Eliot Phillipson Clinician-Scientist Training Program

Introduction
Eligibility
Supervisor Contribution
Application Process
Application Deadline
Contacts

Introduction

The Department of Medicine’s Eliot Phillipson Clinician-Scientist Training Program (CSTP) trains future faculty members who will engage in research as a major component of their career in academic medicine.

What is a clinician-scientist?

A clinician-scientist must;

be an MD specialist who has established a career in research (~75%) as well as clinical practice (~25%) at a University affiliated hospital
be competitive for research funding from sources external to the university
sustain a high level of scholarship and research productivity

Popular clinician-scientist graduate studies departments:

Should you apply?

You should consider applying to the CSTP if you:

Have a strong desire to become an independent investigator, and a clinician-scientist in particular.
Are connected with a supervisor who is a senior scientist, committed to working with you over several years, and understand the rewards and challenges of being a clinician-scientist.
Are planning to pursue a master's (two years minimum) or PhD (four years minimum). Entry into a PhD program is strongly encouraged. Trainees with a PhD degree may be accepted to pursue postdoctoral training. Trainees are expected to dedicate 80% of their time to research.
Are willing to apply to external funding sources throughout your time in the program.
Have discussed your intentions to apply with you department division director and program director (if applicable).

Diversity Statement

The University of Toronto is strongly committed to diversity within its community and especially welcomes applications from racialized persons / persons of colour, women, Indigenous / Aboriginal People of North America, persons with disabilities, LGBTQ2S+ persons, and others who may contribute to the further diversification of ideas.

What does the Program provide?

The nature of support you will receive depends on where you are in your training. It is possible to enter the program as a PGY trainee or as a research/clinical fellow.

For Phillipson Scholar trainees:

Pay and benefits details
U of T tuition coverage (if applicable)
Access to regular breakfast meeting with other CSTP trainees
Access to informal mentorship opportunities
Opportunity to present at the DoM Annual Day event in June in front of senior faculty and leadership

For CSTP trainees (in this stream the division and supervisor are expected to cover the trainees salary and benefits costs):

Access to regular breakfast meeting with other CSTP trainees
Access to informal mentorship opportunities
Opportunity to present at the DoM Annual Day event in June in front of senior faculty and leadership

Eligibility

To be eligible to apply you must:

be a postgraduate trainee at the University of Toronto in entry level programs of the Department of Medicine (internal medicine, dermatology, emergency medicine, neurology, physical medicine and rehabilitation) or in a subspecialty program of internal medicine. Entry into full-time research training may occur after satisfactory completion of clinical training at the PGY 1-5 level. Re-entry into the clinical program (when required) follows two or four years of research training.
have previous engagement with research and an idea about the future direction of your research program. All areas of medical research will be considered. These include: basic cellular and molecular biology; educational scholarship; genetics; integrative human physiology and pharmacology; clinical epidemiology; health outcomes and quality research.
have identified a research supervisor(s) with a University of Toronto SGS faculty appointment.
plan to enrol in, or are already enrolled in, a two-year graduate program (MSc) in the Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, which includes both course work and defense of a research thesis. Direct entry into a PhD (four-year) program, or transfer from the MSc to the PhD program is strongly encouraged.
- Trainees with PhD degree may apply to the program to pursue postdoctoral training. The Eliot Phillipson Clinician-Scientist Training Program committee may require enrollment in a graduate degree if the proposed research training is in an area different from the PhD training.

Supervisor Contribution

Supervisors of Eliot Phillipson Scholars are required to contribute up to $20,000 per year toward their trainee’s stipend on a 50:50 cost sharing basis with the Department. Supervisors and applicants may reach out to their division to inquire if any divisional contributions may be available, which can be used to reduce the supervisor's contribution. The amount may be further reduced if the trainee succeeds in acquiring external funding.

Application Process

Trainees typically apply the year before entry into research training.

Completed applications (submitted as a single PDF format) include;

a completed application form
a completed supervisor form
a current curriculum vitae (no specific format required)
statement of intent (maximum one page): The statement should describe relevant research background, your clinical and research interests and career goals.
a one‐page abstract of the proposed research: Outline the hypotheses, specific aims/objectives, methods, data analysis, expected outcomes, and possible problems/alternative approaches
official post‐secondary and medical school transcripts (copies acceptable)
three letters of reference (supervisor, departmental division director, and one additional research reference)

Letters of reference should be sent via email by referees to the Research Administrator at dom.research@utoronto.ca.

Late applications will not be considered.

Eligible candidates will be reviewed by the Eliot Phillipson Clinician-Scientist Training Program Committee.

Candidates chosen for interview MUST be available for the interview on DATE TBD (planning for mid-January). Location: 3rd floor boardroom, C. David Naylor Building, 6 Queen's Park Crescent West.

Please email all documents to:

Dr. M. Bhat
Director, Eliot Phillipson Clinician-Scientist Training Program
C/O: Department of Medicine, University of Toronto at: dom.research@utoronto.ca.

Application Deadline

The Deadline for applications to the CTSP for 2025 (July 2025 entry) is Monday, December 9, 2024.

Contacts

Director, CSTP

Dr. Mamatha Bhat, MD, MSc, PhD, FRCPC
Department of Medicine
Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto
C. David Naylor Building
6 Queen’s Park Crescent West, Third Floor
Toronto, ON M5S 3H2
E-mail: mamatha.bhat@uhn.ca

Administrator, CSTP

Brittany Wiwat
Research Coordinator
Department of Medicine
Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto
C. David Naylor Building
6 Queen’s Park Crescent West, Room 321
Toronto, ON M5S 3H2
Phone: 416-978-6435
E-mail: dom.research@utoronto.ca