MI Weekly

In an effort to develop our Medical Imaging Clinical Practice Improvement initiatives, and in alignment with recommendations of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario for training of our workforce in Quality Improvement (QI) & Safety we encourage those interested in QI to register for the CQuIPS Co-Learning Curriculum in Quality Improvement Course. 

What is the CQuIPS Co-Learning Curriculum in Quality Improvement?
It is a teaching program on basic fundaments to the successful execution of a QI initiative. Example of parts of a QI project: choosing a QI project focus, aim statements, QI measures, process tools, mapping solutions to problems that account for local context, stakeholder engagement, rapid cycle change (i.e. PDSA), and run charts.

Short-term goal of the CQuIPS Co-Learning Curriculum in Quality Improvement
This innovative program teaches QI to faculty members and trainees (residents, fellows) at the same time, achieving the dual goal of developing core QI competencies for residents/fellows while creating faculty capacity to teach QI and supervise QI projects.

Long-Term Goal
To create capacity within our Department for faculty who is interested in QI & Safety to learn basic skills about how to conduct a QI project ad mentor future trainees in their field of interest within QI, and to prepare the new generation of leaders of radiology for the challenges and opportunities that technology and AI methods will bring to our medical system. The final goal is expected to be achieved on a multi-phase fashion.

Phase 1: In this year (September 2024-June 2025) registrants from Medical Imaging should attend the curriculum in-person (at SickKids) within the Pediatric CQuIPS group led by Dr. Olivia Ostrow, Program Director of CQuIPS, or on-line (run by Sunnybrook) within the Adult CQuIPS group led by Dr. Brian Wong.

The in-person workshops are going to be held in September 2024 (September 27th 2024 8:30 AM-12:00 PM) and January 2025 (TBA).

Phase 2: Based on the outcomes of the pilot project we hope to be able to create our own Medical Imaging CQuIPS group, and/or to expand the Co-Learning opportunity to embrace faculty and trainees as participants of other existing CQuIPS groups.

What is the opportunity? 
Once the faculty or trainee (resident, fellow) of any program affiliated to Medical Imaging registers for the course (link below) he/she agrees to participate in two half-day in-person workshops to be held at SickKids, one in September 2024 and one in January 2025. Approval of time to attend the workshops by the Division Chief is important, but there will be no costs for the home department of the trainee/faculty. The workshops involve didactic and interactive learning, a faculty-resident team-based QI project, and a final session in June that features an invited keynote speaker and group project presentations.

REGISTER HERE

Having a project in mind is NOT required for registration for the program, but having a field of interest and a problem in quality, safety or systems to be solved can be helpful for the initial session when a project is selected by the group for the learning experience. Groups of faculty and trainees (residents and fellows) will be formed for the workshops, but these groups do not need to be made up upfront. Nevertheless, it is easier for the groups to work together when trainees are rotating in the hospital where the faculty has his/her clinical appointment.

For more information please visit the CQuIPS website: https://cquips.ca/co-learning-curriculum-in-quality-improvement/

Thanks in advance for your interest in this course which can be very helpful for your career and for the development of a QI project during your residency, fellowship or academic appointment. 

The Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) has released their 2025 Grant Opportunities, including research and education grants. All grant submissions must be submitted with the signature of Dr. Michael Patlas, Chair, Medical Imaging and must be submitted to Dr. Patlas one month prior to the RSNA submission deadline for signature. Please see grant details and deadlines below.

Research Grants
Research Seed Grant: up to $60,000 for full-time faculty
Submission package to Dr. Patlas: December 20, 2024
Full RSNA Application deadline: January 24, 2025

Resident/Fellow Research Grant: up to $75,000 for trainees
Submission package to Dr. Patlas: December 20, 2024
Full RSNA Application deadline: January 24, 2025

Medical Student Research Grant
Students receive $6,000
Submission package to Dr. Patlas: January 7, 2025
Full RSNA Application deadline: February 7, 2025

Education Grant
Derek Harwood-Nash International Education Scholar Grant: investigators can receive up to $75,000
RSNA/AUR/APDR/SCARD Education Research Development Grant: individuals can receive up to $25,000
Education Project Award: radiology educators can receive up to $20,000
Submission package to Dr. Patlas: December 17, 2024
Full RSNA Application deadline: January 17, 2024

Emerging Issues Grant
Applications open a rolling basis for variable amounts

For more information on these upcoming grants and how to apply, visit the RSNA grant webpage here.

The American Roentgen Ray Society (ARRS) has three high-profile initiatives for radiology trainees, all of which are designed to enhance trainee professional development and showcase contributions to the field of radiology:

The Roentgen Key Case Challenge
We invite residents and fellows to submit original cases—with winning cases presented at ARRS 2025 in San Diego. Additional selected cases will be featured in the Case Challenge Program, providing a platform for in-training radiologists to contribute to the imaging community. Submissions due December 16, 2024.

Resident/Fellow in Radiology Awards
These awards recognize promising research in radiology and radiological sciences. Awardees will present their work during the ARRS Annual Meeting, showcasing the scientific merit and potential impact of their research. Applications due January 6, 2025.

U of T is excited to announce 

the return of the Hold’em for Life Early Career Professorships in Cancer Research for a second round of funding. These professorships are designed to help clinician scientist launch their careers by providing some support for those within the 5 years of their initial academic appointment.

The Hold’em for Life Early Career Professorships in Cancer Research offers $75K/year for 3 years to full time UofT clinical faculty members with an academic position description of Clinician Scientist, Clinical Investigators and QIs, at the minimum rank of Assistant Professor within the first 5 years of their appointment. Additional details can be found on the website linked above.

NOI’s are due December 2, 2024  and consist of a simple webform and CV.
Full applications will follow due January 27, 2025.
Funding will start July 1, 2025.

The total number of applications that will be funded is still being determined, but there will be a minimum of one professorship available.

The Sarita Verma Award for Advocacy and Mentorship in Postgraduate Medicine was established in 2010 at the end of Dr. Verma’s term as Vice Dean, Postgraduate Medical Education (PGME) at the University of Toronto, Temerty Faculty of Medicine, in recognition of her exceptional contributions to postgraduate medical education in Ontario. The award recognizes staff or faculty members who exhibit an exemplary level of leadership and commitment to social responsibility, mentorship, advocacy, and resident wellbeing.

Attached is the nomination form for the 2025 Sarita Verma Award.

The award is presented to the recipient at the Faculty’s Annual Educational Achievement Day, typically held in June and acknowledged at the All Program Directors meeting in May.

The award recipient will receive $500, a certificate of recognition, and will be asked to participate in a workshop or another PGME event.

NOMINATION GUIDELINES

1. Any faculty or staff member (individual or group) in the PGME programs of the University of Toronto Temerty Faculty of Medicine is eligible for nomination.
2. Nominees will be identified by colleagues and learners as a role model for professionalism and mentorship, and involved in activities exhibiting a commitment to resident wellness, advocacy, and social responsibility.
3. The nominator(s) can be any resident, faculty or staff member (individual or group) in the PGME programs of the Temerty Faculty of Medicine. The nomination package must include the following:
   ·     Completed Nomination Form
   ·     Detailed support letter from the nominator outlining reasons for nomination
   ·     CV of the nominee
4. Multiple applications for a faculty or staff member will not be accepted.

The deadline for e-submission of the nomination package to arlene.mckinley@utoronto.ca is Friday, January 31, 2025.

Additional award information can be found at the PGME website: https://pgme.utoronto.ca/sarita-verma-award. If you have any questions, please contact Arlene McKinley at arlene.mckinley@utoronto.ca

The Comprehensive Research Experience for Medical Students (CREMS) Summer Research Program is now accepting faculty submissions for 2025. A detailed description of the program can be found on CREMS Summer Research Program Website.

Key Information

• Faculty submission deadline: February 10, 2025
• Submit to: crems.programs@utoronto.ca
• Required form: CREMS Supervisor and Project Information Form (attached)
• One submission per supervisor allowed

Selection Process

• Adjudication committee will review and score projects
• CREMS typically funds 40-50 projects out of 120-150 applications
• Results are expected by mid to late March

Student Selection Guidelines

• Accepted projects will be posted on the CREMS website and open to first- and second-year medical students to apply
• Students apply directly to supervisors
• Supervisors must interview at least 5 applicants
  • One student must be selected from the applicant pool
  • We will not accept pre-determined pair – you will be asked to provide a list of students interviewed
  • Supervisors to notify CREMS office of their selection by April 30, 2025

Funding Details

• Total student stipend: $6,000 for 10 weeks of full-time work from June-August
• CREMS contribution: $2,750
• Supervisor contribution: $3,250*

*Medical Imaging Chair’s Office will cover 50% of the supervisor contribution ($1,625) for TWO applications

If more than two proposals from Medical Imaging are selected by CREMS for funding, the Department will establish a selection committee to determine the two applicants who will receive 50% funding for supervisor contributions. Successful applicants must notify the Medical Imaging Chair’s Office of successful CREMS funding by April 1, 2025.

Supervisor and Project Information Form
CREMS 2025 Call for Proposals

For more information, please visit the CREMS Summer Research Program Website. 

The Canadian Institutes of Health (CIHR) Project Grant program is designed to capture ideas with the greatest potential to advance health-related fundamental or applied knowledge, health research, health care, health systems, and/or health outcomes. It supports projects with a specific purpose and a defined endpoint. The best ideas may stem from new, incremental, innovative, and/or high-risk lines of inquiry or knowledge translation approaches.

Registration for the CIHR’s Spring 2025 Project Grant competition is currently open. 

Important Dates

• Registration Deadline: February 5, 2025
  Registration is mandatory: All applicants must submit their registration before the deadline. The application stage will open as soon as the registration has been submitted. 
• MRA Deadline: February 26, 2025
  The internal MRA requirement is for all applicants applying for this award through the University of Toronto: Your application will not be submitted to CIHR until MRA has been approved by all required institutional officials. For all other applicants, please contact the Research Office of the institution through which you are applying.
• Application Deadline: March 5, 2025, 8pm ET
  This deadline is strictly enforced by CIHR and no exceptions will be made. CIHR will not accept updates to applications after the application deadline.

Optional Editorial Review

Research Services is offering an optional editorial review for CIHR Project Grant proposals for on-campus applications only. If you would like to receive an editorial review of your proposal, please do the following:

• Confirm to Research Services (Deanna Pong and Shanna Pritchard ) by January 30 that you intend to take advantage of this support and are able to meet the internal editorial deadline of February 6; this information allows the editorial staff to coordinate their workload.
• Submit a complete, near-final draft of the proposal (as a Word document) to Shanna or Deanna by February 6. The editorial reviews will be returned to you by end of day February 14.

Please note that the editorial team may not be able to accommodate proposals submitted after this deadline.

NOTE: Faculty research offices may also offer editorial review for its on-campus applicants.  For divisional grant support and deadlines, contact your divisional research office support staff.

For more information please visit the Spring 2025 Project Grant Funding Opportunities page (for University of Toronto applicants).

CIHR Project Grant Applicant Webinars   

CIHR will be hosting webinars to support participants with the requirements of the funding opportunity and answer questions.  

English Sessions
Duration: 60 minutes
When: Wednesday, January 22, 2025 at 11:00 AM ET | Join
When: Thursday, February 6, 2025 at 1:00 PM ET | Join

French Sessions
Duration: 60 minutes
When: Wednesday, January 22, 2025 at 1:00 PM ET | Join
When: Thursday, February 6, 2025 at 11:00 AM ET | Join

Postgraduate Medical Education (PGME) is now accepting applications for the 2025 Postgraduate Research Award for the 2025-2026 academic year. The purpose of the 2025 Postgraduate Research Awards is to provide financial assistance to students engaged in medical research.

Applications must be sent to Dr. Michael Patlas, Chair, Medical Imaging, for signature by March 21, 2025. Full applications are due via the Judgify platform by end of day April 4, 2025.

Please note due to the large number of applications for this award it may take us longer than expected to notify applicants of the outcome. The results will be announced in December 2025 and all applicants will be notified of the results.

Application requirements to be submitted here:

• A one-page research proposal
• Three academic reference letters (including one from the proposed research supervisor)
• Completed signature page for Department Chair, Proposed Research Supervisor and Applicant

Award Guidelines:

• Most awards are for Postgraduate Trainees (MDs) registered with the PGME office. Awards will range from $500 to $12,500
• A small number of awards are for graduate students who are conducting medical research and are registered with the University of Toronto, School of Graduate Studies. Awards will range from $50 to $1,300
• All applicants are rated and the top ranked applicants are assigned the awards according to the terms and conditions of each award
• The research funding awarded from this competition is for future research to be completed during the 2025-2026 academic year. Funds (prize money) will be paid in 12 equal monthly installments, with the first payment commencing by December 2025
• Applicants are not required to apply for a particular award. Applicants complete and submit a general application using the Judgify platform at the following site:  https://www.judgify.me/uoftpgmeresearchawards2025
• Applicants must be supported by their Supervisor and Chair where they will be conducting their research
• You must be registered for the full academic year (July 1, 2025 – June 30, 2026) to be eligible for funding
• Please ensure the reference letters are uploaded to the Judgify platform as part of your application. Referees are not required to send their letters to PGME separately
• The deadline for submitting your application to the Judgify platform is end of day on Friday, April 4, 2025

Details concerning education, research, publications, etc. will be collected via the application form. If you have any questions, please contact Arlene McKinley at arlene.mckinley@utoronto.ca. Additional award information can be found at the PGME website here.

The American Roentgen Ray Society (ARRS) is extending a complimentary online membership to medical students, residents and fellows to support those in medical and radiology training.

ARRS provides a variety of practical educational resources and professional development tools, including our most popular member benefit, AJR Online, which can significantly enhance the training and development of future radiologists.

You can apply for your complimentary membership through the following steps:

1. Create an account at: arrs.org/createprofile
2. Once the account is created, go to arrs.org/join and select In-Training Membership
3. Complete the application online and input promotional code AJR2024

Institute of Medical Science: Advancing Health through Graduate Research
Learn about undergrad and graduate research programs in Temerty Faculty of Medicine. 
Presentation slides

Research Security - CIHR Implementation
See new CIHR policies and implementations here.

UofT Library Resources
https://gerstein.library.utoronto.ca/systematic-scoping-review-service-ssrs
https://onesearch.library.utoronto.ca/copyright/oa-agreements-apc-discounts
https://onesearch.library.utoronto.ca/copyright/oa-publishing-options
https://onesearch.library.utoronto.ca/copyright/open-access-investment
https://tspace.library.utoronto.ca/?refresh=true
https://onesearch.library.utoronto.ca/researchdata/research-data-management

Policy on Sensitive Technology Research and Affiliations of Concern (STRAC)
On January 16^th 2024, the Minister of Innovation Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED) announced the Policy on Sensitive Technology Research and Affiliations of Concern (STRAC). The new policy aims to enhance Canada’s research security by ensuring Federal grant applications (NSERC, SSHRC, CIHR and CFI) that involve conducting research that may advance a sensitive technology research area will not be funded if any of the researchers involved in activities supported by the grant are affiliated with, or in receipt of funding or in-kind support, from a university, research institute or laboratory connected to a military, national defence or state security entities of foreign state actors that pose a risk to Canada’s national security.

The policy includes two lists, both of which will be updated regularly to address evolving threats to Canada’s national security. The policy will come into effect in early 2024.

• Sensitive Technology Research Areas (STRA) List
• Named Research Organization (NRO) List
  
  For faculty/principal investigators whose research is not on the STRA list, no further action is required. 
  
  For researchers whose work is in a Sensitive Technology Research Area, there are new requirements when applying for grant funding from the federal Tri-council agencies and CFI:
• All researchers listed on an application must provide an attestation that they do not have any affiliation with entities on the Named Research Organization list and they have “read, understood, agree with, and are compliant with this policy. They and their research team(s) will be required to comply with the policy for the duration of the federal grant.”
• If any of the researchers named on the application are receiving funding or in-kind support from an organization on the NRO list, the application would be ineligible.
  
  U of T has a dedicated Research Security Team within the Division of the Vice-President, Research and Innovation to provide support and information to the research community regarding developments relating to safeguarding research and developing research relationships and grant applications in alignment with best practices, guidelines, and requirements. Further information is available at https://research.utoronto.ca/safeguarding-research/safeguarding-research.
  
  Researchers who have questions or concerns are strongly encouraged to contact the Research Security Team researchsecurity@utoronto.ca. That team is available to help the research community understand the application of this new government requirement and other existing government requirements.
  
  Specifically:
• Is my area of research covered under the STRA?
• Would I be considered to have an affiliation with an NRO?   
• How do I provide an attestation?
• How do I prove that my previous affiliation has ended?
  
  We appreciate that this adds additional requirements and responsibilities for our research community and will share additional information as it becomes available. The University of Toronto continues to work closely with the Government of Canada, the U15, and Universities Canada to ensure that the needs of the research community are reflected in the implementation of this new policy. 

McMaster University: Free EMB Services for Residents & Fellows
The McMaster University Health Information Research Unit (HiRU) offers 3 free McMaster PLUS products to help residents & fellows keep up to date with current best evidence for patient care (EMB).
Here's how you can use content from McMaster PLUS to stay current on evidence-based health care:
 

1. Sign up for personalized free alerts on new high-quality studies within your discipline of interest on EvidenceAlerts. https://www.evidencealerts.com/
2. Have a point-of-care question? Search the literature for high-quality studies, reviews, and evidence-based guidelines according to the pyramid of evidence using ACCESSSS. https://www.accessss.org/
3. Ready to practice your critical appraisal skills? Sign up to be a McMaster Online Rating of Evidence (MORE) rater to contribute your rating of hot-off-the-press articles and keep track of what you read for maintaining CME. https://hiru.mcmaster.ca/MORE/physicians/contact_us.html
   
   MORE raters receive notifications about new articles within their specified areas of clinical interest that have passed McMaster PLUS criteria. They vote on the relevance and newsworthiness of the article for clinical practice in their disciplines of interest using two simple Likert scales. This takes less than 5 minutes. You can receive as many or as few articles as you would like.
   
   Benefits to becoming a MORE rater:

• Stay current with the best clinical care evidence as it matures.
• See what your peers are saying about the same article.
• Provide insightful comments and you may be selected to write a formal Commentary on the article for ACP Journal Club, published monthly in Annals of Internal Medicine.
• Articles reviewed are tracked and can be used to qualify for CME credits where permitted (e.g., MAINPORT Section 2 credits in Ontario)

Join us for FIVE FREE research courses

Research is an integral part of our radiological practice. Whether you're conducting your own studies or implementing research findings in your daily clinical routine, understanding the fundamentals of radiological research is crucial.

This new season of the Fundamentals of Radiological Research Course, comprising five individual courses, tackles current hot topics in the clinical and research arena.

Suitable for any ESR member interested in research, this course is especially beneficial for those early in their careers.

Season Highlights:

• Comprehensive coverage of value-based medicine
• Insights into biomarkers in radiology
• Benefits and boundaries of AI applications
• CME accredited (Application made via EACCME)

Courses:
1 - Value-based radiology: research beyond diagnostic accuracy
Tuesday, October 1, 2024

2 - AI for academic work - help or curse
Tuesday, November 5, 2024

3 - Imaging biomarkers
Tuesday, December 10, 2024

4 - AI research - what the Radiologist needs to know
Tuesday, January 14, 2025

5 - Image analysis methodologies
Tuesday, February 4, 2025

These courses are FREE for ESR members. ESR membership is FREE for radiologists residing outside of Europe.
Register now or
Sign up for membership here

• Congratulations to Dr. Kamaldine Oudjhane who was recently awarded the 2022 Reviewer Award with Distinction from Skeletal Radiology for his exceptional service to the journal. 
• Congratulations to Dr. Michael Patlas who was recently recognized by several associations, including:
  Honorary Membership with the Association of Radiologists of Ukraine for his humanitarian work during the ongoing war;
  Appointed as Fellow of the American College of Radiology (CAR) for his many contributions to the profession of radiology throughout his career;
  And invited to sit on the Governance Committee for the Toronto Addis Ababa Acadmic Collaboration (TAAAC). Congratulations on these incredible achievements, Dr. Patlas!
• Congratulations to Dr. Vivianne Freitas who was recently appointed as Assistant Editor for the American Journal of Roentgenology from January 2024 - December 2025, as well as Associate Editor on the Radiology Advances Editorial Board from October 2023 - December 2024.
• Congratulations to Dr. Karl Narvacan on his recent appointment as Editor-in-Training with the Canadian Association of Radiologists Journal (CARJ) for the January 2024 - December 2024 term. He will also serve on the CARJ Editorial Board. 
• Congratulations to Drs. Birgit Ertl-Wagner, Ania Kielar, and Sebastian Mafeld, who were recently awarded the 2023 CARJ Outstanding Reviewer Awards.

• Congratulations to Drs. Pejman Maralani, Roger Smith and Viviane Freitas for their recent recognition from Ontario Health (Cancer Care Ontario)!

Dr. Pejman Maralani was recognized for his contributions to the Program in Evidence-Based Care (PEBC) from Ontario Health (Cancer Care Ontario), for authoring "Organizational guideline for planning and delivery of spine stereotactic body radiotherapy treatment in Ontario."

Dr. Roger Smith was recognized for his contributions to the Program in Evidence-Based Care (PEBC) from Ontario Health (Cancer Care Ontario), for participating as expert panel member for "Organizational guideline for planning and delivery of spine stereotactic body radiotherapy treatment in Ontario."

Dr. Viviane Freitas was recognized for her contributions to the Program in Evidence-Based Care (PEBC) from Ontario Health (Cancer Care Ontario), for participating as expert panel member on "Preoperative Breast Magnetic Resonance Imaging Guideline." 

Published papers to be posted here. 

Grants received to be posted here.