ABSTRACT
The Clinician Investigator Trainee Association of Canada (CI) trainees across the country around the common goal of improving training conditions for those pursuing a career at the junction of research and medicine. Since then, the CI training landscape has shifted dramatically. The number of Canadian CI trainees enrolled totaling 289 MD-PhD trainees and 389 Clinical Investigator Program (CIP) trainees as of 2019 [1]. Alumni outcome data have presented conclusive evidence that MD-PhD training programs are effective in producing CI careers [2-4].
Subject(s)
Biomedical Research , Research Personnel , Canada , HumansABSTRACT
Message from the CITAC president To say that 2020 has been an unprecedented year is an understatement. The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) global pandemic and the major societal awakening on racial equity and justice have led us to reflect on our direction, goals and mission. Thanks to our talented and dedicated executive team, we were able to pivot our efforts and adapt to the changing landscape of research and advocacy. In April, we provided our members with a list of resources to help facilitate a smooth transition to working from home. In June, we published Clinician Investigator Trainee Association of Canada's (CITAC) press release on our role in combating anti-Black discrimination and racial injustice and have outlined specific advocacy efforts that we will be committing to over the next years (the full statement can be found on our website, https://www.citac-accfc.org).
Subject(s)
Biomedical Research/organization & administration , Research Personnel , Social Justice , Betacoronavirus , Biomedical Research/trends , COVID-19 , Canada , Coronavirus Infections/epidemiology , Humans , Pandemics , Pneumonia, Viral/epidemiology , SARS-CoV-2 , Training SupportABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Nonpharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) are the primary tools to mitigate early spread of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic; however, such policies are implemented variably at the federal, provincial or territorial, and municipal levels without centralized documentation. We describe the development of the comprehensive open Canadian Non-Pharmaceutical Intervention (CAN-NPI) data set, which identifies and classifies all NPIs implemented in regions across Canada in response to COVID-19, and provides an accompanying description of geographic and temporal heterogeneity. METHODS: We performed an environmental scan of government websites, news media and verified government social media accounts to identify NPIs implemented in Canada between Jan. 1 and Apr. 19, 2020. The CAN-NPI data set contains information about each intervention's timing, location, type, target population and alignment with a response stringency measure. We conducted descriptive analyses to characterize the temporal and geographic variation in early NPI implementation. RESULTS: We recorded 2517 NPIs grouped in 63 distinct categories during this period. The median date of NPI implementation in Canada was Mar. 24, 2020. Most jurisdictions heightened the stringency of their response following the World Health Organization's global pandemic declaration on Mar. 11, 2020. However, there was variation among provinces or territories in the timing and stringency of NPI implementation, with 8 out of 13 provinces or territories declaring a state of emergency by Mar. 18, and all by Mar. 22, 2020. INTERPRETATION: There was substantial geographic and temporal heterogeneity in NPI implementation across Canada, highlighting the importance of a subnational lens in evaluating the COVID-19 pandemic response. Our comprehensive open-access data set will enable researchers to conduct robust interjurisdictional analyses of NPI impact in curtailing COVID-19 transmission.