Training & Mentorship

Strategic Platform 1

We want to ensure all who are passionate about bone health research are set up to learn, thrive, and succeed.

We believe investing in trainees & early career researchers is investing in the future of bone health care in Canada.

Early career researchers (ECRs) are students or recent graduates—typically within five years of earning their degree—who are launching their research careers. While trainees are still learning, often at the graduate or post doctorate level, ECRs are expected to lead their own research projects.

These emerging researchers are behind some of Canada’s most innovative science, but they often face barriers like limited recognition, funding, and opportunities.

Supporting trainees & ECRs fuels discovery and helps Canada stay at the forefront of global research.

This team aims to:

Develop & attract multidisciplinary talent from across Canada
Provide multi-site & multidisciplinary training for specific skills & offer an innovative curriculum & team environment.
Provide a supportive culture where they get encouragement & feedback from peers, mentors, and leaders.
Provide Access to resources: Tools, technology, information, and expert guidance.
Train & inspire the next generation of clinicians & scientists, who will carry OsNET forward. Providing tools, training, support & mentorship to researchers, in the earlier stages of their research career, to foster a career long-commitment to bone health research.
Partner with CANTRAIN to Strengthen Clinical Research

CANTRAIN (the CANadian Consortium of Clinical Trial TRAINing) is a unique national training platform that builds clinical research skills through interactive modules, hands-on learning, and expert mentorship. It supports researchers, clinicians, patients, and community partners.
By offering practical, inclusive training, CANTRAIN helps make clinical trials more efficient and accessible—especially for underrepresented communities—so Canada is better prepared to evaluate and deliver new therapies. Learn more.
Partner with CAN-TAP-TALENT (Canadian Training Platform for Trials Leveraging Existing Networks) to offer state of the art training in Clinical Trials.
CAN-TAP-TALENT is building a stronger, more efficient national training system for clinical trials in Canada. It offers hands-on learning, cross-training, and mentoring across provinces and disease areas, helping grow a diverse, skilled workforce. Through a pan-Canadian network, trainees also gain access to top trial experts and multicenter studies.
CAN-TAP-TALENT boosts Canada’s clinical trial capacity by streamlining training, reducing redundancies, and developing skilled professionals. It aims to generate impactful, Canadian-led research tailored to our diverse population and healthcare systems.
This platform trains participants using a patient-centered approach—putting patients at the heart of every step in the clinical trial process.
It aims to involve communities in shaping research questions and sharing results, so findings can be used quickly to address real-world health challenges. Learn more.
CANTRAIN provides the foundational training, while CAN-TAP-TALENT builds upon that foundation by offering specialized training and opportunities within a broader network of clinical trials professionals. They are complementary initiatives working towards a common goal: improving clinical trials in Canada.
Provide training in advanced technologies, such as MRI and bone scans, to improve bone health diagnosis, monitoring, and treatment. This includes using imaging to assess bone quality, internal structure, and fracture risk, and applying research findings to better understand and identify the causes of bone diseases.
Example: Bone imaging is studied to investigate better ways to predict the risk of breaking a bone (fracture).
Traditional tools like dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) scans don’t always capture the full picture, so scientists are turning to more detailed data from computed tomography (CT) scans combined with patient health information.
Advanced computer techniques (machine learning), can find hidden patterns in this data to better identify people at higher risk of fractures.
Here’s how it works in simple terms:
- When doctors look at a scan, they see shapes, sizes, & textures.
- Machine learning goes a step further by using computer programs to measure & analyze hundreds of tiny details in those images — things that are too complex for the human eye to notice.
- These details can help detect disease, predict how it might progress, or show how well a treatment is working.

2025-26 Focus

OsNET Imaging Masterclass June 2025 (Summer School)
An immersive, high-impact training experience for 40 students, combining advanced learning, hands-on workshops, and invaluable networking. Participants, including patient partners, explored cutting-edge topics including the use of bone imaging in clinical research, meaningful patient engagement, and respectful collaboration with Indigenous communities. Discover more.

Resources