Get Involved

Advancing Knowledge; Influencing Practice 

Many academic faculty members utilize funding from provincial and national agencies such as the Nova Scotia Health Research Foundation and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR). A full list of funding agencies can be found on our website. Covering a diverse range of issues - the use of technology in family practice, psycho-oncology, end-of-life care, chronic disease management and physician well-being – faculty research has been published in both national and international peer-reviewed journals. Several studies, such as the ‘Care by Design’ project, have influenced the way in which patient care is managed throughout the province.

Get involved

Knowing how to discuss and use research knowledge is a critical component of resident education. In fact, some will choose to engage in research as part of their required resident projects. We’re proud to report that several of these have been presented at national and international conferences, earning national awards as well as inclusion in highly recognized peer-reviewed journals. A notable example, in 2007, saw the College of Family Physicians of Canada give a national research award for Drs Jan Sommers and Marie-Josée Klett for their resident project, “Troponin 1 Assessment of Middle-Aged Adults in the Emergency Department: Factors Associated with Troponin Elevation and Patterns of Use”.  

Dr. Patrick Madore Clinical Investigator Traineeship program

The Dr. Patrick Madore Clinical Investigator Traineeship program provides salary support for Family Medicine residents as a Category 2 program with an opportunity to integrate scholarship and clinical care. The training can be completed part-time over more than one year (e.g., half time for two years). This format will allow for accommodation of the cyclical nature of research/scholarship (preparing grant applications, ethics applications, and/or manuscript submissions, along with wait periods, etc.) while allowing residents to maintain their Family Medicine competencies.

Funding is available to support:

1. Twelve months of full-time PGY3 salary for one resident (with additional time for clinical work added in as necessary, as described above) or
2. Six months of full-time PGY3 salary for two residents (with additional time for clinical work added in as necessary, as described above).
3. Twenty-four months of PGY-3 funding at 0.5 FTE for 1 resident

Applications must be submitted by February 10, 2022, and should include:

• A cover letter (max. 1,000 words) outlining their interest in and suitability for the Dr. Patrick Madore Clinical Investigator Traineeship program
• A CV (maximum 6 pages, CIHR biosketch format preferred)
• Two letters of reference from relevant professionals
• A list of all other sources of funding available or requested

Applications should be submitted to Dr. Michael Clory: Michael.Clory@nshealth.ca
Please reach out to Allister Barton for any questions: Allister.Barton@Dal.Ca

Eligibility Criteria

To be considered for the Dr. Patrick Madore Clinical Investigator Traineeship program – which provides salary support for residents in the Clinician Investigator Program and/or the Family Medicine Enhanced Skills Program at Dalhousie University’s Faculty of Medicine. For applicants to the Enhanced Skills Program, preference will be given to those focusing on the Clinical Scholar Program. The total number of positions available each year depends on the number of applications and the number of training years of funding each applicant requires. 

The following criteria must be met by the applicants:

• The applicant must be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident of Canada, and be eligible for admission into the Clinician Investigator Program and/or Family Medicine
• Enhanced Skills Program with Dalhousie University’s Faculty of Medicine
• The applicant must undertake to follow the plan of study outlined in their traineeship proposal.
• The applicant must select and propose a research project in one of the specified disciplines.
• The applicant must have an aptitude for research, confirmed in supporting letters of
  reference.
• The successful applicant must submit a mid-term progress report, in addition to a final report upon completion of the traineeship.
• The traineeship may not be held in addition to other salary funding for the Clinician
• Investigator Program or Dalhousie’s Family Medicine Enhanced Skills program.

It’s all about Community

Community faculty members – full-time clinicians with little, if any, protected research time – are encouraged to partake in research projects, with academic faculty available to assist.  It is not uncommon for successful academic research programs to have their roots in community faculty members’ research questions. In addition, community faculty members may choose to be involved in the Maritime Family Practice Research Network. Through research initiatives, our family doctors are helping lead the way toward healthier families and communities throughout the Maritimes and Canada. 

Growing a net of knowledge, one practice at a time

Open to any practicing family physician/general practitioner in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick or Prince Edward Island – and any health care professionals collaborating with family physicians – MaRNet-FP was developed to foster research interests and expertise. The network enables community family physicians and academic family physicians to combine their skills and resources in conducting more effective primary care research. Participation offers professional educational opportunities

What are you doing this summer?

The various family medicine teaching sites provide research opportunities to undergraduate students during the summer, as well as medical and non-medical graduate students and post-doctoral fellowships. These sites are able to facilitate the use of numerous research specialists from a variety of backgrounds to act as mentors.