Login |  Home |  Site Map

CCORT is funded by a Canadian Institutes of Health Research Team Grant in Cardiovascular Outcomes Research

The CCORT Student Research Fellowship Program

This unique training initiative provides partial funding for nine months (July 2010 to March 2011) for students involved in post-doctoral, Ph.D., or M.Sc. research in Clinical Epidemiology or Health Services Research, or students with a M.D. enrolled in clinical training programs in relevant specialties (e.g. cardiology, internal medicine, family medicine, etc.) whose research follows the CCORT mandate.  Students who are awarded CCORT Student Research Fellowships will begin to receive funding from CCORT based on a start date approved by their CCORT supervisor.  Please note that funding will be released on the condition that students provide CCORT with written notice of verification of enrollment in the intended university program.

Stipend levels: Students will be paid according to the CIHR student fellowship scales for master’s, doctoral and postdoctoral students.  (please refer to the CIHR website at www.cihr.ca).   Each student may receive a research allowance (amount TBA) for travel to conferences in addition to the student stipend.

The number of positions available to be funded each year is dependent on the number and types of applications submitted.  Preference is given to post-doctoral fellows and PhD students, although M.Sc. students are encouraged to apply.  For all fellowship positions, the supervisor may be responsible for obtaining matching funding on a 1:1 basis, to bring the student stipend up to CIHR levels, depending upon the number of applicants and positions awarded.  Each CCORT Student may apply once for a renewal of their funding for a second year.  They should follow the same requirements as those of new students.   An independent student review committee will review all applications for student funding and determine the priority ranking of each application.The final number of students funded will depend upon the available funds and be approved by the CCORT Steering Committee.

Other funding: Students can only hold one major student award at a time.  All students are strongly encouraged to apply to other peer-reviewed agencies (CIHR, HSFC) for student awards.   Students funded from other sources will be able to fully participate in our Student Training Program, although they will not be eligible to receive a stipend from the CCORT project.

Application Requirements: In addition to a completed application form (download from the main student page), the following are required:

  1. Students applying to the program must work under the supervision of a CCORT investigator.

  2. Letter from student summarizing their research interests, career plans, and how their proposed CCORT supervisor will help them reach their goals.

  3. Copies of up to three relevant publications by the prospective student.

  4. Letters of reference from 2 references other than the proposed supervisor (eg. former research supervisors, professors).   The references should use the CCORT student referee assessment form.  These should be in a signed and sealed envelope.

  5. A transcript of all university course work.

  6. Letter of support from the proposed CCORT supervisor

The proposed CCORT supervisor should include in their support letter, a brief description of the proposed research project and training environment, the sources of any matching funding (for post-doctoral fellows), and their willingness to provide adequate (e.g. computer, office space, data access, etc. ) resources for students in their research laboratory.   The letter should also describe what non-research related activities the student will be undertaking during the training period.

Students who are awarded a CCORT Student Research Fellowship will be expected to fulfill the following responsibilities:

  1. Spend a minimum of 80% of their time working on CCORT-related projects under the supervision of a CCORT investigator.   Up to 20% of the student’s time may be spent on other responsibilities (clinical work, teaching, other projects etc.).

  2. Publish papers in peer-reviewed medical journals.  Each student will be expected to publish at least one paper that relates to one of the five core CCORT research projects, in consultation with the CCORT project leader for that project.

  3. Participate in CCORT student training seminars and CCORT national team meetings.  (CCORT will cover travel expenses).

Please Note: All students and their supervisor must acknowledge that their student fellowship was supported by a CIHR Team Grant in Cardiovascular Outcomes Research in all presentations and publications arising from their research projects.