This story was originally published in May 2024 and was updated on October 23, 2024.
The University of Ottawa Faculty of Medicine is excited to announce the successful launch of the Clinical Science and Translational Medicine (CTM) program. This innovative graduate program, which welcomed its first cohort in September 2024, is already making waves by training future leaders in the critical field of translational medicine: the dynamic intersection of biomedical and clinical research.
The Faculty is proud to share this exciting milestone, showcasing one of its most recent cutting-edge advancements and demonstrating how uOttawa is shaping the future of health care innovation by training future researchers.
Feeding the need for specialists
The CTM program was developed to address the increasing demand for professionals who can bridge the gap between basic research and clinical care.
Graduates specializing in the emerging field of clinical and translational research are being snapped up by health care, industry and academia—exposing a great need for highly skilled personnel.
Trainees in the CTM program will work and study at the intersection of basic, clinical, and translational research. Graduates—armed with competencies in developing innovative approaches to complex biomedical questions in one of eight specialized concentrations—will be in high demand.
“The CTM program offers students not only the opportunity to do cutting edge translational research with clinicians and PhD scientists, but also an individualized student plan, allowing students to build on strengths and develop new skills to make them truly competitive in today’s workforce,” says Dr. Nadine Wiper-Bergeron, interim vice-dean of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies at the Faculty of Medicine.
“CTM’s research will make uOttawa leaders in building the future of health care, partnering clinical training excellence with capacity-building in translational research and innovation.”
Dr. Nadine Wiper-Bergeron
— Interim vice-dean of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies
Building on the vast success of the Faculty’s current undergraduate Translational and Molecular Medicine (TMM) program, the multidisciplinary, competency-based graduate CTM program hopes to attract BSc graduates both from TMM and Sciences at uOttawa and from other universities, as well as medical residents working in our affiliated hospitals and highly qualified graduate students.
“Many of our medical residents are interested in developing key research skills while training,” explains Dr. Wiper-Bergeron. “This program allows these learners to earn graduate degrees and to actively contribute to research in their specialties.”
In addition to becoming experts in their selected concentration, graduates acquire an essential combination of methodological rigor, clinical knowledge and professional skills which spans the spectrum of CTM research, from bench to clinic to commercialization. This is crucial in ensuring that the research performed by participants can be translated into timely, practical applications that benefit patients, populations and health care professionals.
Dr. Wiper-Bergeron says the research outputs of the program are expected to impact the standard of care in Canada.
“CTM’s research will make uOttawa leaders in building the future of health care, partnering clinical training excellence with capacity-building in translational research and innovation,” she says.
Unique program a Canadian first
Trainees will graduate with extensive career options due to the program’s unique features and the array of competencies it develops.
This combination of features distinguishes it from all other graduate-level programs not only at the Faculty of Medicine and uOttawa, but across all Canadian universities.
The CTM program offers eight specialized concentrations, ranging from cardiovascular medicine and pharmaceutical sciences to artificial intelligence in medicine and clinical psychiatry. This range of focus areas allows students to tailor their education to their interests while gaining hands-on experience in solving complex biomedical challenges.
A Canadian First: The CTM Program at the University of Ottawa Faculty of Medicine |
| 1. Individualized study plan and personalized guidance for personal career aspirations |
| 2. Competency-based evaluation |
| 3. Emphasis on interdisciplinarity in clinical and translational research |
| 4. Development of competencies useful for a variety of different careers |
| 5. Collaborative training model |
| 6. PhD level plus choice of two MSc program options: 1-yr with research project or 2-yr thesis-based |
7. Wide range of specializations in a variety of clinical fields, including eight concentrations:
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*launching winter 2025
**launching fall 2025
Because CTM is housed at the faculty level rather than the departmental level, it facilitates high-level involvement and collaboration among uOttawa’s many academic and clinical departments, research institutes, teaching hospitals and professional schools, boosting its multidisciplinary aspect.
For example, the Faculty’s new School of Pharmaceutical Sciences is leading the pharmaceutical sciences concentration. School director Dr. Alain Stintzi, who led the creation of the CTM program, saw an opportunity to compound the research strengths of the school.
“The CTM program is specifically designed to equip graduates with the expertise to navigate the intricate processes of translating biomedical discoveries from the lab to the patient's bedside,” says Dr. Stintzi. “CTM empowers students to integrate this crucial knowledge into their research from the very beginning, significantly enhancing the translational potential of their discoveries.
“This program prepares students to drive innovation in pharmaceutical science and pioneer the next generation of therapies.”
“This program prepares students to drive innovation in pharmaceutical science and pioneer the next generation of therapies.”
Dr. Alain Stintzi
— Director, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences
Leading Innovation for a Healthier World
This milestone CTM program is a testament to the Faculty of Medicine’s continued commitment to excellence and innovation. The successful launch of the program underscores the Faculty’s dedication to staying at the forefront of medical research and education and training the health leaders of tomorrow.
The Faculty looks forward to sharing further successes as the Office of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies innovates with the development of a multitude of new academic programs, promising a more diverse range of opportunities to new students.
Innovative graduate programs are essential in achieving the objectives of the Faculty of Medicine’s Strategic Plan, Leading Innovation for a Healthier World, by 2025. The new CTM program aligns with the Faculty’s strategic priority of promoting interactions among its diverse learner groups to foster interdisciplinary research inquiry, and to promote collaborations between its biomedical and clinical scientists—addressing not only the needs of learners, but those of the community.
Training specialists to bring work at the bench to the patient bedside is a guiding star for the Faculty in improving population health and patient outcomes. In identifying and addressing gaps in biomedical training, the Faculty of Medicine is again showcasing its agility and responsiveness to the evolving educational landscape.
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Explore the CTM degrees:
Master of Science, Clinical Science and Translational Medicine
Doctorate in Philosophy, Clinical Science and Translational Medicine
Read the Faculty’s 2023 Progress Report to learn more about the Faculty’s dedication to innovation through new educational programs, including the 2023 inauguration of its PharmD program.
Support the Faculty of Medicine today! Use the “Other designation” field on our online donation form to support the 'Faculty of Medicine Scholarship for Graduate Research' fund. |