Mythbusters Award for Students
Students Can Apply Now for the 2012 MYTHBUSTERS Award
The Canadian Health Services Research Foundation (CHSRF) is pleased to be launching the call for the 2012 annual Mythbusters Award call. The award is given to students who write the strongest Mythbusters article—a popular series of reader-friendly research summaries addressing some of today’s major debates in Canadian health services management and policy—as judged by a panel of experts in health services research and policy.
Important note! To be eligible, applicants must ensure the myth they are busting has direct implications for at least one of the following areas:
- Healthcare financing
- Healthcare delivery
- Health system management
The Mythbusters series was launched by CHSRF in 2000 to challenge the many misconceptions about healthcare in Canada. Articles in the series summarize research and other evidence and communicate actionable messages to policy-makers, managers and others in a conversational, easy-to-read format.
RESOURCES
In 2008, CHSRF created the Mythbusters Teaching Resource. This document walks readers through all of the steps in developing a Mythbuster—from spotting a myth, to searching for evidence to disprove it, to writing a draft. Applicants are invited to use the information in the Teaching Resource to strengthen their application. In addition, it is a good idea to read a few issues from the Mythbusters series. We’ve also compiled a list of 5 tips you may wish to read to help give your application that competitive edge!
In 2012, CHSRF is very excited to be offering another resource to applicants. CHSRF is partnering with EvidenceNetwork.ca to give applicants access to the evidence on key health policy topics. The EvidenceNetwork.ca website is a great resource for finding how the topics have been covered in the Canadian press in the recent past, and for a summary of the evidence which may be helpful to you in debunking your chosen myth.
Who is eligible for this award?
- Students currently enrolled in a program of study at a Canadian post-secondary institution—all academic disciplines welcome.
The winner will receive
- an award of $1,500
- the opportunity to work with CHSRF staff as their Mythbusters topic is prepared for publication
- travel, accommodation and registration to a Canadian conference relevant to their chosen Mythbusters topic (subject to cost).
The application process
The following information is required in the application form:
1. Your full contact information;
2. A proposed Mythbusters article, which includes:
- a short descriptive title, beginning with “Myth: [your myth here]”
- a section establishing that the myth exists in the Canadian healthcare system (approx. ½ page)
- a section outlining the evidence base to debunk the myth (approx. 1 page)
- a conclusion (approx. ½ page)
3. Up to two additional pages of references.
Application submission
Applicants must submit an electronic version of the completed application form in MS Word to grantsandawards@chsrf.ca. Applications must be received by January 17, 2012 at 12 noon eastern time.
The successful applicant will be notified of the results in early March 2012.
» Request an application form
The competition is closed.
Conflict of interest and ethics
The applicants should review and ensure they are aware of CHSRF’s conflict of interest policy (PDF).
CHSRF requires that program teams, administering agencies, and partners respect the requirements for the ethical conduct of research as expressed in the following policy documents:
1. “Tri-Council Policy Statement: Ethical Conduct for Research Involving Humans” (1998) available from the website of the Interagency Advisory Panel on Research Ethics. The appropriate local review committee operating in accordance with the relevant statements of policy must approve any research involving human subjects before it starts; and
2. “Tri-Council Policy Statement: Integrity in Research and Scholarship” (1994): a Tri-Council Policy Statement prepared jointly with the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council, available from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada web site.
Selection process and criteria
Applications will be assessed by a merit review panel composed of health services research and policy experts. The merit review panel will assess the applications using the following criteria:
- Originality of the topic (i.e., the selected topic addresses a myth that has not yet been featured in the Mythbusters series)
- Relevance of the topic to Canadian health services management or policy (i.e., the myth has direct implications for healthcare financing, healthcare delivery and/or health system management)
- Suitability of the supporting evidence (i.e., the evidence must be robust and come from reliable sources)
- Strength of the conclusions (i.e., the main messages are actionable and evidence-based)
- Readability of the Mythbuster (i.e., it is written in a reader-friendly way and uses lively prose)