Working Groups

Training & Professional Development

Refer to the Resources section for Research Coordinators for further information.

There is a national consensus that research in maternal and child health is severely limited by a deficit in the number and type of individuals needed to perform clinical research, and by the absence of a comprehensive national training strategy.  A principal objective of MICYRN is to build the human resource capacity through strategies which will include determination, and enhancement, of opportunities for training and continuous professional development at all levels. 

MICYRN has a partnership agreement with the Canadian Child Health Clinician Scientist Program (CCHCSP) to support training and co-develop training materials; and in 2008, supported a joint fellowship research training award.  The CCHCSP, funded by a Canadian Institutes of Health Research Strategic Training in Health Research (STIHR) grant, provides support for highly qualified child health clinician candidates to develop their requisite knowledge and skills for a career as an independent scientist in child health research. Trainees engage in research training and a core curriculum in one of the participating Child Health Research Training Centres of the CCHCSP.  All 17 academic health science centres associated with MICYRN are now partners in CCHCSP.  CCHCSP aims to capture people early in their training by a “rising researcher” program.  Other programs support graduate training and early career investigators.

MICYRN is a member of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) N2 Network of Networks which is focusing on the creation of best practices tools such as an on-line Good Clinical Practices (GCP) training program, information on contract negotiations, and a national set of Standard Operating Procedures.  Contact MICYRN for access to this information.

However, there are shortages of biostatisticians, health economists, clinical epidemiologists, social scientists, and others, who provide critically important expertise in research study design and analysis; and individuals qualified in knowledge translation to promote evidence-based practices.  There is a need to provide opportunities for research nurses and project coordinators to hone their skills, and to share experiences and best practices related to operationalizing research protocols.

Outputs

  • The working group developed a consensus document detailing the range of professional roles that comprise a successful clinical research team, and the composite skills required of each of these professionals 
  • A Knowledge Translation Needs Assessment and Environmental Scan, reported March 2009, provided comprehensive information about current resources available nationally and internationally, but highlighted the lack of KT training within Canada 
  • A Research Coordinator Environmental Scan, reported July 2009, included a survey and focussed interviews which emphasized the lack of coordinated training and professional development opportunities for research coordinators



Initiatives

  • A comprehensive survey is planned through MICYRN’s Coordinating Centre to determine existing training resources offered by academic centres, CIHR-funded research teams, and CIHR Strategic Training Initiative in Health Research (STIHR) programs.
  • A new program in conjunction with CCHCSP will allow basic scientists, methodologists, or ethicists wanting to work closely with a clinical research team focusing on maternal and child health problems to apply for a one year award thereby allowing the trainee to subsequently focus their career on translational research. The clinical research team must be multi-disciplinary, well established, and cross two CIHR Pillars. Applicants must also have a well-formulated plan for addressing a basic science, methodological, or bioethical problem whose solution would have direct clinical relevance.
  • StaR Child Health is an international quality improvement initiative started in 2009, that seeks to enhance the quality, ethics and reliability of paediatric clinical research by promoting the use of uniform standards for clinical studies with children.  A first international StaR Summit was held in Amsterdam in October 2009.  The second StaR Summit being co-organized with MICYRN, will be held in Vancouver, BC, Canada September 10th and 11th, 2010.