MSSU Trainee Support Program Application Form

MSSU Trainee Support Program

Application Form 2025-2026

This form must be completed and submitted as your MSSU Trainee Support (Master’s or Doctoral) application. For more information on the award, including deadlines, eligibility, assessment criteria, application and review processes, please download the Program Overview.

TIP: The online application does have a save and continue feature at the end of the form. However, it is recommended that you prepare your application in a Word document first, then copy and paste your answers into the appropriate fields online.

If you require assistance or have any questions, please contact Sharon Skaling at Sharon.Skaling@nshealth.ca

Applicant Information

Name(Required)

First Last

Pronouns

Applicant Email(Required)

Institution Administering Funds(Required)

Applicants must indicate the name of the institution that will administer the award funds. It is recommended that applicants contact their institution well in advance of the application deadline to determine potential support.

University ID Number

If you have not yet been accepted into the program, you may leave this field blank.

Degree Information

Name of Degree Program and Department(Required)

Or the degree program to which you’ve applied

Award Type(Required)

Master's

Doctoral

Degree Start Date(Required)

(Actual or anticipated)

Anticipated Completion Date(Required)

Supervisor(s)

Supervisor Name(Required)

*To be eligible for this award, at least one supervisor must be a MSSU Associate Scientist prior to the applicant submitting their application. If a supervisor wishes to become a MSSU Associate Scientist, they should visit the MSSU website for details on the application process .

First Last

Supervisor Email(Required)

Other Member of Research Team (Optional)

First Last

Affiliation

Other Member of Research Team Email

Title of Proposal(Required)

Enter a title that clearly describes your research project. This title will be used for communication purposes. It should not contain a company or trade name. Spell out scientific symbols and acronyms.

Keywords(Required)

Provide five keywords that describe your proposed research. This information is for evaluation and administrative purposes and aids with assigning projects to the Selection Committee.

Health Priority(Required)

Indicate which Health Research Priority your proposal addresses. Provincial Health Research Priorities can be found in the Program Overview. Your application will be disqualified if you do not complete this field by clearly identifying the research priority your project addresses.

Part 1A: Project Description (35%)(Required)

Provide a clear and concise Plain Language summary of the proposed research project that includes: 1) Title of Proposal 2) Issue/topic to be researched; 3) Background rationale for the project; 4) the Research Methods you will use; 5) Objective/Hypotheses.

Part 1B: Integration of POR and Patient Engagement Plans (25%)(Required)

1) How the research activity you will undertake is patient-oriented in nature and how POR is to be integrated throughout your research; NOTE: Patients as partners is not the same as “patient subjects” for data collection; 2) Describe how you have and will engage patients as partners in your project. 3) How do you intend to show your appreciation (i.e. compensation, travel expenses) to your Patient Partners?

Part 2: Impact/Relevance of issue being studied (15%)(Required)

1) The impact/relevance to the population in the Maritime province in which you live and attend university. 2) How your project addresses health system priorities in the Maritime province in which you live and attend university.

Part 3: Knowledge Translation Plans (10%)(Required)

1) Describe how you will engage knowledge users and patients (individuals who will benefit from the results of your research) into your knowledge translation plan 2) How do you plan to translate the knowledge gained from your research to the scientific and lay community?

Part 4: Applicant's Case for MSSU Funding (10%)(Required)

Describe why you should be chosen for this funding opportunity. Please describe your interest and professional goals in patient-oriented (POR) research. Suggested content includes, but is not limited to: 1) Why you are interested in POR and why you think it is important to incorporate the patient’s perspective throughout your research process. 2) What are your professional goals and how will this funding help you attain your professional goals / objectives? 3) How do you plan to develop your patient-oriented research skills as part of your training?

Part 5: Justification of Consideration of Sex and Gender in Proposal (5%)(Required)

Demonstrate an understanding that sex is a biological attribute and gender is a social construct in relation to the research project by providing: 1) An explanation of how sex/gender will be accounted by in study methods and/or analyses within the research proposal 2) An example of how sex/gender considerations are relevant or not relevant to the research proposal 3) Your rationale for your inclusion/exclusion criteria with respect to sex, gender, and sexual orientation. Sex and Gender Resources

Use of Generative AI(Required)

As per the MSSU Generative AI Position Statement, applicants must provide clear acknowledgement if they have used generative AI tools in the process of writing their applications.

Yes, I used Generative AI.

No, I did not use Generative AI.

Please share how you used AI, including disclosing the name of the tool used and describing how it was utilized.(Required)

References

Upload

Upload CIHR-IMHA Completion Certificate(Required)

Max. file size: 50 MB.

Upload CV(Required)

Max. file size: 50 MB.

Supervisor's Name

Submission

By submitting this application to MSSU I am certifying that all statements contained in it and in all attachments are accurate to the best of my knowledge.

Phone

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.