About
At the heart of the TREMPLIN Consortium is a strong commitment to our students and postdoctoral fellows in biomedical science.
In 2021, representatives from four health research centre affiliated with McGill University have joined their forces under one banner to promote a strong professional development infrastructure in our community. This initiative builds upon the existing strengths and ongoing initiatives within the participating centers.
In response to feedback received from investigation conducted among MSc and PhD candidates and postdoctoral fellows during the first grant period, the consortium has developed innovative training programs divided into 4 pillars:
Our goal is to empower trainees, strengthen community ties, and have a transformative impact on trainees’ professional development accordingly with the Life Science Landscape.
Dr. Emily Bell, Associate Director of the Desjardins Centre For Advanced Training (DCAT) at the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre (RI-MUHC), shares that 38% of trainees are interested in healthcare careers, ranking it in their top 3 choices. Research careers in the industry are the top choice for 50% of trainees.
Precision health is an approach to healthcare that focuses on patient-specific factors like genetics, age, biomarkers, environment, and lifestyle. Scientific advances are driving immense innovation in the life science sector, particularly in precision medicine, which is impacting health solutions, drug development, and the use of big data.
Deloitte’s 2020 analysis emphasizes the importance of precision medicine, stating that organizations successfully using data for personalized solutions will likely see the greatest returns. The precision medicine training program is designed to prepare students for various career paths in industry research, medical and scientific affairs, entrepreneurship, and healthcare-related fields within the growing life sciences sector.
Pr Nicolas Cermakian, Associate Director of Academic Affairs at the Douglas Research Centre, highlights the crucial role of Knowledge Mobilization (KM). It’s a key skill that ensures new research knowledge influences informed decisions in health or science policies, programs, and practices. Science communication is also vital for informing the public and decision-makers about science and its implications.
While there are specific roles like Program Coordinator of KM, Science Editor, and Communications Specialist in the non-profit and public sectors, these skills are valuable across various career paths (research, policy, academic and scientific affairs, program management, medical writing) and sectors (academia, government, private sector, and non-profit). The KM program aims to prepare trainees for successful communication in science careers or to pursue a career in the KM field.
In a needs assessment, 70% of trainees found scientific communication very important for their future career, and 59% identified knowledge translation as very important.
Pr Natalie Zeytuni, Associate Director at CRBS, reports that Postdoctoral Fellow participants in the survey originally aspired to pursue an academic career. Their top choice among three preferred careers was becoming the Principal Investigator (PI) of a lab in academia or at a university. However, data indicates that 15% of Ph.D. holders actually secure this position.
Without the right training, which can come in the form of information or mentorship, the faculty track might seem unachievable to trainees. This lack of guidance can be disheartening and may lead them to abandon their goal. This program is designed to improve trainees’ understanding of faculty roles and the skills needed to secure these positions. Additionally, it aims to enhance opportunities for trainees to engage in various aspects of the research enterprise, including project, research, fiscal, and human resources management.
The Consortium’s training program in research management and faculty track is geared towards preparing trainees for roles as PIs and in research operations and management.
Pr Michael Witcher, Senior Investigator, states that at the Lady Davis Institute, we’ve successfully employed trainees and offered them career development opportunities in clinical research and the pharmaceutical sectors. Now, we want to expand these programs to include more McGill students across our institutes. Our goal is to provide trainees with networking opportunities with specialists in the pharmaceutical sector and clinical research coordinators. By advertising job opportunities to stakeholders, we aim to ensure equal opportunities across our institutes. Overall, our objective is to prepare trainees for various career paths within the healthcare and pharmaceutical industry, such as scientists, clinical research coordinators, quality control specialists, and medical affairs liaisons.