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Program Overview

Overview

The CANSTAT program will build on three key strengths

Strong Collaboration Across Institutions
The program builds on the strong collaborative and educational efforts of participating institutions and is supported by a committed team of researchers with complementary expertise and extensive experience in trial design, biostatistics, trial operational management, clinical science, ethics and regulatory processes.

Unique Experiential Learning Design
The program will provide a unique blend of methodological, computational, operational and professional skills training through mentorship and experiential learning embedded in a multidisciplinary environment within clinical trials organizations across the country.

Commitment to EDI
The program is committed to EDI in our composition, recruitment and practice.

Information Box Group

The program is designed as a one-year full time fellowship comprised of three components:

Experiential Learning Placement Learn More

A foundational component of the training program is a one-year full-time placement in an institution/ organization conducting clinical trials. Fellows will be co-mentored by a clinical trials biostatistician and a clinical investigator leading trials of their own.

Online Workshops Learn More

Fellows will complete a series workshops given by experts to gain clinical trial knowledge and increase technical skills in clinical trials. These workshops will be grounded in the design and analysis of clinical trials to allow fellows to appreciate the challenges and nuances of working in an applied space.

Annual Meetings Learn More

Fellows will attend two in-person, two-day capacity-building meetings at the beginning and end of their one-year training program.

Commitment to EDI

We are committed to providing learners with an environment that is conducive to inclusive excellence and respectful to the principles of Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion.

We have taken several steps to achieve this:

  • Seeking diversity in our investigators and fellows
  • Appointment of an EDI-champion to support and monitor EDI activities.
  • Ensuring that training materials are developed to accommodate diverse learners.
  • Standardizing the training, mentorship and experiential learning to ensure that fellows have equitable opportunities to thrive in the program.
  • Transparency in the CANSTAT policies regarding selection, training, travel, authorship, grievances and expectations using inclusive language.
  • Tracking EDI data over time to monitor any inherent biases in the program.
  • Incorporating EDI principles in training modules.
  • Appointment of an ombudsperson to address grievances and complaints.
  • Continuously identifying and implementing best practices to enhance equity.

FAQs

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CANSTAT is one of the Canadian Trials Training Platforms funded by the Canadian Institutes of Canadian Research.

The program is designed as a one-year full-time fellowship beginning in Sept 2023 and ending in August 2024.

Applicants must have completed their graduate program before the start of the CANSTAT program (September 2023) to be eligible.

No, you cannot defer enrolment if accepted into this program. You will need to apply again if you are not able to accept placement into the program.

No, fellows must commit to full-time enrolment in the program.

Fellows will receive a total of $70,000 in salary and benefits for the year to be distributed in accordance with the mentor’s institutional policies. In addition, fellows will receive travel stipends to attend two annual meetings as well as a conference of the fellow and mentors’ choosing.

The experiential learning working environment will be dependent on the mentors and their respective institution’s policies.

Travel to the annual meetings is encouraged and CANSTAT will provide fellows with travel stipends. Other travel will be agreed upon with mentors.

Yes, fellows who complete the program will receive a certificate at the annual meeting.