Graduate Diploma in Health Research (GDipHR)
Description
The Graduate Diploma in Health Research (GDipHR), offered by the University of Toronto MD Program, is a 20-month longitudinal program which engages first-year medical students in a research experience and graduate level coursework. The cost for a GDipHR student is $18,000 CAD, with a $7,500 contribution from the program, and a $10,500 contribution from the research supervisor. TDRA will cover the research supervisor's portion of the stipend for one medical student conducting a project submitted by the TDRA community (dementia research-focused). TDRA will use GDipHR’s selection and ranking criteria to determine the successful candidate.
The GDipHR Program runs from the beginning of January of a given year to the end of August of the following year, and includes four weeks vacation.
For more information on the GDipHR program, please visit the website.
Apply
Student Application Information
The application deadline for students has passed, please see Student-Supervisor Matching Process for next steps.
Faculty Supervisor Application Information
The application deadline for faculty supervisors has passed, please see Student-Supervisor Matching Process for next steps.
Student-Supervisor Matching Process
- Accepted projects will be posted on the GDipHR Program Website on October 14, 2024.
- Students are asked to view the catalogue and identify project(s) of interest. Students are strongly encouraged to meet with the prospective supervisor, to ensure they have a clear understanding of what will be involved in the research project.
- Faculty Research Project Supervisors are asked to meet with the students and, if more than one student reaches out, one student should be selected for a project. GDipHR allows ONE student per project and Faculty are only allowed to supervise ONE GDipHR student per cohort.
- Students applying to GDipHR will be notified of their selection in early December 2024.
- Once a student has been accepted to the program and the student and supervisor have confirmed their agreement to work together, the student/supervisor pair will notify the GDipHR office by email at gdip.hres@utoronto.ca no later than December 11, 2024.
Meet the 2023-2024 GDipHR Supervisor & Student
We are pleased to be co-funding GDipHR student Jessica Hira on behalf of research supervisor Dr. Sanjeev Kumar. Their project will use Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) and electroencephalography (EEG) to assess cortical excitability and inhibition using single and paired pulse TMS paradigms in patients with dementia, in order to understand neurophysiological mechanisms underlying neuropsychiatric symptoms of dementia and to treat them using TMS.
Jessica Hira is a first-year medical student at the University of Toronto with an interest in the applications of cortical neurophysiology and neuroimaging to advance our understanding of different brain disorders. During her undergraduate studies, she engaged in research that broadly explored human development, specifically focused on children’s cognitive development and using neuroimaging techniques to identify age-related cortical differences. Alongside having a background in neuroscience, Jessica is skilled in research design and problem-solving.
Dr. Sanjeev Kumar is scientist, staff psychiatrist and medical head of geriatric clinical research within the Adult Neurodevelopment and Geriatric Psychiatry Division at Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH). He is also an associate professor of psychiatry at the University of Toronto. Dr. Kumar’s research focuses on developing novel biomarkers and treatment interventions for patients with Alzheimer’s disease. He is studying novel markers of neuroplasticity and cognition using TMS and transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS). He is also studying mechanisms and treatment interventions for neuropsychiatric symptoms of neurodegenerative disorders.
Past GDipHR Students & Supervisors
2023-2024
Student: Julie Midroni
Supervisor: Dr. Andrew Lim
Project Description: This project will use machine learning approaches to link wearable sensor data acquired from older adults participating in various studies to clinical, imaging, and histopathological dementia-related outcomes.
2022-2023
Student: Shreya Jha
Supervisor: Dr. Sanjeev Kumar
Project Title: Abnormal cortical excitability in dementia and its association with brain metabolites and clinical symptoms: TMS –EEG and Magnetic Resonance spectroscopy study
Project Description: The study of cortical neurophysiology is becoming increasingly important in advancing our current understanding of Alzheimer’s disease (AD), including in the development of novel biomarkers and treatment interventions. Cortical excitability is another potential target for novel treatment interventions for cognitive and neuropsychiatric symptoms of dementia. This study uses transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) and electroencephalogram (EEG) to assess cortical excitability and inhibition using single and paired pulse TMS paradigms in people living with dementia. The study aims to understand the neurophysiological mechanisms underlying neuropsychiatric symptoms of dementia, and to treat them using Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS).