Clinician-Scientist Start-Up Stipend

In keeping with the goal of supporting clinician scientists, and in light of the challenging funding environment, the Department of Medicine has established the Clinician Scientist Start Up Funding to optimize the career success of newly recruited Clinician Scientists. The details of the support provided, along with eligibility criteria, are set out below. Please contact the Department of Medicine Research Administrator at dom.research@utoronto.ca should you have any questions.

Eligibility

Full time clinical faculty members in the academic position description of Clinician Scientist, recruited to the Department of Medicine as the result of an external search, at the rank of Assistant Professor or higher, are eligible.

Funding

Funding will consist of $40,000 CAD per year for five (5) years and will be paid through the individual faculty member’s practice plan. Please note that the amount and duration of funding is subject to change, based on the availability of departmental funding.

The award will continue throughout the first five years following recruitment, unless the faculty member receives a salary award from another source.  This includes, but is not exclusive to, an endowed chair (hospital or campus based), funding through an Alternate physician funding arrangement, e.g. Medical Oncology APP, and peer- review salary awards.  In cases where additional salary support is awarded, the Start Up Funding from the Department of Medicine will be stopped until the term of the additional salary support is over, or the five-year window from the date of initial faculty appointment has elapsed, whichever comes first. If the salary award ends and the faculty member is still within five years of his/her initial appointment, the award will be re-instated. If the salary award continues beyond the five-year window of funding, Department Start Up Funding will not be re-instated, but the faculty member will receive a $10,000 CAD top-up in addition to their external award during the five-year Start Up term.

In recognition of the strength of our Clinician Scientists, and to position them for continued success, it is expected that Clinician Scientists apply for, or show evidence of, application for external salary awards within the first 3 - 5 years of their appointment.  The Department will support the Clinician Scientist in these efforts.

Timing

It is intended that the timing and length of the CS Start Up Funding will dovetail with application for a DoM CS Merit Award such that there is no break in support. Clinician Scientists are expected to apply for Merit at the end of their initial five years of funding unless other salary support has been received. Clinicians Scientists should apply for Merit in their fifth year of appointment. However, appointments happen throughout the calendar year. Therefore, applicants who begin their appointment off-cycle (other than July 1, 200X), are encouraged to discuss when to begin their CS Start Up Funding to maximize the value of the award.

For example, a CS faculty member recruited:

July 1, 20XX would receive CS Start Up Funding until June 30, 20X5 and should apply for Merit in the 20X5 cycle year.  

November 1, 20XX would receive CS Start Up Funding until October 30, 20X5 and should apply for Merit in the 20X5 cycle – Merit would start, November 1 20X5 and be pro-rated for the first year (8/12 X $40K/annum). The three-year Merit award, if granted, would end June 30 three years later.

February 1, 20XX would receive CS Start Up Funding until January 31, 20X5 and should ideally apply for Merit in the 20X5 cycle year – this would mean that the individual would be without DoM salary support from February 1 to June 30 of 20X5. Bridging across this time-period would be at the discretion of the hospital practice plan. 

Merit awards begin July 1 each year.  This timing ensures there is no break in support and maximizes the productive time prior to Merit application.

Leave of Absence

Those who are required to take a leave of absence during the five-year period of their CS award, e.g. for parental leave, will have the option to suspend support during the leave of absence with a resumption in support upon their return.

Payment

Department of Medicine Clinician Scientist Start Up Funding is paid directly to individual faculty members’ practice plans. Practice plans are requested to submit a single invoice to the Department of Medicine, University of Toronto indicating the agreed amount of $40,000CAD per year for a period of five years and referencing the individual faculty member to be paid.

Revised August 2020