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Pediatrics and Child Health (PhD)

The Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Pediatrics and Child Health program is designed to provide students with a unique learning opportunity to increase their understanding of pediatric health and research.

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    Faculty

    • Rady Faculty of Health Sciences
    • Faculty of Graduate Studies

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    Degree

    • Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

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    Expected duration

    • 4 years full-time

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    Program options

    • Full- or part-time

Students who are working while they study may also apply to take this program part-time. Students will all be accepted as full-time students and may submit a request to the department head to switch to a part-time course load. Students may elect to revert to full-time study once in the course of their degree, but no further changes to course load will be permitted.

The four pillars

In discussion with your potential advisor, you will pick one of four research pillars and build a customized and multi-disciplinary degree track. This will be your home pillar.

Over the course of your degree, you will be required to take courses in two of the three other pillars. This will broaden your understanding of different areas in medical research and provide unique perspectives you may not otherwise get.

  • Basic sciences

    This pillar is intended for students involved in bench or wet lab research. Can involve, among other things, experimental work with animal models or cell lines.

  • Clinical research

    This pillar prepares students for careers in clinical trials, and clinical epidemiology among others. It is also intended for those students who are clinicians seeking further training in pediatric clinical research.

  • Population health

    In this pillar, students will learn about epidemiology, qualitative and mixed methods, and research that addresses non-clinical questions in preparation for employment as population-based researchers.

  • Practice and policy

    This pillar is intended for those whose research addresses policy and advocacy, knowledge translation, quality improvement, or medical education and ethics.

Which pillar is right for you?

In order to select a research pillar, reach out to potential supervisors first. It is recommended that you begin to reach out no later than six months before the program’s start date. Once you have communicated with and selected a supervisor you can work with them to establish what projects are available and which pillar would best suit your needs as a student.

Find an advisor

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Program details

In collaboration with the Children’s Hospital Research Institute of Manitoba, the Faculty of Graduate Studies and the Rady Faculty of Health Sciences created a Doctor of Philosophy in Pediatrics and Child Health with an understanding of the importance of multidisciplinary training for medical health professionals.

Expected duration: 4 years

Tuition and fees: Two years tuition, then continuing fees in subsequent years (refer to Graduate tuition and fees)

Program trajectory

In addition to the minimum course requirements of the Faculty of Graduate Studies, students must complete a minimum of 15 credit hours of coursework. Students must also propose and defend a thesis.

Review the tabs to see the typical trajectory for this program.

For full course descriptions, please visit the Academic Calendar.

Year 1

Course name Credit hours
PEDS 7030: Equity Diversity and Inclusion for Professionals 0
PEDS 7040: Intro to a Clinical Environment 0
PEDS 7060: Virtual Healthcare Delivery 0
PEDS 7080: Indigenous Child Health 0
PEDS 7050: Ethics and Equity in Child Health Research 0
Ethics submission n/a
Research proposal n/a

Year 2

Course name Credit hours
PEDS 7130: Multidisciplinary Immersion in Clinical Research* 1.5
PEDS 7150: Multidisciplinary Immersion in Basic Sciences 1.5
PEDS 7160: Multidisciplinary Immersion in Population Health* 1.5
PEDS 7170: Multidisciplinary Immersion in Practice & Policy* 1.5
PEDS 7110: Directed Readings in Pediatric Literature** 3
PEDS 7120: Foundations in Bioinformatics** 3
PEDS 7140: Practical Epidemiology** 6
PEDS 7180: Practical Qualitative and Mixed Methods** 3
PEDS 7190: Medical Education, Ethics, and Engagement** 3

Year 3

Course name Credit hours
Research project n/a
Candidacy exam (written and oral) n/a

Year 4

Item Credit hours
Thesis research should be complete by term 1 n/a
Thesis writing and defense n/a

Admission requirements

The following are the minimum requirements to be admitted to the Pediatrics and Child Health (PhD) program. Meeting these requirements does not guarantee acceptance into the program.

  • A minimum GPA of 3.25 in the last 2 years (60 credit hours) of study.
  • Applicants will normally possess a research-based Master’s degree in a discipline or profession consistent with pediatrics and health. Applicants who do not possess a research-based Master’s degree, but who have some research experience will be assessed on a case-by-case basis, as will those with professional Master’s degrees.
  • Students admitted to the PhD program in the Pediatric Graduate Program without a research-based Master’s degree will be required to complete two additional 3 credit hour courses, PEDS 7010 Pediatric Biostatistics and PEDS 7020 Introduction to Research Methods, in the first two terms of their program.

In addition to the admission requirements described here, all applicants must meet the minimum admission and English language proficiency requirements of the Faculty of Graduate Studies.

How to apply

This program only accepts applications for fall term. Applications must be completed online and include several parts:

  • Application fee $100 (non-refundable)
  • Candidate must have a research advisor (supervisor) identified at the time of application.
  • Unofficial copies of transcripts and degree certificates
  • Three letters of recommendation (must be requested from within the online application)
  • Proof of English language proficiency, if required. Acceptable test results must be dated within 1 year of date of application to the Pediatric Graduate Program.

Please read the Faculty of Graduate Studies online application instructions before beginning your application.

Additional questions

    Applicants will also be asked to respond to two questions to give context to their life experience and unique qualifications, as well as reasons for applying to the program:

    1. Why do you think you’re a strong candidate for this program? Please speak to some experiences in your own life that support your application to this application. (500 words)
    2. What is a current issue in child health that you seek to address through your training and why? (300 words)

    Students may be invited to an interview as part of the application process.

    Application deadlines

    Applications are reviewed on a committee basis. The Admissions committee for Pediatrics and Child Health reviews applications in March for International application, and June for Canadian/US applications.

    Applications open up to 18 months prior to start term.

    Canadian and US applicants
    Term Annual application deadline
    Fall (September) June 1

    International applicants
    Term Annual application deadline
    Fall (September) March 1

    Applicants must submit their online application with supporting documentation and application fee by the deadline date indicated.

    Start or continue your application

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    Contact us

    Admission and application inquiries

    Faculty of Graduate Studies
    Room 500 UMSU University Centre
    65 Chancellors Circle
    University of Manitoba (Fort Garry campus)
    Winnipeg, MB R3T 2N2 Canada

    graduate.admissions@umanitoba.ca
    Phone: 204-474-9377

    Monday to Friday
    8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

    Program inquiries

    Caity Maskiew
    501B-715 McDermot Ave
    Winnipeg, MB R3E 3P4
    Email: cmaskiew@chrim.ca