Our Trainees

The Institute provides a rich and supportive environment for training future scientists at the undergraduate, graduate and postgraduate levels. Currently we have about 70 trainees at any given time. Each spring the Institute provides supplementary salary funding for grad trainees on a competitive basis and applications are made through the supervisor for funding commencing in the early fall. In addition, trainees are exposed to literature at the weekly Journal Club; are able to present research at the weekly Research in Progress seminars; and are expected to attend the more formal clinical/basic scientific Farncombe GI Noon Rounds each week at which local and invited external speakers participate. We have empowered our trainees by providing funds for the activities of the Farncombe Institute Trainee Association (FITA) and this enables them to hold their own activities and meetings, as well as organize the Institute’s annual Research Day held in September at the Royal Botanical Gardens in Hamilton. Our trainees organize the Research Day and choose the invited speaker. FITA also arranges social events for its trainee members. Potential trainee applicants usually approach individual faculty members based on their interests, after having ensured that they are acceptable to the Graduate Office of the Faculty of Health Sciences. Clinical applicants, particularly those from abroad, wishing to do patient-related research and possibly service work must satisfy the requirements of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario prior to making a formal application.