train and support physicians who are interested in conducting clinical or translational research alongside their clinical responsibilities. This program enables residents to develop the necessary skills and knowledge to contribute to medical research, advance patient care, and make valuable scientific discoveries.

Overall, the CIP at ±«ÓãÖ±²¥ offers a comprehensive and structured training experience that prepares residents to excel as clinician-scientists, combining their clinical expertise with research skills to drive advancements in medicine and patient care.


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CIP Training Pathways

  1. CONTINUOUS TRAININGÌý(CT) Pathway:

    The most conventional approach to completing the CIP is to conduct two (2) consecutive years (24 months) of research during or at the end of the residents’ subspecialty program.

  2. FRACTIONATED TRAINING (FT) Pathway:

    This approach is intended to distribute two (2) years of research time over the duration of their residency training, where the first year of research is dispersed into 3-month blocks or longer, and the second year is achieved as one continuous full year (12 months) of research training. The FT option is aimed at individuals who wish to pursue a research project that requires more than two years to plan, obtain research ethics board approval, and complete the project. This pathway is suitable for clinical research, and projects involving patient recruitment.
  3. DISTRIBUTIVE CURRICULUM TRAINING (DCT) Pathway:

    This path is aimed at residents with a strong background in research (e.g. MD/PhD graduates) prior to entering a residency program. In the DCT pathway, there is a coordinated entry into the PGY1 year for both CIP and the specialty program. This pathway provides a way for skilled clinician researchers to integrate clinical training with research by maintaining research momentum throughout the entire duration of their clinical residency program.

Goals & Objectives

Overall, the intent of the CIP is to provide medical residents with the knowledge and skills necessary to pursue a successful career in health research. The CIP aims to integrate clinical practice with research, allowing residents to develop expertise in both areas as clinician-scientists. The program seeks to bridge the gap between clinical medicine and scientific inquiry, fostering a deeper understanding of how research can inform and improve patient care.

The education goals and objectives of the CIP include:

MEDICAL EXPERT

  1. Practice medicine within their defined scope of practice and expertise
    • Demonstrate a commitment to high-quality care of their patients and high-quality health research
    • Integrate the CanMEDS Intrinsic Roles into their practice
    • Apply knowledge relevant to their discipline and their research
    • Perform scholarly work
    • Carry out professional duties in the face of multiple competing demands
    • Recognize and respond to the complexity, uncertainty, and ambiguity inherent in medical practice and in research

COMMUNICATOR

  1. Share information about participation in a research study, including risks, benefits, and alternatives to participation
    • Solicit and answer questions from the potential participant
    • Obtain and document informed consent, explaining the risks and benefits of, and the rationale for, participation in a study
    • Share information with participants about the outcome or findings of the research study

COLLABORATOR

  1. Work effectively with physicians, scientists, and other colleagues in the health-care professions and health research
    • Identify collaborators with the skills and resources needed to carry out a study
    • Form a research team, including staff, collaborators, and mentors
    • Consult with statisticians, methodologists, and other experts as applicable
    • Collaborate with colleagues, technicians, and students in the conduct of a research study
    • Build and maintain partnerships and networks
  1. Work with physicians, scientists, and other colleagues in the health care professions and health research to promote understanding, manage differences, and resolve conflicts
    • Show respect toward collaborators
    • Implement strategies to promote understanding, manage differences, and resolve conflict in a manner that supports a collaborative culture

LEADER

  1. Contribute to the improvement of health care delivery
    • Apply scholarly investigative methods to contribute to improving patient care
  1. Engage in the stewardship of health research resources
  1. Demonstrate leadership in research
    • Manage and/or lead research teams and projects, engaging with the larger research enterprise
    • Engage in quality management of research performed by their team
    • Plan and lead team meetings
    • Perform critical analysis of methodology, relevance, and novelty for manuscripts, journal articles, and/or grant review processes
    • Provide constructive feedback in peer review activities
    • Demonstrate leadership skills to enhance health research
  1. Manage career planning, finances, and health human resources in research activities
    • Set priorities and manage time to integrate practice and personal life
    • Manage research projects and resources
    • Identify and build a network of mentors
    • Implement processes to ensure research skills and career development

HEALTH ADVOCATE

  1. Respond to the needs of the communities or populations they serve by conducting health research in a socially accountable manner
    • Lead or contribute to research initiatives that target health inequities or disparities
    • Incorporate the patient and community voice and priorities into the development and conduct of research initiatives

SCHOLAR

  1. Engage in the continuous enhancement of their professional activities through ongoing learning
    • Actively seek opportunities and challenges for personal learning and growth
  1. Teach students, residents, the public, and other health care professionals
    • Mentor, teach, and supervise trainees
  1. Integrate best available evidence into practice
    • Recognize practice uncertainty and knowledge gaps in clinical and other professional encounters and generate focused questions to address them
    • Critically evaluate the integrity, reliability, and applicability of health research and literature
    • Integrate evidence into decision-making in their practice
  1. Contribute to the creation and dissemination of knowledge and practices applicable to health
    • Demonstrate an understanding of the scientific principles of research and scholarly inquiry and the role of research evidence in promoting healthy people and communities and in health care
    • Identify ethical principles for research and incorporate them into obtaining informed consent, considering potential harms and benefits, and vulnerable populations
    • Contribute to the work of a research program
    • Pose questions amenable to scholarly investigation and select appropriate methods to address them
    • Summarize and communicate to professional and lay audiences, including research participants and patients and their families, the findings of relevant research and scholarly inquiry
    • Translate the findings or outcomes of research into clinical care

PROFESSIONAL

  1. Demonstrate a commitment to patients by applying best practices and adhering to high ethical standards
    • Exhibit appropriate professional behaviours and relationships in all aspects of research, demonstrating honesty, integrity, humility, commitment, compassion, respect, altruism, respect for diversity, and maintenance of confidentiality
    • Demonstrate a commitment to excellence in all aspects of research
    • Recognize and respond to ethical issues encountered in research
    • Recognize and manage conflicts of interest
    • Exhibit professional behaviours in the use of technology-enabled communication
  1. Demonstrate a commitment to society by recognizing and responding to societal expectations in health care and health research
    • Demonstrate accountability to patients, society, and the profession by responding to societal expectations of physicians
    • Demonstrate a commitment to patient safety and quality improvement
  1. Demonstrate a commitment to the profession by adhering to standards and participating in physician-led regulation
    • Fulfill and adhere to professional and ethical codes, standards of practice, and laws governing practice
    • Recognize and respond to unprofessional and unethical behaviours in physicians and other colleagues in the health care professions and in health research
    • Participate in peer assessment and standard-setting
  1. Demonstrate a commitment to physician health and well-being for optimal patient care and research
    • Exhibit self-awareness and manage influences on personal well-being and professional performance
    • Manage personal and professional demands for a sustainable practice throughout the physician life cycle
    • Promote a culture that recognizes, supports, and respond

Key Advantages of the CIPÌý

  • Integrated Training:
    The CIP provides a structured pathway for residents to combine clinical training with research experience. This integration allows them to develop a strong foundation in both clinical practice and scientific inquiry, fostering a well-rounded skill set.

  • Mentorship and Guidance:
    Residents in the CIP receive mentorship and guidance from experienced clinician-scientists. This mentorship is invaluable for career development, providing support, expertise, and opportunities for collaboration.

  • Research Skills and Knowledge:
    The program equips residents with essential research skills and knowledge. They learn to critically evaluate scientific literature, design and conduct research studies, analyze data, and communicate research findings effectively.

  • Translational Impact:
    The CIP focuses on translational research, aiming to bridge the gap between scientific discoveries and patient care. By training clinician-scientists, the program facilitates the translation of research findings into clinical practice, leading to improved patient outcomes.

  • Career Opportunities:
    Graduates of the CIP often have enhanced career opportunities. They are well-positioned to pursue academic medicine or other research-focused careers in healthcare. The program provides a strong foundation for individuals interested in making significant contributions to medical research and advancing their chosen specialties.

  • Networking and Collaboration:
    The CIP offers residents opportunities to network with experts in their fields and collaborate with researchers across institutions. This networking aspect can lead to valuable collaborations, research partnerships, and exposure to a broader scientific community.

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