Hats Off to the CIM Reviewers of 2021

For over 40 years the journal of Clinical and Investigative Medicine (CIM) has published articles of interest to clinician investigators in Canada and elsewhere. We strive for the highest standards and to remain relevant to our readers, but we cannot achieve this goal without the help of our reviewers, all of whom play a vital role in maintaining the integrity of the scientific process. Without their efforts, academic excellence would falter.

Physician Scientists Of Yesterday, Today And Tomorrow — Published 44(3) September 2021

In this issue, Ryan Kirkpatrick and Gordon Boyd speculated on the reasons for the dwindling number of physician scientists in Canada. To help stimulate discussion on this important issue, Clinical and Investigative Medicine invited two distinguished scientists to present their views on this issue.

Challenges and opportunities for future Canadian physician-scientists: Perspectives of four experts

In this series of interviews, the Clinical and Investigative Medicine editorial team gathered expert opinions on the future of physician-scientist training and career prospects in Canada. This was inspired by recent publications that voiced concerns over the diminishing support for the physician-scientist in Canada and the United States. For this editorial, the term physician-scientist was intentionally broad and inclusive; referring to individuals who identify both clinical work and biomedical or healthcare research as major components of their career. The following leaders in medical research or research funding shared their perspectives: Roderick R. McInnes; Michel G. Bergeron; Thomas J. Marrie; and Bev J. Holmes.

Physician-Scientist trainees: A “call to action” to confront future career challenges

Throughout their careers, physician-scientists must adapt to the dynamic landscape of the medical research environment. As such, current physicianscientist trainees must overcome unique obstacles on the path to productive research careers. In the paper by Levit et al. in this month’s Clinical and Investigative Medicine issue, Canadian research leaders describe the challenges and opportunities for the next generation of physician-scientists [1]. They paint a cautiously optimistic picture. The current article is an outlook and concurrent “call to action” for how ongoing physician-scientist concerns can be conquered from the perspective of a current Canadian MD-PhD student.

Overview of the Canadian Clinician Investigator Trainees’ research presented at the 2019 CSCI-CITAC Joint Meeting

The 2019 Annual General Meeting and Young Investigators’ Forum of the Canadian Society for Clinical Investigation / Société Canadienne de Recherche Clinique (CSCI/SCRC) and Clinician Investigator Trainee Association of Canada / Association des Cliniciens-Chercheurs en Formation du Canada (CITAC/ACCFC) was held in Banff, Alberta on November 8–10th, 2019. The theme was “Positioning Early Career Investigators for Success: Strategy and Resilience”. Lectures and workshops provided knowledge and tools to facilitate the attendees’ development as clinician investigators. Dr. Jason Berman (President of CSCI/SCRC), Elina Cook (President of CITAC/ACCFC) and Drs. Doreen Rabi and Zelma Kiss (University of Calgary Organizing Co-Chairs) gave opening presentations. The keynote speakers were Dr. William Foulkes (McGill University) (Distinguished Scientist Award winner) and Dr. Andrés Finzi (Université de Montréal) (Joe Doupe Young Investigator Award winner). Dr. Robert Bortolussi (Dalhousie University) received the Distinguished Service Award for his work as the Editor-in-Chief of Clinical and Investigative Medicine and for being instrumental in the development of the Canadian Child Health Clinician Scientist Program. This meeting was the first to host a panel discussion with Drs. Stephen Robbins and Marcello Tonelli from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research. Workshops on communication, career planning and work-life balance were hosted by André Picard and Drs. Todd Anderson, Karen Tang, William Ghali, May Lynn Quan, Alicia Polachek and Shannon Ruzycki. The AGM showcased 90 presentations from clinician investigator trainees from across Canada. Most of the abstracts are summarized in this review. Eight outstanding abstracts were selected for oral presentation at the President’s Forum.

Acquisition of Cholera Within the United States

Cholera has been woven into human history through numerous pandemics, with the most recent ongoing since 1961. Global rates of cholera continue to decline, but outbreaks continue to pose diagnostic challenges for clinicians, which delays initiation of treatment and prolongs the disease course. Despite millions of infections and thousands of deaths worldwide each year, cholera remains rare in the United States, with the few cases each year usually being the result of pathogen acquisition while the patient traveled abroad. This article presents a unique case of cholera acquired in the United States, which emphasizes the necessary vigilance of symptom recognition, in the context of appropriate clinical investigation, in ensuring that the patient had a full recovery. Cholera in the United States is exceedingly rare, yet effective diagnosis with early initiation of treatment is known to reduce mortality and shorten disease course. While other more common diagnoses must definitely be excluded first, it is important for cholera to be kept on the differential for patients presenting with treatment refractory, watery diarrhea causing hypotension. This case of a patient with a recent travel history to Hawaii and infection with cholera underscores the importance of investigative medicine and clinical expertise in optimizing patient care, even when presented with rare illnesses.

My thanks to our Peer Reviewers

In this age of “fake news” and “predatory journals”, the peer review process could never be more important. A knowledgeable reviewer plays a vital role in maintaining the integrity of the scientific process. In fact, without adequate peer review, academic excellence would falter. So my hat is off to the 84 people who provided their time and expertise in formulating their reviews for the journal of Clinical and Investigative Medicine (CIM).

On becoming a clinician-scientist: The importance of mentorship and role models

Brent graduated from medicine (with distinction) from the University of Alberta in 1984, and subsequently trained in Internal Medicine at the University of Toronto and in Critical Care at the University of Manitoba. He later did a post-doctoral fellowship in molecular/cellular biology at National Jewish Center (Denver, CO). His research interests now focus on examining diseases of the critically ill using metabolomics. When he finished training in 1996, Brent was recruited to the University of Calgary in Critical Care Medicine and is now a Professor of Medicine. In Calgary, he helped to establish the graduate program in Critical Care Medicine and is involved in training clinicians, scientists and clinician-scientists. Brent was President of Canadian Society for Clinical Investigators in 2011-2013 and has been a member of the Editorial Board of Clinical Investigative Medicine for over 10 years.