Newsletter Fall 2018: Clinician Investigator Trainee Association of Canada (CITAC)

Message from the President: Optimism for the Future The Clinician-Investigator Trainee Association of Canada (CITAC) was established in 2006 to address issues relevant to Canadian trainees seeking dual training in medicine and research. As clinician-investigator (CI) trainees, we comprise but a fraction (less than 5%) of all medical trainees. Our ‘bilingual’ careers render our individual paths less straightforward and more challenging. As a community, we have had to confront several disappointments, perhaps most notably the cessation of funding support for MD/PhD programs in 2015, previously offered by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR). Despite these individual and collective challenges, I remain optimistic and incredibly excited about our future. In my own work, I am reminded constantly that being trusted with the dual responsibility of patient care and innovation in medicine is a privilege to be cherished, rather than a burden to be feared. That which makes our path doubly challenging also makes it doubly rewarding. The progress that CITAC has made over the years only adds to my optimism, and I wish to take this opportunity to remind you of how far we have come and how much further we hope to go.