Clinician Investigator Program

The fundamental aim of the Royal College Clinician Investigator Program is to provide trainees with the knowledge, skills and attitudes necessary to embark on a successful career in health research. In most cases, further research training specific to the candidate’s field of interest will be required so that they can succeed as an independent investigator. CIP educational objectives comply with the Royal College of Physician and Surgeons of Canada CanMEDS competency guidelines.

Objectives of Training for CIP

Definition

A Clinician Investigator can be broadly defined as a specialist physician who devotes substantial professional effort to health-related research.

Goals

Upon completion of training, a resident is expected to be a competent clinician investigator in their discipline.

The major goal of the Clinician Investigator Program (CIP) is to assist in the career development of clinician investigators in Canada. The program provides a formal postgraduate medical education pathway that fulfils the existing discipline requirements of the Royal College and provides integrated, structured, and rigorous research training. The training requires a minimum of two years of research intensive training that involves enrolment in a graduate degree program (graduate stream), to complete a thesis or equivalent, or in a postdoctoral fellowship program if the trainee already has a graduate degree (postdoctoral stream).

For the purposes of this program, health research includes not only the traditional areas of biomedical, clinical, population health, and health services research but also research into medical education, bioethics, economics, management, social, behavioural and information sciences as they apply to human health and disease.

The practical value of the Royal College CIP includes: structured research training with integration of clinical and research training plans; enhanced academic programming in preparation for a career as a Clinician Investigator, complemented by enhanced mentorship and networking opportunities; and exposure to a culture in which research and clinical care are both highly valued.

Only candidates certified or eligible for certification by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada in their primary discipline may be eligible for attestation in the Clinical Investigator Program.

At the end of the research component of the program, the resident will be expected to have acquired the knowledge, skills, and attitudes fundamental to embarking on a career in health research. After completion of the CIP, further research training specific to the resident’s field of interest is often required for success as an independent investigator.

Competencies

Individual objectives of training will be developed for each resident relevant to each of the following overall competencies. At the completion of training, the resident will have acquired the following competencies and will function effectively as a:

Medical Expert

Clinician Investigators are able to…

1. Function effectively as a clinician investigator, integrating all of the CanMEDS Roles to function as a clinician and to conduct ethical research
2. Identify and appropriately respond to relevant ethical issues arising in research
3. Demonstrate the ability to prioritize professional duties effectively when faced with multiple patient and research problems
4. Seek appropriate consultation from others as required, recognizing the limits of their own clinical research expertise
    

Communicator

Clinician Investigators are able to…

1. Develop rapport, trust and ethical relationships with research participants, peers and other professionals
2. Convey relevant information and explanations accurately to research subjects, peers and other professionals, including but not limited to scientific presentations, grant proposals, publications and other communications
3. Maintain clear, concise, accurate, and appropriate records of research
    

Collaborator

Clinician Investigators are able to…

1. Participate effectively and appropriately in interprofessional research teams
2. Work effectively with others in research teams to prevent, negotiate and resolve interprofessional conflicts
    

Manager

Clinician Investigators are able to…

1. Manage activities for research skill and career development effectively
2. Manage research project and resources appropriately, effectively and efficiently
3. Manage experimental data recording and result interpretation appropriately in research endeavours
4. Serve in administration and leadership roles, as appropriate to their research career
    

Health Advocate

Clinician Investigators are able to…

1. Participate in activities that demonstrate an ability to advocate for research programs, patients, communities and populations, as appropriate to improve the health of populations and the research enterprise
    

Scholar

Clinician Investigators are able to…

1. Establish and maintain knowledge, skills and attitudes appropriate to their research practices, with a thorough understanding and appreciation of the components of proper scientific inquiry
2. Elicit and accurately synthesize relevant research information and perspectives from relevant sources
3. Evaluate information and its sources critically and apply this appropriately to research practices and decisions
4. Demonstrate proficient and appropriate use of research skills. Perform complete and appropriate assessments of research questions and problems, using effective experimental methodologies, study designs and analysis to address questions
5. Consult appropriately for feedback on knowledge and performance
6. Maintain and enhance professional activities through ongoing learning
7. Facilitate the learning of others about research, including patients, families, students, residents, other health and research professionals, the public and others, as appropriate
8. Contribute to the creation, dissemination, application and translation of new knowledge and practices
    

Professional

Clinician Investigators are able to…

1. Demonstrate a commitment to the profession, society, subjects and patients through ethical and honest research practices
2. Demonstrate commitment, honesty, integrity and compassion in research activities, including participation in profession-led regulation, peer-review activities, and the prevention of academic misconduct
3. Participate in ethical research, with appreciation for the importance of research to the social, economic and biologic factors that impact health
4. Demonstrate a commitment to clinician researcher health and sustainable practice

The Anesthesia Clinician Investigator Program is offered in two training streams:

1. The Graduate Stream, where applicants enroll in graduate (M.Sc. or Ph.D.) programs at the University of Toronto. CIP trainees can undertake research not only in laboratory and clinical biomedical research, but also in other health care related fields including education, health care economics, social, behavioural and information sciences, etc. Graduate Units at the University of Toronto that have participated in the program include Institute of Medical Science, Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation, Public Health, Education, Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology, Medical Biophysics, Institute of Biomaterials and Biomedical Engineering and Physiology. For successful completion of this program, CIP trainees in the Graduate Stream must fulfill all the requirements for clinical Anesthesia specialty training, and also all the course and thesis requirements of the graduate degree program they are enrolled in
    
2. The Postdoctoral Stream is intended for anesthesia residents who already have a doctoral degree (Ph.D.) and are interested in undertaking a structured research program in a specialized area. Although the research training may be individualized, it but must be similar in content and rigor to a graduate school degree program. For Postdoctoral Stream trainees, completion of the research component means successfully attaining the specified research goals and objectives to the satisfaction of the CIP Committee.

Funding for CIP Training

Successful candidates will have the salary and tuition covered for 2 years of research. There are various sources of funding and once enrolled in the program, residents will be mentored and guided to find the best funding strategy for training.

The CIP trainees are encouraged to apply for external salary awards and grants to support their research training and enrich their portfolio.

CIP Entry Pathways

There are 2 entry pathways into the CIP:

1. Direct application to the CIP stream through CaRMS. This pathway is preferred because it secures a position in the CIP, it allows better planning of the research training and ongoing mentorship from the beginning of the postgraduate training. Please note that applying to the CIP stream will not negatively impact your application to the regular residency stream of our program, should you also apply. Candidates who apply to the CIP stream will ALSO need to apply to the regular residency stream to be considered if unsuccessful at CIP.
    
2. Residents who enter through the regular stream in the Anesthesia Training Program at the University of Toronto can still apply to CIP provided that there are available positions unfilled (only 2 CIP residents/year of training are generally available in the Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine). Generally, the application deadlines for residents already in the anesthesia program are May 1 for July 1 enrollment and November 1 for January 1 enrollment but these days could be flexible in discussion with the program director. CIP applications and instruction can be found on the UofT CIP website.

All residents who are already accepted in the CIP stream have a position secured in the regular training program.