Training Canada's future clinician–teachers and researchers
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* Mark O. Baerlocher

*   © 2006 CMA Media Inc. or its licensors

[Dr. Baerlocher responds:]

In his interesting letter, Andrew Perrin makes a good point: intention may not translate into action when it comes to participating in research during one's medical practice. If this is true, it may be due in part to a lack of research training, but other factors may also play a role, such as the negative impact of research on income or a lack of time. One solution that has been proposed is the creation of research chairs, which provide protected research time.

I fully agree with Perrin that we must foster student interest in teaching and research early in medical training programs. All residency training programs, including family medicine, should include a compulsory research project. After all, every physician will need to evaluate research at some point and personally performing some research is a great way to learn how to critically evaluate the work of others.