All first and second year IMS students in the MSc and PhD programs will be automatically enrolled in MSC1010Y and MSC1011Y, respectively.
MSC1010/11Y Program
Course Director: Dr. Howard Mount
Contact: sf.medscience@utoronto.ca
Tel: 416-946-7143
Description
The course objectives are:
- to provide information about the IMS graduate programs that will allow timely completion of the degree requirements
- to provide a sampling of the breath of world-quality research being conducted in the IMS
- to provide students with general knowledge and transferrable skills (e.g. in writing, giving presentations, finding resources) that will enhance their research experience
- to provide students a translational research outlook that links fundamental discovery with patient-based research (individual and population-based), clinical applications, health promotion and disease prevention.
- to provide an opportunity for students to present their research-in-progress in small group sessions with feedback about their presentation skills and research content by both the faculty facilitator and students
The course runs over two years and begins with 12 lecture sessions of 2 hours each in the fall term of Year One. Lectures will cover fundamental biomedical research skills and will introduce a range of central topics in translational research. Short course modules are offered at various times through the year and will provide students an opportunity to choose translational research subject areas that they would like to pursue in greater depth. Finally, students will have an opportunity to present their own work in small group seminars, to be held in the fall of Year Two.
Completion
Satisfactory completion of this two-year course is a requirement for degree completion. Those students who transfer from the MSc to the PhD degree will complete no more than the 2-year requirement.
The following are required to complete this course:
- attendance at all sessions in the fall of the first year (non-attendees will be required to take missing sessions in year 2
- completion of an on-line ethics course (see schedule below) and submission of the certificate of completion to the IMS Office
- presentation of research-in-progress in the Fall of year two and attendance at group seminar sessions
- completion of two elective modules in translational research (for students starting the course in September, 2009, or later)
- presentation at IMS Scientific Day in Year 1 and/or 2 (participation in the Alan Wu Poster Competition OR Laidlaw Manuscript Competition)
- attendance at IMS Scientific Day in Years 1 and/or 2
Year 1 Fall Term - Seminars
Schedule for Fall 2012 Seminar series to be posted shortly.
Year 1 - Modules
The course continues with short course offerings (modules) in translational research. Year 1 students will attend 2 modules of their choice that cover an area in the broad spectrum of translational research. Modules may be taken concurrently, or sequentially and students may elect to defer completion of their second module choice to year 2.
Modules will be presented in a variety of formats (weekly series, workshops, etc.). A list of modules to be offered and information on requirements to complete this component of the course will be available soon. Module registration will open at various times throughout the year.
To access the course in portal, click here.
Year 2 Fall Term - Presentations
Students will be assigned to groups of students who may be engaged in similar areas of research. Each student will be assigned a specific presentation date (senior students will present earlier). Each presentation will be 15 min followed by 5 min of questions from the seminar group. Students and a faculty facilitator will evaluate the student presentation skills and seminar content. The facilitator will provide confidential, constructive feedback to the student based on the evaluations. Students are expected to present and attend other meetings of their seminar group.
Presentation Format: You will have 15 minutes for presentation, followed by 5 minutes for questions. Each student should bring an abstract of their research on their presentation date. The abstract should be 150 to 200 words (1 page) and contain all the elements of your presentation (Introduction, Background, Hypothesis/Objective, Methods, Results, and Conclusions). Bring enough copies of the abstract for the entire group (and others who might attend), about 20.
Year 2 - Winter Term
Students will be required to submit an abstract/poster for presentation at IMS Scientific Day. Students starting the course in September, 2009, or later, must complete their second module, if they have not previously done so.