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Coordinated by
2012 International Clinical Research Training
Program in Hepatology
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Background
Canadian Liver Foundation (CLF) is a non-profit organization devoted to providing support for research and education into the causes, diagnoses, prevention and treatment of liver disease. By recognizing the fact that there is a high prevalence of liver disease in Canada’s immigrant population, CLF believes that supporting liver-related clinical research internationally could potentially improve the liver health among immigration applicants and ultimately reduce the future burden of liver diseases in Canada. China is one of the leading countries of origin for immigration to Canada. China also has the largest population with viral hepatitis and liver cancer in the world. For these reasons, the CLF has initiated contact with doctors and researchers from China to explore their needs regarding liver-related clinical research and education. China has achieved great success since the Chinese economic reform started about 30 years ago. China’s fast growing economy allows the Chinese government to invest heavily on health care facilities and health technologies across the country. Many tertiary hospitals in China are equipped with the most advanced machines and technologies in the world and the clinical skills of Chinese doctors have been substantially improved. However, the clinical research capacity in China is still under development because the concept of knowledge translation has not been fully established and recognized by health care providers and health policy makers in China.
The current clinical practices in China are mainly based on out-dated textbooks, personal experiences, and expert opinions which combined, have the potential to impair efficacy of clinical practice and health policy-making. There are few graduate programs or courses specifically designed for clinical
epidemiology and health technology assessment in the medical universities in China, therefore, Chinese doctors do not have an opportunity to improve their clinical research methods. Consequently, clinical studies conducted in China are often inadequately designed and seldom published by high impact medical journals.
Fortunately, health authorities in China have recognized the importance of clinical research and have initiated reforms to create a universal and sustainable health care system. Clinical research has become an important indicator for assessing the performance of clinical doctors for academic promotion and health policy-making now pays more attention to research evidence. The Chinese government is providing funding to encourage international research collaboration with developed countries (including Canada) and many tertiary hospitals are promoting clinical research by providing financial support for overseas training.
Based on input from liver doctors in China and working with several leading Canadian universities in clinical liver research, the CLF has developed a six-month clinical research training program in hepatology to meet the education needs of clinical scientists for liver diseases in China.
Objectives
CLF International Clinical Research Training Program in Hepatology has been designed to improve clinical research capacity of clinical doctors specializing in liver disease. The main objectives for this training program are:
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practice related to liver diseases.
Understanding how to apply clinical research evidence into clinical practice by doing clinical observation in leading university teaching hospitals in Canada.
Ability to develop research protocols tailored to their speciality and incorporating common clinical research methods.
Ability to independently conduct a research project that will lead to a publication in an international medical journal.
Engaging the Canadian clinical researchers and developing clinical research collaboration.
Program Overview
This six-month clinical research training program includes:
One-month clinical research course at Toronto Health Economics and Technology Assessment Collaborative, University of Toronto
o 30 introductory lectures covering the fundamental theories and methods of clinical epidemiology and health technology assessment.
o Development of a research proposal that will be conducted in the five-month clinical observation in the assigned liver center.
Five-month clinical research training in one of the teaching hospitals associated with the University of Toronto, the University of British Columbia or the University of Calgary.
o Observing clinical practice, operation, and management in the assigned clinical centre according to trainee’s clinical speciality.
o Conducting the research project developed in the research course under the supervision of the assigned clinical mentor.
o Participating in academic activities related to trainee’s clinical speciality in the assigned clinic, hospital or university.
o Writing the scientific manuscript for the assigned research project (can be completed in China after 6-month training program if not completed while in Canada).
CLF International Clinical Research Training Program in Hepatology plans to recruit 10 Chinese trainees for the 2012 class in the following clinical specialities:
Chronic viral hepatitis (B and C): 2 trainees
Hepatocellular carcinoma: 2 trainees
Liver failure: 2 trainees
Liver transplantation: 2 trainees
Hepatobiliary surgery: 1 trainee
Paediatric hepatology: 1 trainee
The 2012 CLF International Clinical Research Training Program in Hepatology is expected to be launched mid-August 2012 with 6-month training completed by mid-February 2013.
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Training Program Organizing Committee
Chair
Co-Chair (Research Course)
Co-Chairs (Clinical Training)
Academic Secretary
o Wendong Chen, MD, PhD
Assistant Professor, THETA Collaborative
Division of Clinical, Social and Administrative Pharmacy Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Toronto
Clinical Training Coordinator
o Karen Seto
Director of Professional Education & Partnerships, Canadian Liver Foundation
Gary Fagan
President, Canadian Liver Foundation
Murray Krahn, MD, MSc
Professor, Department of Medicine and Faculty of Pharmacy; F. Norman Hughes Chair in Pharmacoeconomics;
Director, THETA, University of Toronto
Morris Sherman, MD, PhD
Associate Professor of Medicine, University of Toronto
Staff Gastroenterologist, Toronto General Hospital, University Health Network Chairman of the National Board of Directors, Canadian Liver Foundation
Eric Yoshida, MD, MHSc
Professor of Medicine and Head of the Division of Gastroenterology, University of British Columbia
Head of Gastroenterology, Vancouver General Hospital
Former Medical Director of the Liver Transplant Program, British Columbia Transplant Associate Editor, Annals of Hepatology and Deputy Editor,
Canadian Journal of Gastroenterology
Samuel Lee, MD
Professor of Medicine, University of Calgary
Head, Division of Gastroenterology, Foothills Hospital Editor-in-chief, Liver International
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Research Course Faculty
o Murray Krahn, MD, MSc
Professor, Department of Medicine and Faculty of Pharmacy F. Norman Hughes Chair in Pharmacoeconomics;
Director, THETA, University of Toronto o Ahmed Bayoumi, MD, MSc
Associate Professor, Department of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation University of Toronto
o Wendong Chen, MD, PhD
Assistant Professor, THETA Collaborative
Division of Clinical, Social and Administrative Pharmacy Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Toronto
Clinical Training Faculty
o University of Toronto
Morris Sherman, MD, PhD
Associate Professor of Medicine, University of Toronto Staff Gastroenterologist, Toronto General Hospital Jordan Feld, MD, MPH
Assistant Professor, Department of Medicine, University of Toronto Toronto Western Hospital Liver Center, University Health Network McLauglin-Rotman Centre for Global Health
Eberhard Renner, MD
Professor of Medicine, University of Toronto
Director GI Transplantation, University Health Network Simon Ling, MD
Associate Professor of Paediatrics, University of Toronto
Staff Gastroenterologist, Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition The Hospital for Sick Children
Director of the University of Toronto Paediatric Gastroenterology Training Program o University of British Columbia
Eric Yoshida, MD, MHSc
Professor of Medicine and Head of the Division of Gastroenterology, University of British Columbia
Head of Gastroenterology, Vancouver General Hospital Urs Steinbrecher, MD, PhD
Professor of Medicine, University of British Columbia Siegfried Erb, MD
Clinical Assistant Professor of Medicine, University of British Columbia o University of Calgary
Samuel Lee, MD
Professor of Medicine, University of Calgary
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Collaborating Organizations
Eligibility Criteria
Minimum eligibility criteria for application to 2012 CLF International Clinical Research Training Program in Hepatology includes:
A master or doctor degree in clinical sciences.
At least five years of clinical practice in hepatology.
Have a level of English sufficient to understand class lectures, write assignments, and take part in class discussions.
Tuition Fees
The tuition fees for 2012 CLF International Clinical Research Training Program in Hepatology is CAD$30,000. The tuition fees include Canadian Visa application, domestic and international flight fare, and living expense (food, accommodation, local public transportation, and medical insurance) during the six-month training.
Application Procedure
The candidates meeting minimum eligibility criteria are encouraged to apply to this clinical research training program. To apply, the candidates must submit the following:
Cover letter indicating applicant’s clinical speciality, research interests, and financial source for the tuition fees.
Resume
Support letter from applicant’s home hospital
Interested applicants should submit all required materials to [email protected] no later than June 30, 2012, however, with a limited number of positions available, please be advised that applications will be
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reviewed on a first-come-first-served basis. Qualified applicants will be further evaluated for admission through a telephone interview with Dr. Wendong Chen, the Academic Secretary for this training program and final selection will be made in consultation with the clinical research training mentors.
For further information about the application procedure, please contact Normin Health Changsha Representative Office at:
Room 1922, South Building of New Age Plaza 163 Hurong Middle Road, District of Kaifu, Changsha, Hunan province,
China 410008
Tel: +86-731-82737955; +86-731-82737966 Fax: +86-731-82737977
Email: [email protected] Web: www.norminchina.com
