Capitalising on our differences: A gathering to better understand and advocate for Early Career Health Researchers in Canada

Early career health researchers (ECHRS), that is, those in the first seven years of their first research and/or teaching job, make important contributions to research in Canada. The Association of Canadian Early Career Health Researchers (ACEHCR) exists to advocate for and support the interests of ECHRs working in Canada. In order to best plan for the future of health research in Canada, we need to know more about the experiences and career satisfaction of ECHRs in Canada; this is especially important because the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic have made existing problems in research settings, such as high costs of materials for laboratory experiments, even worse. The ACEHCR will be distributing a survey to as many Canadian ECHRs as possible to learn more about them and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on their productivity, job security and job satisfaction. All eleven members of the committee overseeing ACEHCR, who represent different types of research institutions across Canada, have planned an event in Ottawa in the summer of 2023. At this event, committee members will write one or more scientific papers to share the results of this survey. They will also write a document describing the most important findings and recommendations designed to be shared with officials making decisions about policies and programs that most impact ECHRs. Last, committee members will receive training from qualified experts in public relations, strategic communication and effective advocacy. The products of this event will have long-lasting positive impacts, such as improving the sustainability of academic institutions in Canada and optimizing the health of Canadians through effective creation and application of research findings across health care settings.