Clinician-Researcher Track (CResT)

As the home of the largest psychiatry residency training program in Canada, the Department of Psychiatry in the Temerty Faculty of Medicine at the University of Toronto is committed to training of the next generation of physician-scientists and academic psychiatrists. Consistently ranked among the top 10 institutions in the world for clinical training and research in neuroscience and psychiatry, the Department has a proven track record of producing leaders in the field of brain sciences and academic psychiatry.

The Clinician-Researcher Track (CResT) is a new direct entry residency program in psychiatry at the University of Toronto. CReST provides a fully integrated research training experience embedded in a psychiatry residency program.

This unique residency track is designed for graduating medical students with prior research training who are highly motivated to pursue careers as clinician scientists or scholars conducting basic, translational, clinical, or public health research, or scholarship in education, quality improvement, the humanities, or social sciences. 

For more information, contact Dr. Sean Nestor, Assistant Program Director, CReST at sean.nestor@utoronto.ca

A Q&A with Dr. Sean Nestor, Director of the new Clinician-Research Track (CResT) Program with Dr. Ayan Dey, Chief Resident of the Clinician Scientist Program

Dr. Dey: Dr. Nestor is a Clinician Investigator and interventional psychiatrist at the Harquail Centre for Neuromodulation at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre. He was also a chief of the Clinician Scientist Program in the Department of Psychiatry at U of T. In addition to running a research program that combines neuroimaging and investigational neuromodulation to understand mechanisms of brain plasticity and treat psychiatric disorders, he serves as an assistant professor at the University of Toronto and assistant program director of the new Clinician-Research Track (CResT) Department of Psychiatry residency program. I had the pleasure of interviewing Dr. Nestor about his vision for the program.

Program Vision and Objectives

Dr. Dey: As the director of the newly established CResT could you tell us about your vision for the program and the key objectives you aim to achieve? How does CResT complement or diverge from traditional residency training paths and the existing Clinician Scientist Program?

Dr. Nestor: Clinician Scientist training pathways are lengthy, risk burnout and often lead to attrition during residency. CResT is designed for residents with significant research training (eg. Graduate school or other extensive research experiences) to continue their research productivity during residency and develop skills to become independent investigators. The program begins in PGY1 and will include a clinical curriculum that is customized and synergistic with a trainee’s area of research interest. For example, completing core clinical blocks at the same location as their primary research activities and/or with their research supervisors or other clinical preceptors with similar research interests. These opportunities will allow organic opportunities to blend clinical and research. Protected time will occur throughout the program, both in blocks and longitudinally, and can be customized. Those who wish to pursue additional graduate or postdoctoral fellowship training will have the opportunity to enter the Clinician Investigators Program earlier than the current Clinician Scholar / Scientist programs. CResT residents will also have an advisory committee that will provide intensive mentorship.

Career Path Insights

Dr. Dey: Reflecting on your journey from a clinician scientist resident to becoming the director of CResT, can you highlight some pivotal moments or decisions that significantly influenced your career trajectory? How has your background as a clinician-scientist shaped your approach to leading this new training stream?

Dr. Nestor: As I progressed throughout my training, I have always benefitted from regular mentorship. This has been one of the most important factors in shaping my career path. In addition to graduate supervisors/program supervisors, these mentors included senior residents who shared their wisdom and encouraged me to pursue leadership roles and participate in committees prior to CResT. Having had extensive research training before residency, I appreciated the need for opportunities to continue productivity in residency and develop skills to become an independent researcher.  I felt the Clinician Scholar and Clinician Scientist programs provided good opportunities to cultivate research skills for residents with less research experience; however, there was a need to support residents who required skill development at the doctoral/post-doctoral fellow level. A lab is like a small business and requires leadership, management, capital raising/budgeting, and networking. Most residents have never been involved with hiring trainees, building research budgets or managing human resources. My approach to CResT is to not only allow residents to continue intensive research activities but to do so with the mindset of an early career PI, developing these important management skills.

Research Integration

Dr. Dey: Given the dual emphasis on clinical practice and research in the CResT program, could you discuss how you envision integrating these components effectively? Are there specific areas of research you believe are particularly ripe for exploration within this framework?

Dr. Nestor: CResT is designed to develop research programs in any area of study, e.g. humanities to molecular sciences. To achieve successful clinical/research integration, residents will have a customized training experience that will facilitate clinical rotations at the same location as their research activities and spend time clinically working with their research supervisors or preceptors with similar clinical/research career paths. This will allow more organic opportunities to conduct research within clinical settings, for example, clinical trial work or translational research.