2007 Postdoctoral Award Competition Results: Key Points

Postdoctoral Awards

Seventeen applications were reviewed in this seventh competition for the CHSRF/CIHR Postdoctoral Awards within the CADRE program.

Merit Review Process

For the third year, the postdoctoral applications were reviewed by the same panel that reviewed the letters of intent received for the Foundation's Research, Exchange, and Impact for System Support (REISS) competition. The membership of the merit review panel included an equal mix of researchers and decision makers that balanced regional and disciplinary distribution and perspectives. The panel was chaired by Jack Altman; François Champagne and Mark Bisby performed scientific officer duties.

The merit review panel met on January 29 and 30, 2007 in Ottawa to assess the postdoctoral applications received from across the country. Of the postdoctoral applications, there were eight in health services, six in nursing, and three in knowledge transfer. Three applications were received from Quebec, five from Ontario, four from the western provinces, and five from the Atlantic region.

Applicants Recommended for Funding

The panel recommended seven applicants for funding, all of whom will be offered an award. Of the candidates being offered funding, three are in the health services field, three are in nursing, and one is in knowledge transfer.

Some of the candidates offered funding have yet to complete their PhDs. They must complete all of the requirements for their doctorates and take up the award by February 28, 2008.

The recommended candidates are listed in alphabetical order:

Roger Chafe is completing his PhD in the division of community health, faculty of medicine at Memorial University of Newfoundland. He will conduct his postdoctoral work with his supervisors Peter Coyte (University of Toronto) and Mark Dobrow (Cancer Care Ontario/University of Toronto). Mr. Chafe's decision-maker partner will be Terrence Sullivan from Cancer Care Ontario. His program will examine the factors influencing the adoption of new cancer drugs within different institutional contexts across the country.
Patricia Khokher is completing her PhD in the department of sociology, faculty of social science at McMaster University. She will conduct her postdoctoral work with her supervisor John Cairney at the University of Toronto, Centre for Addiction and Mental Health. Ms. Khokher's decision-maker partner will be Sean Rourke at the Ontario HIV Treatment Network. Her program will examine seniors living with HIV/AIDS and will compare the quality of life in two groups of older adults: those who have contracted the illness in later life, and those who became ill in their younger years and have now aged.
Christine Kurtz Landy is an assistant professor in the school of nursing at McMaster University. She will conduct her postdoctoral award with her supervisors Harriet MacMillan (McMaster University) and Nancy Edwards (University of Ottawa). Dr. Kurtz Landy's decision-maker partners will be Debbie Sheehan from Public Health Services, City of Hamilton, and Vasanthi Srinivasan from the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care. Her program will focus on the development and testing of community-based interventions to prevent intimate partner violence.
Geneviève Roch (award offered but declined) is completing her PhD in nursing services administration at the University of Montreal. She will conduct her postdoctoral work at York University with her supervisor Pat Armstrong. Ms. Roch's decision-maker partner will be Linda Silas from the Canadian Federation of Nurses Unions. Her program will examine the policy orientations and recommendations in nursing work environment matters, based on a gender perspective, to determine how they recognize the specific aspects linked to the role of women in society.
Fiona Mary Shrive completed her PhD in April of 2006 in the department of community health sciences, faculty of medicine at the University of Calgary and is currently working as a research associate in the same department. She will conduct her postdoctoral work at the University of Newcastle Upon Tyne in the United Kingdom with her supervisor Cam Donaldson. Dr. Shrive's decision-maker partner will be Kalipso Chalkidou from the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence in the United Kingdom. Her program will summarize the current state of practice in economic evaluations, compare and contrast the different options using various case studies, and prepare a document outlining the "best practices" for the conduct of economic evaluation.
Dominique Tremblay is currently completing her PhD in the faculty of nursing at the University of Montreal. She will conduct her postdoctoral work at the University of Ottawa with her supervisor Nancy Edwards. Ms. Tremblay's decision-maker partners will be Antoine Loutfi and Jean Latreille in the Cancer Directorate of the Quebec Ministry of Health. Her program will focus on relevant methods to understand how organizational innovations suggested in the Quebec cancer program translate into practices at professional, institutional, and regional levels and affect responsiveness to patients' needs with cancer.
Lloy Wylie (award offered but declined) is currently completing her PhD in the department of interdisciplinary studies at the University of British Columbia. She will conduct her postdoctoral work with her supervisors Annette Browne (University of British Columbia) and Jeff Reading (University of Victoria). Ms. Wylie's decision-maker partner will be Judith Johnnie-Gohn at the Ts'ewulhtun Health Centre. Her program will focus on developing knowledge translation strategies to create and enhance cultural safety in health services for First Nations communities (cultural safety refers to practices that recognize and respect rather than demean people's cultural identity).