Central to the activity of our program is engagement of highly qualified trainees in basic science, clinical and outcomes research, while fostering transdisciplinary collaborations across programs and universities. Nested within the research spheres, there have been over 71 post-graduate students from 2012 to 2015: 45 MSc, 18 PhD, and 8 post- doctoral students.

Our students have dedicated space within the RI optimizing adjacencies with each other as well as students in other programs and clinical trainees from the adjacent clinical platforms. Hands-on student supervision is provided through the systematic scheduling of weekly “team meetings” led by our PIs. These are meant to promote rigor of methodology, quality of research output and to give students access to a broad range of support within teams. Weekly journal clubs are held within our program at the CTB, and clinical-science conferences in the form of “Cardiology Grand Rounds” are held to align the development of clinical and research knowledge trajectories and give trainees the opportunity to lead knowledge translation venues. The proximity of the teams within the research platforms optimized cross-pollination of ideas. In the new CORE facility, weekly seminars will be held across programs to share methodological expertise. Underscoring student engagement and leadership, both of two positions at the Research Program Council of the MUHC-RI, representing over 950 graduate students, have been filled by doctoral and post- doctoral students from the CHAL program.

Our program leaders and senior researchers have taken a hands-on mentoring approach. Leading by example we empower students beyond the time of their training leveraging national and international connections to help launch careers as independent researchers and clinical scientists. Since its inception in 2004, the yearly McGill Cardiovascular Research Day aims to highlight trans-disciplinary student contributions. We select the 12 best student projects for oral presentation yearly, and 45 poster presentations bringing together researchers across McGill. Mentorship of students is well inscribed in our core values. This research day is coupled with the Louis and Artur Lucian Award designed to honour outstanding research in the field of circulatory diseases by a scientific investigator whose contribution to knowledge in the field is worthy of special recognition. The recipient spends a one to two week period of time at McGill University to give a formal Lucian Lecture held during Cardiovascular Research Day. Meetings and interchanges are arranged with the program’s faculty and trainees to foster mentorship and research collaborations in cardiovascular disease in Canada, the United States and other countries of the world.