An Environmental Scan of American and Canadian Translational Science Training Programs at the Graduate Level

To date, there are considerable delays in bringing academic innovations into clinical practice. In part, this is due to a lack of knowledge translation and communication between clinicians and scientists. While MD/PhD programs could bridge this gap, more inclusive and sustainable alternatives must be explored. In the United States, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) launched an initiative to create programs wherein graduate students would be exposed to clinical curricula and establish networks with health professionals. In this study, we aim to survey such programs in North America and identify key features. In our environmental scan, we analyzed the translational science training curricula of 28 American and 17 Canadian universities. We observed that 25 schools in the United States offered training in translational science at various degree levels (certificate, Master's, PhD, etc.) whereas only 4 Canadian institutions did so and primarily at a Master's level. From those programs, 5 American universities offered a multi-faceted training program that met at the intersection of courses, clinical mentorship, and networking opportunities compared to only 1 in Canada. Therefore, while we noted a growing interest in science translation programs in the United States, there is a current lack of such programs at Canadian institutions. Based on the need established by this environmental scan, we hope to establish a translational science certificate program at McGill University that fills this training void and paves the way for other universities across Canada. ### Competing Interest Statement The authors have declared no competing interest. ### Funding Statement This study did not receive any funding. ### Author Declarations I confirm all relevant ethical guidelines have been followed, and any necessary IRB and/or ethics committee approvals have been obtained. Yes I confirm that all necessary patient/participant consent has been obtained and the appropriate institutional forms have been archived, and that any patient/participant/sample identifiers included were not known to anyone (e.g., hospital staff, patients or participants themselves) outside the research group so cannot be used to identify individuals. Yes I understand that all clinical trials and any other prospective interventional studies must be registered with an ICMJE-approved registry, such as ClinicalTrials.gov. I confirm that any such study reported in the manuscript has been registered and the trial registration ID is provided (note: if posting a prospective study registered retrospectively, please provide a statement in the trial ID field explaining why the study was not registered in advance). Yes I have followed all appropriate research reporting guidelines, such as any relevant EQUATOR Network research reporting checklist(s) and other pertinent material, if applicable. Yes All data produced in the present study are available upon reasonable request to the authors.