Training and career development

IPPH is committed to supporting a new generation of population and public health researchers who are dedicated to research and its application. Below are opportunities and resources to help trainees and new investigators plan and jumpstart their careers in the field of population and public health. Additionally, IPPH earmarks a portion of funding in each initiative for new investigators. To see current funding opportunities please visit ResearchNet.

Opportunities for trainees and new investigators

There are several opportunities available through CIHR-IPPH for students and trainees.

  • Starting Investigator Workshop – held bi-annually, this workshop brings new investigators from around the country together to connect with established researchers and partners involved in PPH related research priorities areas and gain more insight into CIHR grant systems. The next workshop will be held in 2022 and applications will be open in Fall 2021.
  • Health System Impact Fellowship – this fellowship program gives trainees experiential learning opportunities in health care organizations and prepares PhD students to work and make an impact in these sectors.
  • Travel Awards - Have you been accepted to present at a conference? Would you like to attend the Canadian Public Health Association’s Public Health conference? IPPH funds travel awards exclusively for trainees and new investigators multiple times a year for these purposes. Visit ResearchNet for details on CIHR travel awards.

IPPH Capacity Building Activities

Included in IPPH’s strategic plan, ‘The Future is Public Health’, are goals aimed at building capacity within population and public health research. While not all of these opportunities are specifically for trainees, they are designed to develop or advance a particular area of research.

IPPH Goal IPPH actions
Train future researchers in implementation science for healthy cities Developing a national strategic training initiative for doctoral and post-doctoral students on the science of implementing tested solutions in cities
  • Urban Housing and Health Fellowships - Launched in partnership with Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC), these fellowships were developed to address research and knowledge translation gaps in the field of population and public health and housing in Canadian cities. Scholars are funded for two years of research on topics related to the National Housing Strategy.
  • HSIF related to Healthy Cities - This area of HSIF funding provides funds to embed PhD trainees and post-doctoral fellows in positions that are outside the traditional scholarly setting and are relevant to IPPH’s Healthy Cities priority area.
IPPH Goal IPPH actions
Build capacity to use AI approaches in public health research Launching a national summer school for graduate students and early career researchers to learn AI skills and apply them to public health challenges
  • HSIF Equitable AI stream - In this opportunity, post-doctoral candidates with computer science, AI or other practical experience and skills will work with one of Canada's provincial or federal public health agencies to advance the emerging field of AI in public health.
  • Equitable AI Summer Institute Host Institution funding opportunity - This funding opportunity supports an academic host institution to develop, coordinate, evaluate and deliver an annual CIHR Summer Institute on Equitable AI for Public Health program. The Summer Institute is expected to run for five years and will enable trainees, post-doctoral fellows and early career researchers from across Canada to develop skills in applying AI approaches to public health challenges, with a strong emphasis on health equity.
  • Artificial Intelligence for Public Health (AI4PH) Summer Institute Travel Awards – The Summer Institute is funded by CIHR-IPPH and is a key component of CIHR-IPPH Equitable AI Initiative. IPPH is committed to building research capacity to use artificial intelligence (AI) approaches to address population and public health challenges.
IPPH Goal IPPH actions
Bolster policy-relevant research on challenges with global implications Investing in key global health research areas such as antimicrobial resistance and chronic disease prevention
  • Network for Global Governance Research on Infectious Diseases (GGRID) - This network will create and sustain collaborations across the range of social sciences studying the global governance arrangements, institutions and structures working to prevent, detect, manage and respond to infectious diseases. GGRID will strengthen research capacity and connect Canadian researchers and trainees with international networks working to generate and apply new knowledge about effective global governance arrangements for preventing and managing infectious diseases and public health threats.
  • Global Alliance for Chronic Disease (GACD) - GACD coordinates and supports innovative research collaborations between low- and middle-income and high-income countries to address the prevention and treatment of non-communicable diseases. Funding and training opportunities developed by GACD members build and strengthen capacity to tackle the most pressing noncommunicable diseases (NCD) implementation research questions.

Resources and useful links

CIHR resources

  • Awards Page: Read about and apply for CIHR and tri-agency award programs and health research training-related initiatives.
  • Individual Development Plans: This tool supports graduate students and postdoctoral fellows to prepare for their career by exploring career paths, establishing goals, and identifying skill gaps, culminating in an action plan to achieve their career goals.

Career Hub

  • Training Tools: These tools include materials on professional development as well as training modules that are useful at any career stage.
  • Labour Market Information Career Tool: this tool allows users to compare salary ranges, explore job prospects and track job trends.

External Opportunities

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