2016 Call for Applications - Investigator Awards Program

Department of Family and Community Medicine
Applications due January 2, 2017

The Department of Family and Community Medicine (DFCM) Investigator Awards Program provides funding to protect research time for DFCM faculty members. For each position, the DFCM will contribute $20K/yr to protect 40% of the faculty member’s time for research. To be eligible for this funding, each position must also receive enhanced matched funding from an external source (see below for more details on the requirement for matching funds). The DFCM provides funding to protect research time for following 5 types of DFCM faculty members:

• Clinician Scientists (faculty with >50% protected research time)
• Clinician Investigators (faculty with <50% protected research time)
• Research Scientists (non-clinician PhD researchers with >80% protected research time)
• New Investigators (faculty within 5 years of receiving their highest academic degree)
• Graduate Studies (faculty enrolled in graduate research degree programs)

The following 4 DFCM Investigator Award positions are currently available (the final number and types of positions awarded will be based on the strength of the applications):

• 1 Graduate Studies position (funding up to 5 years if enrolled in a relevant PhD program and 2 years if enrolled in a relevant master’s degree program)
• 3 Clinician Scientist/Clinician Investigator positions
  • Up to 1 position is available for an education researcher
  • Up to 1 position is available for a non-clinician Research Scientist

PLEASE NOTE:

If 1 or more of the above 3 Clinician Scientist/Clinician Investigator positions are awarded to faculty members who currently hold New Investigator awards, then those New Investigator awards will become available. Therefore, this call for applications is also open for New Investigators in the event that one or more of those positions are vacated.  

• New Investigator awards provide funding for up to 3 years for Family Medicine researchers who are within five years of receiving their highest academic degree (preference will be given to those with a research PhD or equivalent who are interested in becoming Clinician Scientists i.e., >50% protected research time). The purpose of this award is to provide protected research time for recent graduates in order for them to develop better track records as Family Medicine researchers and ultimately make them more competitive for peer-reviewed funding and other career awards.

This competition is also open to non-physician PhD researchers (see below for additional details on this type of position)

CRITERIA

All applicants must have an academic appointment in the DFCM and, if they are clinicians, must be active faculty members in an affiliated Family Medicine Teaching Unit.

Those applying as Clinician Scientists must be established researchers with a PhD degree or equivalent who can provide:

• Evidence of a meaningful collaborative relationship (e.g., as shown by grants and publications) with other senior researchers in an established research environment or team.
• Evidence of an independent research program where they have a leadership role and can demonstrate research productivity in terms of: peer reviewed grants as principal investigator; peer reviewed publications in high impact journals; and formal mentorship of junior researchers.

Those applying as Clinician Investigators must be established researchers with at least a master’s degree or equivalent who can provide:

• Evidence of a meaningful collaborative relationship (e.g., as shown by grants and publications) with senior researchers in an established environment or team,
• Evidence of research productivity in terms of: peer reviewed grants (as PI, Co-PI, or Co-Investigator); and first author publications in peer reviewed journals,

Those applying as Research Scientists (non-clinician PhD researchers with >80% protected time for research) must be established researchers with a PhD or equivalent who can provide:

• Evidence of a meaningful collaborative relationship (e.g., as shown by grants and publications) with other senior researchers in an established research environment or team.
• Evidence of an independent research program where they have a leadership role and can demonstrate research productivity in terms of: peer reviewed grants as principal investigator; peer reviewed publications in high impact journals; and formal mentorship of junior researchers.

Those applying as New Investigators must be:

• Within five years of receiving their highest academic degree (preference will be given to those with a research PhD or equivalent)
• Able to provide evidence of a meaningful collaborative relationship (e.g. as shown by grants and publications) with senior researchers in an established environment or team.
• Able to provide evidence of research productivity (for stage of career) in terms of peer reviewed grants (as PI, Co-PI, or Co-Investigator) and peer reviewed publications (as first author or co-author).
• Preference will be given to those interested in becoming “Clinician Scientists” (i.e. >50% protected research time).

HOW TO APPLY

All applications (except those applying for a non-clinician Research Scientist position) must include a letter of support from a unit Chief with:

• A clear statement of the amount of protected research time.
• Proportion of distribution of responsibilities (research, clinical, teaching, administration).
• Assurance of administrative support and research space.
• A description of available research associate support.
• A statement of enhanced matched funding (as appropriate for the amount of protected research time and position applied for) with the goal (if possible) of achieving equity with the median income in the practice.

Those applying for a Research Scientist position (i.e., non-clinician PhD researchers with >80% protected research time) must include a letter that provides:

• A clear statement of the amount of protected research time.
• Proportion of distribution of responsibilities (research, teaching, administration).
• Assurance of administrative support and research space.
• A description of available research associate support.
• A statement of enhanced matched funding (as appropriate for the amount of protected research time) from the director or chair of the organization guaranteeing the enhanced matched funding.

All applications must also include:

• A completed Clinician Scientist/Clinician Investigator/Research Scientist/New Investigator/Graduate Studies Application Form (Word doc)
• A current annotated CV with emphasis on research activities for the last 5 years that indicates their roles on grants and publications.
• A statement of their research plan (max 5 pages) for the next 5 years that includes:
  • A detailed 5-year description of their research objectives and research questions (maximum of 3 pages).
  • A 2-page description of how their research aligns with the University of Toronto Practice-Based Research Network (UTOPIAN)
  • A description of their research setting and proposed collaborators (maximum of 1 page)
• 3 letters of reference (in addition to the letter mentioned above).
• An acknowledgement that for projects housed at the DFCM or one or more of its family medicine units, cost recovery for administrative support (if allowed by the granting agency), biostatistical and/or methodological services, and office supplies and equipment is expected.
• An acknowledgement in publications and presentations that the investigator holds a DFCM Investigator Award.

NOTE: All DFCM Investigator Award recipients undergo yearly internal reviews with the Vice-Chair Research and/or Associate Director, Research Program. Formal/external reviews are held every three to five years. Continued funding for all DFCM Investigator Awards is not guaranteed but is contingent on an annual basis:

• Availability of funds from the DFCM.
• Availability of enhanced matched salary support from the site for the next annual term.
• Continued endorsement by the unit chief (or the director/chair of the organization responsible for guaranteeing the enhanced matched funding for Research Scientists)
• Successful annual internal reviews by the Vice-Chair Research and/or Associate Director, Research Program that includes meeting expectations related to research productivity and contributions to the DFCM (detailed annual review criteria are available for each type of DFCM Investigator Award).
• Successful formal external reviews.
• Holding an academic appointment (or equivalent) in the DFCM.

Applicants may be required to appear for an interview.

Application Deadline:    January 2, 2017
Decision Date:                March 31, 2017
Start Date:                      July 1, 2017

Please direct questions to Dr. Paul Krueger, Associate Director, Research Program (paul.krueger@utoronto.ca).

About the Department of Family and Community Medicine

The University of Toronto’s Department of Family and Community Medicine (DFCM) is recognized internationally for its clinical, educational and research excellence. Our faculty are clinical and academic leaders who are breaking new ground on issues ranging from inner city health, addiction medicine, global health, palliative care, immigrant and aboriginal health, and far more. Encompassing more than 1500 faculty across the province - from rural villages to urban centres - we are shaping the future of family medicine in Canada. The DFCM is the home of the University of Toronto Practice-Based Research Network (UTOPIAN). UTOPIAN is a network that brings together DFCM researchers, primary care clinicians and practices from all its academic sites to answer important healthcare questions and translate findings into practice.