Description
From the beginning of life, every Canadian should be provided the conditions required to achieve the best possible health. Increasing, it is recognised that the reproductive health disorders that pose the greatest threat to our wellbeing (preterm birth, preeclampsia, infertility, and sexually transmitted diseases, etc) are complex in their origin and involve social, economic, and cultural as well as genetic and biological determinants.
To devise effective prevention and treatment strategies, scientists and clinicians must go beyond traditional approaches to research and medical practice. Innovative approaches to research education are required. APOG's Strategic Training Initiative in Research in the Reproductive Health Sciences (STIRRHS) will innovate by creating transdisciplinary training opportunities, thus confronting our best students with research paradigms that are often not included as part of their traditional core training. Such experiences are essential to developing integrated strategies to resolve these complex reproductive health problems. Our aim is to build on existing outstanding training programs in the reproductive health sciences (RHS), within each of the methodological pillars. For some students, our transdisciplinary training modules may simply serve to supplement traditional training. For other students, transdisciplinary research may be the central focus of their research training program. STIRRHS aims to support both types of student.
We aim to develop new approaches to knowledge transfer and uptake in the RHS. Team members with expertise in the evaluation of educational and approaches will allow us to work closely with students and other mentors to identify the most effective teaching and learning methods. The new communication technologies have the potential to revolutionise how students and teachers interact. These information dissemination strategies will be made available to the broader health care community through our web-site and our collaboration with professional and community organisations. We hope to achieve our objectives by networking Canadian and international mentors who are content experts in the RHS with experts in the areas of pedagogical evaluation, and to those in E-learning.
As part of core curriculum, we will invite STIRRHS students to participate in debates concerning the fundamental professional and social responsibilities of the researcher. We will provide opportunities for them to reflect on the special ethical and social challenges that are faced by RHS researchers. STIRRHS has established five transdisciplinary teams of mentors to address key health problems in the RHS (preeclampsia, preterm birth, at-risk sexual behaviour, assisted reproductive technologies, and appropriate use of obstetrical technologies). These teams will provide unique transdisciplinary training opportunities for STIRRHS students. STIRRHS has also identified several "cross-cutting perspectives" including: pedagogical innovation, gender perspective, active community participation in research development, and the responsible conduct of research.
