PSI Launches the 2025 Competition for the PSI Graham Farquharson Knowledge Translation Fellowship

PSI Foundation is very pleased to announce the 2025 competition for the PSI Graham Farquharson Knowledge Translation Fellowship. This Fellowship is intended to provide salary support for a new investigator who has demonstrated the ability to successfully complete high impact knowledge translation research. The Fellowship funds, dedicated to salary support, must protect at least 50% of the Fellow’s time to conduct such research.

Please note: This funding opportunity is not an additional PSI operating grant. Knowledge translation must be the fundamental purpose of this Fellowship and must be demonstrated in the application.

Amount and Duration of Funding

This program offers two options for a funding timeline for salary support: A maximum of $150,000 per year for two years; OR a maximum of $100,000 per year for three years.

Please note: the award is intended to protect at least 50% of the fellow’s time to undertake research, regardless of whether the award is taken over two or three years.

Eligibility of Candidate

For this competition, PSI has set the eligibility criteria for candidates as follows:

The candidate for the Fellowship must be either:

• Within six (6) years of their first academic appointment and have demonstrated potential for high impact research work
  • Please note: PSI has adjusted this eligibility requirement in recognition of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic
• Dedicating at least 50% of a full-time schedule to the Fellowship
• A practising physician with a College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario (CPSO) licensed M.D. having direct patient care responsibilities and an academic appointment, thus eligible to apply for their own research grants as an independent investigator.

OR

• A clinical fellow in Ontario who is a practising physician having direct patient care responsibilities, with a supervisor who has an academic appointment and that can provide the necessary research supervision and infrastructure (including administering the grant at the sponsoring institution). A letter of support from this supervisor must be included in the application.

The PSI Graham Farquharson Knowledge Translation Fellow is able to apply to PSI for an operating grant (e.g. New Investigator grant).

Important Information in Funding Guidelines

The Funding Guidelines contain important information regarding the award, including PSI’s definition of knowledge translation, sponsoring institution requirements, and funding criteria. Please review this document before applying.

How to Apply

Similar to the previous years, PSI is launching this competition through a Letter of Intent (LOI) process. Please note that for this competition, applicants are required to submit their applications directly to PSI, not through the institution.

We require all applicants to submit the completed LOI directly to PSI via the PSI Online Grants Management System (https://psifoundation.smartsimple.ca/) by June 10th, 2024 at 5pm EST. LOIs will be reviewed by the PSI Grants Committee in July/August 2024.

PSI will invite successful applicants to submit full applications by October 28th, 2024 at 5pm EST, which will undergo internal review for a final funding decision in December 2024.

Questions?

Please contact the PSI Office to discuss any questions you may have about submitting an application for funding.

The PSI Graham Farquharson Knowledge Translation Fellowship – valued at $300,000 for over two or three years – helps protect a promising physician’s research time, allowing the Fellow to undertake high-impact translational research in Ontario.

Three Physician Researchers Awarded with the 2024 PSI Graham Farquharson Knowledge Translation (KT) Fellowship

PSI Foundation is pleased to name three physician researchers as the 2024 PSI Graham Farquharson KT Fellowship recipients:

Dr. Michael Fralick – Sinai Health (Recipient Biography)

Dr. Lauren Lapointe-Shaw – University Health Network (Recipient Biography)

Dr. Kamila Premji – University of Ottawa (Recipient Biography)

Please visit their recipient biographies for more information on each of these Fellows and how they will be using PSI funds to conduct high-impact knowledge translation research. We thank all stakeholders for supporting PSI with the 2024 competition.

PSI’s Commitment to Funding Early Career Physician Researchers in Ontario

Since the launch of this award in 2012, PSI has invested over $7.1 million in funding 23 physician researchers in Ontario with the PSI Graham Farquharson Knowledge Translation Fellowship.

Dr. Robin Walker, PSI Chair, highlights the productivity of this funding stream.

“What we have learned from funding early career physician researchers (as opposed to just project grants) is that it is a highly effective way of building careers and the funded researchers become very productive. Measured by publications, the same funds given to a researcher provide a much larger return on investment than when given to a single project. We benefit from the researchers tending to have a stronger bond with PSI when we have supported their career in this manner.”

Continuing KT Research Funding to Improve the Health of Ontarians

Knowledge translation research is aimed at taking research discoveries and moving them into the real world to improve health outcomes. PSI’s KT Fellowship program focuses on translational research that is multi-disciplinary and multi-method, focused on improving the processes of care and/or outcomes of medical care for Ontarians.

“Translational research has been identified as a major need to ensure research findings become translated to effective interventions at the bedside and system-wide,” says Dr. Walker. “We expect that PSI will continue to strongly support this area.”

The PSI Mid-Career Knowledge Translation Fellowship – valued at $400,000 for over three or four years – helps protect a mid-career physician’s research time, allowing the Fellow to undertake high-impact translational research in Ontario.

Two Physician Researchers Awarded with the 2024 PSI Mid-Career Knowledge Translation (KT) Fellowship

PSI Foundation is pleased to name two physician researchers as the 2024 PSI Mid-Career KT Fellowship recipients:

Dr. Venkatesh Thiruganasambandamoorthy – The Ottawa Hospital (Recipient Biography)

Dr. Carolyn Snider – Unity Health Toronto, St. Michael’s Hospital (Recipient Biography)

Please visit their recipient biographies for more information on each of these Fellows and how they will be using PSI funds to conduct high-impact knowledge translation research. We thank all stakeholders for supporting PSI with the 2024 competition.

Filling in the Gaps: Evolving Nature of Our Funding Streams

PSI’s KT Fellowship program initially targeted early career physician researchers through the PSI Graham Farquharson KT Fellowship, which launched in 2012. Since then, the program has evolved and expanded to include funding mid-career physician researchers through the PSI Mid-Career KT Fellowship, which launched in 2022.

Dr. Robin Walker, PSI Chair, explains the rationale behind this evolution.

“It’s obvious that researchers in early career need lots of support to get their careers started, but it has become increasingly evident that the transition from early career funding (of which there is more now available than in the past) to funding from large agencies like CIHR can be a difficult one. PSI has always tried to fill gaps in funding, so it was natural that we should try to help close this gap between early funding and the time when a researcher is fully established and able to get grants from major national agencies. It’s early to evaluate the effectiveness of this approach, but I am expecting it will prove very helpful to mid-career researchers.”

Filling in the Gaps: From the Lab to the Bedside

“Talking of gaps, one of the biggest has always been the difficulty of getting established science from the lab to the bedside. Studies a few years ago suggested it takes, on average, fourteen years for a new evidence-based therapy to go from clinical trials to clinical use. Even then, adoption of most proven therapies is far from 100%. The response to COVID shows us it is possible to be much faster,” says Dr. Walker.

Knowledge translation research aims to transition research discoveries into the real world to improve health outcomes. Dr. Walker highlights how PSI’s KT Fellowship program prioritizes funding translational research — research that is more likely to directly affect the health outcomes of Ontarians.

“Our support of KT researchers offers hope that we can develop methods to bring evidence-based therapies into use much faster to the benefit of all Ontarians.”

PSI Executive Director Samuel Moore will now be hosting virtual office hours for the general public through Zoom, occurring on select Tuesday mornings from 11:00 AM to 11:30 AM (Eastern Standard Time). Available meeting dates will be posted at the beginning of each month on the PSI Twitter account.

If you have any inquiries about our grants programs, application procedures, or general inquiries, feel free to use these virtual office hours as an opportunity to drop in for a one-on-one chat. These virtual office hours were created so that grantees, applicants, and reviewers with longer-form inquiries can have any outstanding questions answered.

To join the Zoom meeting room, click the hyperlink below or enter the meeting code below into your Zoom app.
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84520912698
Zoom Meeting ID: 845 2091 2698

If assistance is needed, please see this guide from Zoom support with detailed instructions on how to join a Zoom meeting room, or email psif@psifoundation.org.

PSI Launches the 2024 Competition for the PSI Graham Farquharson Knowledge Translation Fellowship

PSI Foundation is very pleased to announce the 2024 competition for the PSI Graham Farquharson Knowledge Translation Fellowship. This Fellowship is intended to provide salary support for a new investigator who has demonstrated the ability to successfully complete high impact knowledge translation research. The Fellowship funds, dedicated to salary support, must protect at least 50% of the Fellow’s time to conduct such research.

Please note: Knowledge translation must be the fundamental purpose of this Fellowship and must be demonstrated in the application.

Amount and Duration of Funding

This program offers two options for a funding timeline for salary support: A maximum of $150,000 per year for two years; OR a maximum of $100,000 per year for three years.

Please note: the award is intended to protect at least 50% of the fellow’s time to undertake research, regardless of whether the award is taken over two or three years.

Eligibility of Candidate

For the 2024 competition, PSI has set the eligibility criteria for candidates as follows:

The candidate for the Fellowship must be either:

• Within six (6) years of their first academic appointment and have demonstrated potential for high impact research work
  • Please note: PSI has adjusted this eligibility requirement in recognition of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic
• Dedicating at least 50% of a full-time schedule to the Fellowship
• A practising physician with a College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario (CPSO) licensed M.D. having direct patient care responsibilities and an academic appointment, thus eligible to apply for their own research grants as an independent investigator.

OR

• A clinical fellow in Ontario who is a practising physician having direct patient care responsibilities, with a supervisor who has an academic appointment and that can provide the necessary research supervision and infrastructure (including administering the grant at the sponsoring institution). A letter of support from this supervisor must be included in the application.

Important Information in Funding Guidelines

The Funding Guidelines contain important information regarding the award, including PSI’s definition of knowledge translation, sponsoring institution requirements, and funding criteria.

Please review this document before applying.

How to Apply

Similar to the previous years, PSI is launching the 2024 competition through a Letter of Intent (LOI) process. Please note that for this competition, applicants are required to submit their applications directly to PSI, not through the institution.

We require all applicants to submit the completed LOI directly to PSI via the PSI Online Grants Management System (https://psifoundation.smartsimple.ca/) by June 5th, 2023 at 5pm EST. LOIs will be reviewed by the PSI Grants Committee in July/August 2023.

PSI will invite successful applicants to submit full applications by November 6th, 2023 at 5pm EST, which will undergo internal review for a final funding decision in December 2023.

Questions?

Please contact the PSI Office to discuss any questions you may have about submitting an application for funding.

PSI acknowledges that mid-career can be a challenging time for physician researchers. During this phase, there are often additional academic roles and responsibilities including committee work, leadership positions, and mentoring of junior investigators, while clinical work continues. PSI recognizes the importance in supporting this phase of an investigator’s trajectory.

PSI Launches the 2024 Competition for the PSI Graham Farquharson Knowledge Translation Fellowship

PSI Foundation is very pleased to announce the 2024 competition for the PSI Mid-Career Knowledge Translation Fellowship. This Fellowship is intended to provide salary support for a mid-career physician researcher in Ontario who has demonstrated the ability to successfully complete high-impact knowledge translation research. The Fellowship funds, dedicated to salary support, must protect at least 50% of the Fellow’s time to conduct such research.

Please note: Knowledge translation must be the fundamental purpose of this Fellowship and must be demonstrated in the application.

Amount and Duration of Funding

Total Support

This program offers two options for a funding timeline for salary support:

A maximum of $400,000 over two years;

OR

A maximum of $400,000 over three years.

The award is intended to protect at least 50% of the fellow’s time to undertake research, regardless of whether the award is taken over two or three years.

Matching Funding Requirements

The sponsoring institution is required to fund 50% of the total award.

For example, if the fellow requests a total support of $400,000 over two years, then PSI will fund $200,000 over two years ($100,000 per year) and the institution is required to co-fund $200,000 over two years ($100,000 per year).

Eligibility

For the 2024 competition, the candidate for the Fellowship must be:

• A practicing physician in Ontario with a College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario licensed M.D. having direct patient care responsibilities and an academic appointment, thus eligible to apply for their own research grants as an independent investigator
• Within six (6) to fifteen (15) years of their first academic appointment and have demonstrated potential for high impact research work
• Dedicating at least 50% of a full-time schedule to the Fellowship

Important Information in Funding Guidelines

The Funding Guidelines contain important information regarding the award, including PSI’s definition of knowledge translation, matching funding requirements, and funding criteria.

Please review this document before applying.

How to Apply

PSI is launching the 2024 competition through a Letter of Intent (LOI) process. Please note that for this competition, applicants are required to submit their applications directly to PSI, not through their institution.

We require all applicants to submit the completed LOI directly to PSI via the PSI Online Grants Management System (https://psifoundation.smartsimple.ca/) by June 5th, 2023 at 5pm EST. LOIs will be reviewed by the PSI Grants Committee in July/August 2023.

PSI will invite successful applicants to submit full applications, which will undergo internal review for a final funding decision in December 2023.

Questions?

Please contact the PSI Office to discuss any questions you may have about submitting an application for funding.

The PSI Visiting Scholars Program is now open to all eligible medical universities, hospitals, and research institutes in Ontario.

PSI’s Visiting Scholar Program aims to support specific priorities identified by a given hospital/research institute in Ontario and PSI’s Grants Committee. This program provides funds ($15,000 per year) for a hospital/research institute in Ontario to attract an external expert to address such priorities.

For more information, email psif@psifoundation.org or check out the brochure for the PSI Visiting Scholar Program.

PSI Launches the 2023 PSI Research Trainee Award

PSI Foundation is excited to announce the launch of the 2023 PSI Research Trainee Award. The primary aim of this award is to provide highly qualified candidates with clinically applicable research training opportunities and support.

Please note: this funding opportunity is not an additional PSI operating grant. Research training must be the fundamental purpose of this award and must be demonstrated in the application.

Eligibility of Candidate

The candidate for the award must be:

• An M.D. licensed by College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario (CPSO) in a Ph.D or MSc. program at an Ontario university

OR

• A trainee in a combined M.D./Ph.D or MSc. program at an Ontario university

OR

• A trainee in the Clinician Investigator Program (CIP) at an Ontario university

Amount and Duration of Funding

A maximum of $25,000 per year for two (2) years is available from PSI.

Please note: sponsoring institutions are required to co-fund 50% of the amount requested from PSI. For example, if the fellow requests $20,000 per year from PSI, then the sponsoring institution must provide $10,000 per year.

Important Information in Funding Guidelines

The Funding Guidelines contain important information regarding the award. Please review this document before applying.

How to Apply

Similar to previous years, each of Ontario’s six medical universities may submit up to two candidates; therefore, all applications must be submitted through the medical university. The deadline for medical universities to submit their applications to PSI is July 25th, 2022 at 5pm EST.

Please contact the medical university research office regarding internal application process/deadlines. Medical universities must submit their applications to PSI via PSI online grants management system. Please see Tips & Resources – PSI Foundation for instruction manual on how to navigate the system.