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. 

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

Want to make your clinical teaching more efficient and effective? Come join us for INTAPT.
In two, five-day sessions you'll learn practical applications of educational theory designed specifically for clinicians in teacher and educator roles. Come away with new ideas for improving the delivery of clinical education programs.

You'll learn to

1. Integrate teaching and learning theory into practice
2. Work with learners who are experiencing difficulties
3. Give more effective feedback and use a range of assessment methods
4. Create and run interactive workshops
5. Present with confidence and impact

When & Where
Sessions are in person at DFCM,
500 University Ave,
Toronto M5G 1V7

Week 1: October 21–25, 2024
Week 2: February 24–28, 2025

Apply by September 15, 2024

Who can apply
Practising clinicians from any discipline, including nurses, physicians, pharmacists, dentists, occupational therapists, physiotherapists, midwives, social workers, lab technologists, optometrists, and other health care practitioners.
INTAPT is designed for both new and experienced teachers.

Learn more and Apply here

Postgraduate Medical Education continues to offer the Medical Humanities Education Matching Funding Grant in the amount of $5,000 per project proposal, distributed on a semi-annual basis. 

I am writing to announce the call for the Fall 2024 submissions. The submission deadline is Friday, October 11, 2024 with grants awarded to the successful applicants in December. Those interested in applying should notify Dr. Michael Patlas, Chair, Medical Imaging, of your interest by September 15, 2024 via email at michael.patlas@utoronto.ca.

The integration of humanities in medical education curricula has the potential to improve observation skills, self-reflection, and enhance learner competencies in the CanMEDS roles. Projects and proposals may reflect a variety of curricular designs which identify how medical humanities will be integrated into curricula and further enhance CanMEDS competencies.

Each proposal will require a matching funding commitment from the submitting department/division, i.e., if the project budget is $4,500 – a letter from the department chair committing to $2,250 is required. Funding will be provided for a one-year period, and applicants must agree to submit a project report at end of the period.

PGME will transfer the awarded funds to the successful applicant’s Academic Department in the Temerty Faculty of Medicine. Business Managers will provide Financial Information Services (FIS) account numbers to facilitate this transfer within four weeks of application approval or the funding offer will be withdrawn. The Academic Department will be responsible for the disbursement of funds to the successful applicant.

See further background on the purpose of the grant as well as a template for the application here. 

We look forward to receiving applications for the Medical Humanities Education Grant by Friday, October 11, 2024. Please submit your package by email to Arlene McKinley at arlene.mckinley@utoronto.ca

The CARJ currently has 3-4 resident candidate spots in its Reviewer Mentorship Program. The deadline to apply is September 15, 2024.

Volunteer Opportunities with the CAR Journal for Canadian Residents

This is your chance to get involved with the CAR Journal and the Canadian radiology community! Volunteer positions are available with the CARJ Reviewer Mentorship Program. Candidates must be enrolled in a Canadian residency program and must be PGY-3 or PGY-4.

To apply, please submit a 1-page Letter of Intent and CV with your top 3 areas of sub-specialty for mentoring to info@carjonline.org with the subject line “CARJ Reviewer Mentorship Program Application."

The Canadian Academy of Health Sciences (CAHS) Forum on moving “Toward Climate Resilient, Low Carbon Sustainable Health Systems” will be held September 24 – 25, 2024, in Ottawa.

The Forum aims to provide participants with insights on the state of evidence-based, deliberate, strategic and actionable solutions as well as to encourage participants to support a document that will provide pathways forward for professions in health systems.

The Forum is chaired by Dr. James (Jay) Cross and the Program Chairs are Dr. Zubin Austin and Dr. Fiona Miller. You can view the draft agenda here.

CAHS is asking for support of the Forum for several reasons, including:

• It will support the discussions and the development of this document going forward,
• All financial support will be recognized as per the sponsorship document outlined here, and
• It will provide recognition for Fellows to be inducted at the CAHS Forum.

CAHS also encourages faculty to attend the Forum and share information learned with other faculty. Register for the Forum here.

We would like to encourage you to participate in the Applied Radiology 2024 Leaders on the Horizon Program, which includes a chance to win up to $7500 and a trip to RSNA 2024 for submission of a winning paper. 

Papers are due Tuesday, October 1, 2024, and can be registered here. Find more information at the same link.

If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to Dr. Hanneman and Kieran Anderson, Vice President & Group Publisher, Applied Radiology.

Hosted via Zoom, this session will take place on Oct 30th, 2024, from 8:00 - 9:30 PM EST and include presentations and discussions from residents and fellows enrolled in a Canadian Radiology Program or Canadian Medical Students. Two practicing interventional radiologists, Dr. Cathal O'Leary and Dr. Camilo Barragan-Leal, will be our panelists who will be providing educational feedback to the presenters.

Who can attend: everyone interested in Interventional Radiology (medical students, residents, fellows, faculty members, etc.)

Who can submit a case: Residents and fellows enrolled in a radiology program across Canada or Canadian medical students.  Presenters must also be members in good standing with CAIR.

Two options for submission :

Option 1: New submission
See case criteria below.

Option 2: Re-submission
If you submitted a case to the CAIR Annual Scientific Meeting that was not selected for presentation, please let us know if you would like us to consider your case for the upcoming VAC. Your case needs to be re-submitted by email.

Case criteria:

• Presentation must be targeted to an audience with little to moderate knowledge of IR
• Educational value of presentation will be favoured over complexity/rarity of the case
• Cases are reviewed in a blind a fashion. 
• Selection criteria include: 
  1. Educational value for teaching key concepts in IR with a focus on the interventional procedure planning and rationale behind clinical decisions, and treatment strategy
  2. How interesting the case is and its contribution to advancing knowledge in IR
  3. Organization, completeness of the case presentation, and clarity
• The recommended file type to be used for presentations is PowerPoint or Portable Document Format (PDF)
• Cases are reviewed in a blind fashion

A draft presentation of no more than 8-10 minutes should be submitted by Oct 1st, 2024, via email at cairservice@cairweb.ca

Advancement Relations is launching the 2024 Hold'em for Life Oncology Fellowships Competition, open to University of Toronto residents and clinical fellows pursuing cancer research, at any of the Faculty’s fully affiliated teaching hospitals.

In 2019, Hold'em for Life Charity Challenge made a critical and transformative $16.4-million commitment to establish the Hold’em for Life Oncology Fellowships. Now an esteemed program, 194 fellowships have been awarded to budding clinician scientists who seek to reshape the future of oncology—advancing our understanding of cancer and improving patient outcomes.

The application form can be downloaded here and information on the competition is posted here: https://pgme.utoronto.ca/holdem-life-oncology-fellowships

Applications are due October 4, 2024.

The Burrough’s Wellcome Fund: The Career Awards for Medical Scientists (CAMS) is now accepting applications. 

This is a highly competitive program that provides US$700,000 awards over five years for physician-scientists, who are committed to an academic career, to bridge advanced postdoctoral/fellowship training and the early years of faculty service. Canadians are eligible to apply. I encourage you to consider potential candidates for this exciting opportunity.

Competitive candidates for the CAMS award will have at least two years of research experience, be two years away from becoming an independent investigator, be a first author on at least one publication in a high impact top-tier journal, and have a significant publication record. Candidates must hold a MD, DDS, DVM or DO degree. Full eligibility requirements are found here.

There will be two upcoming informational webinars about the application process, eligibility and award components.

1. Tuesday, August 20, 1:00-2:30 pm ET
2. Tuesday, September 10, 10:00-11:30am ET

You can register for either webinar date using the following link.

Award Timelines:
Oct 08, 2024: Application Deadline
Mar 17 - 19, 2025: Finalist virtual interviews
Jun 18, 2025: Notice of Award

We are seeking prospective faculty supervisors to submit a proposed research project for a medical student in the Graduate Diploma in Health Research (GDipHR) program. 

GDipHR is a 20-month longitudinal program which aims to engage medical students in a mentored research experience and graduate level coursework with the intent to develop knowledge and skills that will support a future career in health research. Components of the Program, which has superseded the former CREMS Research Scholar Program, are outlined in the attached GDipHR Supervisor Commitment Form that you are asked to sign and submit, accepting the GDipHR Program requirements in the event that you supervise a selected student. 

Please submit proposed research projects on the attached Supervisor and Project Information Form (by email only) to gdip.hres@utoronto.ca by October 10, 2024.  The GDipHR Program Website provides one location for students accepted into the GDipHR program to view research opportunities.   

The supervision of such students can be beneficial to faculty in multiple ways. They are very bright and accomplished; many will go on after graduation, GDipHR in hand, to do further research training as Residents, Fellows and/or graduate students on their way to eventual faculty positions as clinician-scientists. In seeking supervisors for such training, they will naturally consider applying to faculty they have encountered during their GDipHR. But before then, they will contribute to the environment and productivity of their supervisors’ research programs, bringing fresh perspectives and a quest for eventual applicability of their results to the clinical arena. 

GDipHR offers important advantages to the students as well. Students completing the GDipHR Program receive a Diploma and it is recorded on their academic transcript. For those who have not had any previous research experience, completion of the GDipHR will offer graduate level training and an additional U of T credential without prolonging the time required to receive their MD degree. It will provide exposure to cutting edge health-related and translational research by world-class Graduate Faculty from the U of T from a broad range of disciplines and research methodologies. It will also provide advantages in competition for future advanced training positions. For those who have already completed graduate research training before starting the MD Program, it will permit them to remain current in research and perhaps to explore new areas and approaches while completing their MD in the standard four academic years.

GDipHR students complete a research project, supervised by at least one full-time faculty member.  Primary Supervisors must have an unrestricted appointment to the School of Graduate Students (SGS) in the University of Toronto (conferring the authority to independently supervise graduate students), preferably a demonstration of previous student mentorship and available funds sufficient to cover $10,500 which is the supervisor’s portion of the student’s total stipend ($18,000) and the costs of the student’s research.  

This request is addressed to prospective GDipHR research project supervisors.  

·      Submitted projects will be reviewed to ensure they meet eligibility criteria and will be posted on the GDipHR Program Website. 

·      After identifying a project of interest, students are strongly encouraged to meet with the prospective supervisor, to ensure that they have a clear understanding of what will be involved in undertaking the proposed research project, and to get some sense as to whether the prospective supervisor will accept to supervise them should they be selected by the GDipHR Program.

·      Students will have until November 8, 2024, to submit a complete application package.

·      By December 5, 2024, successful applicants will be notified of their selection.

·      The student/supervisor pair are then required to submit the GDipHR Supervisor Commitment Form documenting the commitment of the faculty member to supervise the student’s specific research project in GDipHR. The completed form should be emailed to the GDipHR office at gdip.hres@utoronto.ca no later than December 11, 2024.

Please make sure to read the GDipHR Program Website to familiarize yourself with the supervisor eligibility requirements as well as the roles and responsibilities for project supervisors and students.  

Please don’t hesitate to reach out to me should you have any questions or require additional information. 

Sincerely,

Key Reminders:  

• To submit a research project, please complete: 

• • The GDipHR Supervisor and Project Information Form
  • The GDipHR Supervisor Commitment Form accepting the GDipHR Program requirements in the event that you supervise a selected student. 

• Deadline: October 10, 2024 

As a new class of MD students has just been welcomed, we would like to invite you to help us select the next class of MD students who will enter in 2025. As experienced teachers, your role in identifying applicants best suited to our program is invaluable.

Registration to participate as an MD admissions rater for the 2024-2025 admissions cycle is now open for the MD Program.

Find attached here a handout which consists of an overview of both the file review and video interview process, as well as key dates for the upcoming cycle. You may sign up to be a file reviewer, video interview rater, or both. The selection processes for file reviewers and video interview raters are done independently of one another; thus, we ask you to select each one that is of interest to you.

To sign up as a rater for the 2024-2025 admissions cycle, please use the following link https://survey.ca1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_eXxtQuL8DKcBEWy
(Deadline for sign-up is October 31, 2024, at 11:59 PM)

If you would like more information on being a rater, we are also hosting an MD Admissions Volunteer Information Session for you to learn how you can get involved in selecting our next MD class.

MD Admissions Volunteer Information Session Details:
Date: Thursday, September 26, 2024
Presentation: 5:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.
Location: Online Zoom Webinar 
Zoom details to be sent the day before the information session
Speakers: Dr. Glendon Tait, Director, MD Admissions and Student Finances
Sophie Harding, Associate Registrar, Admissions

The session will begin with an overview of the admissions process where you will have the opportunity to learn about the ways you can get involved in evaluating written applications and/or participating in video interviews. If you participated as a file reviewer or interviewer last year, this is your chance to learn more about the class that you helped select.

 If you are interested in attending the Information Session to hear more about being a rater, please RSVP using the following link by Tuesday September 24, 2024: https://survey.ca1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_5ySn2ShS5kvRwIS

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)

• 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.