All trainees admitted into the CanHepC are expected to take part in the following activities:

MCB 6355 - Transdisciplinary Studies in Infectious Disease (using hepatitis C as a model)

The MCB 6355 - Transdisciplinary Studies in Infectious Disease is a 24 lecture web-conferenced graduate course designed by CanHepC and hosted at University of Montreal. It introduces and exposes interested researchers and students to various areas of infectious disease research (specifically hepatitis C). Evaluation takes place in the form of homework assignments (60%), participation discussions (10%) and a team grant project (30%). The course materials and topics are reviewed and updated annually by the training core committee. The course is divided into 2 parts: i) a weekly 1 –hour lecture; ii) a short homework assignment. Trainees also prepare a collaborative transdisciplinary grant proposal in groups of 3-4. 

Kindly contact Kerryn van Rooyen at: kerryn.vanrooyen@uhn.ca if you wish to attend.

Webconference Webinar Series

The webconference Webinar series is a set of mentor-lead discussions and guest lectures designed to address key issues in the conduct of research, not necessarily specific to hepatitis C. The Webinar series runs weekly on alternate years from the MCB 6355 course.

Sample topics include:

  • Mentoring
  • Research Tools
  • Hepatitis C Advocacy
  • Knowledge Translation
  • Business Partnerships
  • Intellectual Property
  • Basic Research in Academia and Industry
  • Laboratory Management
  • Grant Writing and Review

Kindly contact Kerryn van Rooyen at: kerryn.vanrooyen@uhn.ca if you wish to attend.

Online Journal Club

The online journal club is a series of trainee presentations of articles relevant to hepatitis C research. The journal club meets via teleconference every 2 weeks. Every meeting, a trainee selects an article to discuss and writes a critique. They explain how the paper reflects changes in hepatitis C research and the class discusses the article. Throughout the trainee's presentation, a mentor listens in and grades the trainee on their presentation skills, ability to respond to questions, and so on.

Kindly contact Kerryn van Rooyen at: kerryn.vanrooyen@uhn.ca if you wish to attend.

Liver Clinic and Other Sites Observations

CanHepC exposes trainees from a non-medical background to clinical and community aspects of hepatitis C through attendance and observation of liver clinics and/or community-based organisations as part of their term. Non-medical trainees are assigned to spend at least 15 hours in liver clinics or in community-based organisations to observe interactions between physicians, front-line care givers, peers and patients. The enriching experience allows trainees to meet people with living/lived experience of hepatitis C and get a first-hand look at the true trials of living with Hepatitis C on a daily basis.

Annual Meeting

The annual CanHepC meeting provides mentors, trainees, and stakeholders with the opportunity to meet and discuss issues regarding the Canadian Network on Hepatitis C. Members and affiliates from various organizations and backgrounds meet to develop the annual strategy for the CanHepC, review current CanHepC trainees and their research, select new trainees from CanHepC applicants, and engage in trainee workshops. In addition, the program invites a guest speaker to provide unique insight on the disease outside of the program. It also invites a guest ethicist to spur discussion on ethical issues in research and medicine.

This meeting coincides with the Canadian Symposium on HCV in conjunction with the Canadian Live Meeting, a state-of-the-art one-day symposium where International speakers, Senior CanHepC investigators, and selected trainees present major advances in HCV research.  This event is organized to facilitate networking and the opportunity for trainees to interact with peers and investigators featured in the program. All CanHepC trainees are required to submit abstracts and present posters at this event.

Knowledge Translation

Trainees are encouraged to participate in knowledge exchange efforts of the network, they are responsible for overseeing and organising World Hepatitis Day activites involving community and people with living/lived experience of hepatitis C, and community members are invited to share their knowledge and offer training to trainees and new investigators through participation in network activities and seminars. 

Elective and national/international meetings

To foster collaboration across disciplines, trainees are offered travel awards to do an elective in a different research environment with preference given to learning new techniques and to attend international meetings. For example, visits to clinics, community organizations, and healthcare services for people with hepatitis are offered to trainees.