The focus of PREP education and training is to help learners prepare for their current and/or future careers. This education and training is meant to fill a gap in accessibility and complement other programs, both academic and extra-curricular in the community. 

Visit https://www.dal.ca/faculty/prep/programs/education-training.html to register for our current training and education sessions.

There are 5 main areas of focus under PREP:

Funding
This module is meant to help you in your quest for research funding. Sessions offered under this module include:

1. Finding Funding - identify sources of funding that apply to your area of research
2. Grant-writing - obtain expert mentoring to understand and perfect various components of a research grant (e.g. abstract, lay summary)
3. Other sessions can be developed as requested.

Career Development
This module offers education and training on specific areas of career development to help you reach your goals in this area.  Specific sessions relate to both academic and non-academic careers:

1. Career Preparation 101 - introduce learners to their career-related aptitudes and transferable skills.
2. CV and Resume Development - know when to use which tool for the career you desire.
3. Job Search - learn how to access the job market that is relevant to you.
4. Academic Interview - learn what is expected and how to prepare for an interview in academia.
5. Non-Academic Interview - prepare for an interview in a non-academic organization.

Further assistance with career development can be found through Student Career and Leadership Development and the Centre for Learning & Teaching.

Research Management
Leading a research enterprise is similar to running a small business. These sessions aim to help you develop your abilities in essential areas:

1. Interviewing & Hiring - build your team with the right mix of individuals.
2. Employee Engagement & Motivation - when employees are engaged and motivated, everyone benefits.
3. Managing Conflict - conflict is a regular part of doing business, but there are successful ways to manage this challenge.
4. Budgeting - keep track of your bottom line
5. Mentoring - be a role model for trainees and provide them with the skills to mentor others in the future.
6. Managing Intellectual Property - know your rights and responsibilities when it comes to your intellectual property.
7. Time Management - manage your time effectively to get the most out of your day.

Communicate, Disseminate, Apply Research
What is the value of research, if it cannnot be effectively shared and added to the bank of knowledge? Ways to share research can use a variety of strategies:

1. Effective Oral and Poster Presentations - communicating research through oral and poster presentations can be valuable ways to get your research out there, if done well.
2. Media Skills - discussing your research in plain language can help gain support from those outside your field.
3. Getting Published - obtain strategies to increase your publication success.
4. Knowledge Translation - your research should make an impact on your field.

Research Ethics & Conduct
Research is an essential activity to build knowledge, but there are responsibilities in its practice. To help navigate the area of ethics and responsibility in research, we offer sessions on:

1. Responsible Conduct of Research - explore solutions to current, complex issues in research.
2. Research Integrity - learn to avoid accidental scholarly misconduct in accordance with Dalhousie University's Scholarly Misconduct Policy.

Graduate Student Research Day has been an annual event since 2005, when it began in the Faculty of Medicine. Now, this event invites participation from graduate students from across the University, who are involved in health research.

Normally held in the spring, this event typically receives over 80 abstracts, which are presented during this full-day of platform and poster presentations. Presentations are adjudicated by experienced researchers, in the spirit of helping students further develop their presentation and research skills. All Dalhousie graduate students are welcome to present their health-related research at this event.

In addition to providing an opportunity for students to present their research, this event allows a rare chance for these students to learn about other health research happening in their community and to develop research collaborations with others outside their fields of expertise.

This is one of the largest research showcases on Dalhousie University campus and promotes the importance and presence of the excellent research happening here.

The main objectives of graduate student research day:

• to help students and trainees enhance their awareness of ongoing research and opportunities
• to allow students and trainees an opportunity to critically assess the features of a good research project
• to provide students and trainees an opportunity to consider how research fits with the ongoing process of health education

PREP is recognized by Dalhousie University Faculty of Graduate Studies and Medicine. Students who are affiliated with either faculty (as current graduate students or medical students) are eligible to receive a notation on their transcipts after completing seven (7) PREP sessions, at any time during their academic careers. This notation signifies the student has completed a professional & research education program.

Students are encouraged to add their PREP participation to their co-curricular records to document this learning achieved above and beyond their regular academic programs. All extra-curricular accomplishmnents, learning and other related activities should be included in the co-curricular record to give a complete picture of student achievements while studying at Dalhousie University. 

PREP responds to the need for professional and research education and training beyond what is offered in traditional academic programs. This Program was initiated in May 2006 (as the IHRTP - Integrated Health Research Training Partnership) through the generous support of the Nova Scotia Health Foundation (NSHRF). PREP is a collaboration across Dalhousie University with current faculty partners being Medicine, Dentistry, Health Professions, and Graduate Studies.

The Program's audience consists of graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and faculty members who are new or new-to-research, and exists to provide these groups with the education required to help build their careers and conduct quality research, in increasingly competitive environments.

Creation of PREP is the collective response to the need for a comprehensive support system, to build professional and research skills, as well as integrate current education necessary to develop a deeper understanding of practice.