Clinician Scholar Program FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q: I am a resident who has just been accepted into Psychiatry Residency at the University of Toronto. Am I eligible to apply to the Clinician Scholar Program?

A: Applications will only be accepted from PGY-2 and PGY-3 residents. If you are a PGY-1 resident interested in the Clinician Scholar Program, you may be able to explore scholarship opportunities through electives/PLEX and extracurricular time. This can help define your research or scholarship interests and better prepare you for program application in future years.

Q: I am interested in the Clinician Scholar Program, but I don’t have a project. Can I still apply?

A: Prior to application, you need to determine your research or scholarship interests. The application requires you to outline a specific project and have a supervisor. Projects should be data driven and outcome focused. Although literature reviews and meta-analyses are important, they are not generally sufficient for a Clinician Scholar Program project. If you need help in deciding on a particular project, connect with the Program Director or your proposed supervisor. 

Q: Who can be my project supervisor?

A: Supervisors in the Clinician Scholar Program need to meet certain criteria, with specific training and expertise, to best support you to successfully carry out your project. The Program Director will work with you in identifying your research or scholarship interests, and match you with potential supervisors. If you have a particular supervisor in mind, connect with the Program Director to see if they are eligible to be a supervisor in the Clinician Scholar Program.

Q: I got into the Clinician Scholar Program in PGY-2. Will I be able to stay in the program for the remaining part of my residency? What are the expectations of the Program?

A: Continued involvement in the Clinician Scholar Program is dependent on progress made on the resident’s project and/or program of scholarship, which is reviewed annually through a formal process with the Program Director. Project progress includes meeting expected requirements in delivering presentations, publications, and other knowledge translation activities. Residents are also expected to attend all professional development seminars.

Q: I am a resident in the CSP; how do I get reimbursed for travel expenses for presenting at a scientific meeting?

A: Reimbursement for travel expenses for presentations at scientific meetings will be available up to $1,500 per fiscal year (July 1 – June 30) for CSP residents.

Please submit your expense reimbursement claim as soon as you have completed your trip, at the latest within four working weeks following completion of travel or other activity for which expenses were incurred. Expenses such as registration fees or poster printing fees will be counted in the academic year in which the travel or other activity was completed. In other words, expenses cannot be counted towards an earlier fiscal year if the travel or activity has not been completed. Timely reporting is very important to ensure that charges are recorded against departmental accounts in the correct accounting period and to avoid personal interest charges on credit cards (which are not eligible expenses).

Please be aware of the following guidelines when submitting a travel expense reimbursement form and supporting materials:

1. Complete a reimbursement form (51.71 KB).
2. The reimbursement form requires original signatures, therefore faxed or scanned copies will not be accepted.
3. A copy of the email of offer to present at the conference, sent to you by the conference organizers.
4. Proof that you attended the conference.  Please submit one of the following: name badge; pamphlet from the conference; evaluation from the conference; certificate of attendance; conference program with your name printed in it.
5. ONLY original receipts are acceptable, including boarding passes, electronic ticket confirmation with confirmation of method of payment, conference registration payment, hotel accommodations, meals (NB:  alcohol is NOT reimbursable), and payments for airfare with itineraries, taxi and other transportation, as applicable. For on-line purchases using a personal credit card, the receipt would be the printout of the confirmation of purchase, registration, etc, provided by the website after payment.
6. Claims for which receipts are missing may not be reimbursed.
7. Credit card statements are required to process your reimbursement and to show currency conversion on the day of purchase, as you will be reimbursed according to converted Canadian currency. Please note the credit card statement must include the following: your name, last 4 digits of your credit card number, and the expense you are claiming. Please ensure this is submitted with your expense claim.
8. Further instructions can be found on the University of Toronto Finance page on submitting travel expenses

The FAQs will be updated on a regular basis. If you have any questions, please contact cscholarp@utoronto.ca.