Academic mentors include trialists, methodologists, clinicians, biostatisticians, and trial operations experts from across the country with expertise in child health and maternal research.  

Academic mentors offer guidance on: 

• Trial design 

• Grant writing 

• Scientific rigour and feasibility 

• Pediatric and perinatal health research  

• Clinical expertise with the population or intervention of interest 

• Biostatistical methods  

• Trial operational feasibility  

• Equitable inclusion in trials 

• Community and patient engagement 

• Knowledge mobilization and research impact 

• Professional development  

Academic mentors support fellows by: 

1. Guide the development of the fellow's written clinical trial proposal, the primary deliverable of the fellowship, throughout the fellowship year. 

2. Actively participate in group and one-on-one mentorship meetings to review progress and provide feedback. 

3. Support the fellow's professional development by identifying immersive learning opportunities aligned with their career goals and facilitating connections within the clinical trials community. 

Their mentorship encourages fellows to approach clinical trials with scientific rigour and to produce proposals that are methodologically sound and responsive to the needs of the populations they aim to serve.