Announcing the Third CCCTG Young Investigators Retreat
As part of the Canadian Critical Care Trials Group’s (CCCTG’s) commitment to supporting the development of Canada’s next generation of critical care researchers, the CCCTG is proud to announce its third Young Investigators Retreat.
The Young Investigators’ Retreat is an interactive training workshop for a small group of early career investigators selected in a competitive process from the CCCTG membership. This year’s participants will be Olugbenga Akinkugbe (pediatric CCM, Ontario), Yiorgos Alexandros Cavayas (adult CCM, Quebec), Geneviève Du Pont-Thibodeau (pediatric CCM, Quebec), Laurence Ducharme-Crevier (pediatric, Quebec), Laurie Lee (pediatric CCM, Alberta) and Christopher Yarnell (adult CCM, Ontario).
The first two CCCTG Young Investigators’ Retreat were hosted by Dr. Deborah Cook and her husband, Dr. Robert Sheppard, at Breezy Ridge Retreat Centre in Muskoka. Their aim was to support new researchers and honour the mentorship legacy of Dr. David Sackett, whose Trout Workshops remain the model for the retreat. “My partner Bob was excited to build Breezy Ridge to help me help young people,” said Deborah. “While Bob had no such mentorship himself, his pre-medical social work and theology background dedicated to youth development was aligned with David.”
This legacy will continue this September in Mille-Isles, Quebec. Set over three days, the 2023 retreat will have a mixed format focusing on research program development through tutorials and workshop sessions led by senior CCCTG members. Each participant will present their proposed program of research with specific research project(s) for discussion and refinement. The retreat program will guide participants in the design, implementation, and analysis of high-quality studies. Discussions will include effective grant writing, mentoring models, and navigating academic careers.
Later this fall, the CCCTG will also host a special workshop for early- and mid-career investigators specifically focused on the design and conduct of randomized controlled trials. Details about this opportunity can be found here.