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96 Evidence to impact: Developing a workforce of translational research professionals

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  24 April 2023

Samuel Neumark
Affiliation:
Translational Research Program, University of Toronto
Janine Noorloos
Affiliation:
Translational Research Program, Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology, University of Toronto
Joseph Ferenbok
Affiliation:
Translational Research Program, Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology, University of Toronto
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Abstract

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OBJECTIVES/GOALS: The goal of the Translational Research Program (TRP) at the University of Toronto is to provide structured and adaptive competency-based training around the translation, mobilization, implementation, and commercialization of research for the current and future Canadian healthcare workforce. METHODS/STUDY POPULATION: Guided by the Toronto Translational Framework, the TRP is a two-year hybrid master’s degree program that integrates courses, case-studies, mentorship, and experiential learning to facilitate real-world student-led translational projects. Focusing on skills development and competency-based assessment, the curriculum emphasizes ongoing reflection, interprofessional collaboration, and multidisciplinary problem-solving using human-centered principles. Learners identify problems using contextual inquiry to define unmet needs and frame design requirements. Systematic ideation is used to generate, select, and validate promising concepts for further iterative prototyping and evaluation. RESULTS/ANTICIPATED RESULTS: Throughout the program, students demonstrate a range of collaborative skills and activities around developing, assessing, and implementing new health interventions. Learners apply the Toronto Translational Framework and refine their professional competencies during the final year of the program in a student-led Capstone project. The unconventional combination of a guided framework and a learner-driven curriculum has produced over 120 graduates in a variety of careers within government, industry, clinical settings, and start-ups. The program’s focus on problem-solving and lifelong learning is growing Canada’s translational workforce and advancing translational health science education. DISCUSSION/SIGNIFICANCE: The TRP addresses the need to educate healthcare professionals in Canada about translational research and accelerate the transformation of scientific discoveries into tangible interventions that benefit human health, improve clinical medicine, and enhance patient care.

Type
Education, Career Development and Workforce Development
Creative Commons
Creative Common License - CCCreative Common License - BYCreative Common License - NCCreative Common License - ND
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/), which permits non-commercial re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is unaltered and is properly cited. The written permission of Cambridge University Press must be obtained for commercial re-use or in order to create a derivative work.
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2023. The Association for Clinical and Translational Science