Building Capacity

Dalhousie Medical School’s Peer Review Program provides faculty members with feedback – from experienced peers with a proven track record of grant-capture success – on their grant applications in progress. The Dalhousie Medical Research Development Office matches participating applicants to peer reviewers with relevant experience, who can provide their feedback on the strengths and weaknesses of the application openly or anonymously, so that applicants may benefit from the wisdom of their peers.

View Peer Review Program guidelines [PDF - 149 KB]

For more information about this program, contact MRDO - MRDO@dal.ca.

Faculty members who have taken advantage of the Peer Review Program, and whose grant applications have met or exceeded the granting agency’s standards of excellence – yet were denied funding – are eligible for bridge funding from Dalhousie Medical School. The Bridge Funding Program enables them to continue their research program and gather more data to support future grant applications to external agencies.

View Bridge Funding Program guidelines [PDF - 95 KB]

For more information about this program, contact MRDO -MRDO@dal.ca.

Launching an academic research career is an inspiring, yet sometimes daunting, prospect. Dalhousie Medical School encourages new faculty members to take part in its Research Mentors Program. The Dalhousie Medical Research Development Office matches new faculty members with experienced faculty mentors, who provide information, advice, feedback and encouragement on everything from setting up a new lab and applying for grants, to hiring technical staff and trainees.

For more information about this program, contact MRDO - MRDO@dal.ca.

Large-scale research projects involving multiple partners, large budgets, numerous staff members and complex logistical requirements are increasingly common at Canadian universities. Dalhousie’s collegial environment and strong partnerships with the QEII Health Sciences Centre and IWK Health Centre put medical school investigators in an ideal position to take advantage of new funding opportunities for large projects. The Dalhousie Medical Research Development Office offers project management services to help faculty members maximize the potential of these emerging opportunities, and to ensure the smooth operation of large studies once the funding is awarded.

For more information about this program, contact MRDO - MRDO@dal.ca.

Dalhousie Faculty of Medicine is pleased to announce the 2023 studentships award competition for graduate students. These studentships are intended to build research capacity within the Faculty of Medicine, and support trainees demonstrating strong potential for future research achievement. Learn more about the 2023 studentships. 

Dalhousie Medical School is the first medical school in Canada to introduce research training to undergraduate medical students from the beginning of their first year. Through the Research in Medicine (RIM) program, first-year students learn the basics of how to develop a research question, design a study, gather and analyze data and report their results. By the second half of first year, each student is paired with a mentor who supports them to conduct an original research project over the course of their undergrad training. Learn more about Research in Medicine.

Dalhousie’s new BSc in Medical Sciences is available to qualified high-school graduates with a keen interest in focusing on medical sciences from the outset of their post-secondary training. Jointly offered by the Faculties of Science and Arts & Social Sciences and Dalhousie Medical School, it is only program of its kind in Atlantic Canada. This unique program prepares students for careers in medical research and/or the health professions. Learn more about BSc in Medical Sciences.

Dalhousie Medical School’s basic science departments offer masters and PhD programs – as well as postdoctoral training opportunities – in such disciplines as pharmacology, microbiology, immunology, physiology, biophysics, biochemistry, molecular biology, pathology, community health and epidemiology and medical neurosciences. Faculty supervisors in these programs are leaders in their respective fields and known for giving trainees high levels of autonomy, responsibility and credit for their contributions, while providing ample information, direction and support. Learn more about basic science graduate programs.

Residents enrolled in a Dalhousie Medical School postgraduate medical education program are eligible to apply to the Clinician Investigator Program (CIP), an accredited training program of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada. Supported by the medical school and clinical departments, CIP provides residents with the opportunity to pursue a graduate degree (MSc or PhD) in a relevant discipline during their residency training – for example, clinical epidemiology or health informatics.

CIP trainees take two or more years off their intensive clinical training while they complete course work, a supervised research project and a thesis. During their CIP training, residents maintain some clinical responsibilities, in order to retain and build their clinical skills. Upon completion of their graduate degree, residents resume their residency training. Learn more about the Clinician Investigator Program.

The Medical Research Graduate Program provides residents, physicians, dentists and veterinarians with the opportunity to pursue a graduate degree (MSc or PhD) at Dalhousie Medical School. Residents enrolled in the MRGP have the option to enroll concurrently in the Clinician Investigator Program (CIP). The MRGP helps bridge the gap between clinical and fundamental research, by providing the opportunity for clinicians to focus on scientific research. Learn more about the Medical Research Graduate Program.

The goal of the Summer Research Program for Non-Medical Students is to increase the number of African and Aboriginal students in medicine by providing them with medical research experience during their undergraduate studies. These students, who are confident that medical research will be part of their professional careers, gain valuable experience in the design, execution and evaluation of experiments. Learn more about the Summer Research Program for Non-Medical Students.

The Professional & Research Education Program provides essential professional and research learning opportunities to graduate students, residents, postdoctoral fellows, and faculty members at Dalhousie University. PREP is offered through a partnership of Dalhousie’s Faculties of Medicine, Dentistry, Health Professions, and Graduate Studies. Practical education is offered in key areas, such as reserach methods , designs and conduct , career development, library services, knowledge translation, communication and more. 

Visit the PREP website

Researchers pursuing patient-oriented research now have access to a broad range of support services through the new Maritime SPOR Support Unit (MSSU). Funded through the Canadian Institutes of Health Research’s Strategy for Patient-Oriented Research, the MSSU provides support in such areas as network-building, research methodology, data collection and analysis and more. Learn more about the Maritime SPOR Support Unit.