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TAC Projects & Publications
Publications by the PIRN Trainee Advisory Committee can be found here using the in-page menu:
APA Citation: Lee, J., Jensen, K. V., van Buuren, A. L., Padda, A., Dionisopoulos, Z., Ryan, P. M., ... & Canadian Paediatric Inpatient Research Network Trainee Advisory Committee. (2024). Research training and scholarly activity during general pediatric residency in Canada. The Journal of Pediatrics, 273, 114135.
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The PIRN TAC surveyed 230 pediatric residents (36% response rate) from all 17 Canadian general pediatrics programs between April and June 2023. Residents reported involvement in a range of scholarly activities: retrospective clinical studies (22%), qualitative research (15%), quality improvement (13%), and medical education research (12%). However, only 20% had presented at conferences and 12% had submitted manuscripts. The survey revealed a mismatch between residents’ career interests and their projects, and identified key factors influencing engagement—protected time, mentorship, and research skills training. The authors recommend national standards, progress-tracking systems, and flexible protected research time to support resident scholarship.
The PIRN TAC conducted a scoping review of 23 studies evaluating interventions to increase scholarly activity among pediatric trainees. Interventions included specialized electives, short-term and longitudinal curricula, mentorship, mandates, and funding support. Of 16 studies with comparison groups, 81% showed improved outcomes such as increased presentations or publications, particularly with specialized electives and short-term curricula. These approaches may enhance scholarship with modest time investment, though more rigorous evaluation—especially for QI and medical education—is needed.
Developing a Trainee Advisory Committee Within a Pediatric Hospital Medicine Research Network
Jimin Lee, Alistair Fung, David D'Arienzo, Katherine V. Jensen, Zachery Dionisopoulos, Jenny Hotchkiss, Sanjay Mahant, Peter J. Gill & Karen L. Forbes
APA Citation: Lee, J., Jensen, K. V., van Buuren, A. L., Padda, A., Dionisopoulos, Z., Ryan, P. M., Forbes, K. L., & Canadian Paediatric Inpatient Research Network Trainee Advisory Committee (2024). Research Training and Scholarly Activity during General Pediatric Residency in Canada. The Journal of pediatrics, 273, 114135. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpeds.2024.114135
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Medical research networks are essential for advancing clinical care. Despite the recognized importance of building research capacity and training future pediatric researchers, trainee engagement within these research networks remains inconsistent. To address this, the Paediatric Inpatient Research Network (PIRN) established the Trainee Advisory Committee (TAC) in 2022 to foster trainee participation in pediatric hospital medicine research. This article describes the development, implementation, and early outcomes of the TAC, highlighting key successes and challenges.