The Internal Review Training Program (IRTP) seeks to integrate emerging scholars into SPARC’s scientific review services in order to enrich the postdoctoral fellow (PDF) training experience while strengthening the competitiveness of UBC Project Grant proposals. The program is designed to leverage the scientific expertise of PDFs, foster the development of critical thinking skills and supplement applicant discussion groups with feedback from subject matter experts. The program also aligns with CIHR's Reviewer Pathway Initiative, the Mock Review Toolkit and the Postdoctoral Peer Review Training Pilot Program to train and support PDFs as peer reviewers.
Internal Reviewers
The following postdoctoral fellows (PDFs) have been admitted into the voluntary training program and will contribute their scientific expertise as subject matter experts in SPARC’s Internal Review process.
|
 Dr. Nassim Adhami, PhD |
 Dr. Jean Buckler, PhD |
 Dr. Molly Cairncross, PhD |
 Dr. Jennifer Gillis, PhD |
 Dr. Lesley Hill, PhD |
|
 Dr. Travis Hodges, PhD |
 Dr. Sanne Janssen, PhD |
 Dr. Emma Morton, PhD |
 Dr. Heather Palis, PhD |
 Dr. Rahul Sachdeva, PhD |
Alumni Network
Participants who have successfully completed the program will have the opportunity to join the virtual community of internal reviewers and will be invited to lead a session of the training program. By participating in the training sessions, alumni will have the opportunity to share their insights and personal experience in the program, and mentor the next cohort of reviewers. It is expected that participating alumni will further develop leadership and mentorship skills, and that the new program participants will have the opportunity to interact and learn from their peers.
Training Program
PDF participants admitted into the training program must successfully complete a series of intensive workshops and work assignments designed to develop proficiency in the CIHR Project Grant program and in conducting quality reviews. Each draft UBC faculty proposal is assigned to 2 PDFs for review and feedback is discussed for quality control at a mock, CIHR-structured Peer Review Committee meeting facilitated by SPARC. A spokesperson for the PDF committee then discusses the feedback with the faculty applicants in an online group meeting.
Session 1 (Orientation): PDFs will be introduced to the CIHR Project Grant program and to the principles and policies guiding CIHR Peer Review:
- Project Grant Program Requirements
- Adjudication Criteria and Peer Review Manual
- Principles of Peer Review
- Conflict of Interest and Confidentiality Agreement for Peer Reviewers
- Learning Modules for Participants in Peer Review
Session 2 (Improving Grantsmanship): PDFs will undertake a mock review of a previously reviewed Project Grant proposal following SPARC’s ‘Applicant Feedback’ worksheet and will study the evolution of the proposal from an early draft to a successful submission. Participants will also be introduced to SPARC’s approach to Internal Review and best practices for proposal development/ grant writing.
Session 3 (Peer Review Committee): At the conclusion of the training sessions, PDFs will participate in a CIHR-structured, peer review committee meeting to discuss the proposals submitted to SPARC's Internal Review program. SPARC will facilitate the review meeting with the assistance of a Chair selected from the Alumni Network. The Chair will facilitate the group discussion and seek consensus from the reviewers on the overall strengths of each proposal and the key areas for improvement.
Session 4 (Applicant Discussion Group): PDF reviewers will participate in the subsequent applicant discussion groups to share key points from the PDF review meeting/ session 3. Each proposal and the provided feedback will be discussed for 20 minutes.
Session 5 (Networking Event): At the conclusion of the training program, the PDFO and SPARC will host a luncheon for PDFs to network and share their learning experience. A modest gift and a letter of acknowledgement from the Office of the VP-Research and Innovation will be provided in recognition of the effort and successful completion of the training program. It is expected that PDFs who complete the program will gain valuable grantsmanship skills, grant review experience, and networking opportunities.
Program Evaluation
In line with the assessment of CIHR’s pilot PDF peer review training programs, similar evaluation surveys were developed to determine the effectiveness of the training program and assess the quality and relevance of the feedback provided by the PDF reviewers. The evaluation reports containing the survey results for the 2018 pilot and 2019 program are available for download in .pdf format.