Training & Events
POPCORN Training & Events
Upcoming Events:
Register Today! POPCORN will be hosting a three-part training series, Deconstruct to Reconstruct: Patient Engagement Training Series, in early 2026. This series will deliver patient engagement training to empower researchers, research staff, and trainees with practical skills to meaningfully engage people with lived and living experience.
This patient and family partner-led initiative came from a recent POPCORN needs assessment survey that identified patient engagement training as a significant research education gap. Participants from coast to coast will be engaged through interactive exercises developed and led by people with lived and living experience (POPCORN patient and family partners).
We look forward to having you join us for this valuable series – register today!
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This session aims to “deconstruct” previous methods of patient engagement by utilizing anonymous stories from patients – highlighting both the positives and negatives.
This session will be held on Wednesday January 21, 2026 from 12-1 pm EST via Zoom. You can register here!
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This session aims to explore how communication between researchers and individuals with lived experience can be used as a tool for effective patient engagement.
This session will be held on Thursday February 26, 2026 from 12-1 pm EST via Zoom. You can register here!
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This session aims to explore practical tools and strategies to strengthen patient engagement in research and apply key considerations for developing an effective engagement plan.
This session will be on Tuesday March 24, 2026 from 12-1 pm EST via Zoom. You can register here!
Past Events:
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This webinar was presented in collaboration with Children’s Healthcare Canada and focused on a study from our Indirect Consequences team, which examined the mental health outcomes in youth during the COVID-19 pandemic. The team presented study findings and implications for practice, policy, healthcare system, and research decision-making; shared practical, take-home messages for clinicians to help support those at risk of or living with eating disorders; and provided recommendations for policy and future advocacy efforts to mitigate the indirect consequences of the pandemic. Lastly, they demonstrated how the voices of those with lived or living experiences created a better understanding of results for the implementation of change.
You can watch the recording here.
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This webinar aimed to address language inclusivity in pediatric research. It provided best practices for working with participants who use languages other than English/French (LOEF) by discussing the importance of language inclusivity and ethical considerations of excluding LOEF participants, and offered practical strategies to engage with interpreters and translators throughout the research process.
This session was led by Dr. Patricia Li on November 25, 2025 from 12-1pm EST via Zoom.
This event was only open to POPCORN network members.
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Join us for an insightful session highlighting findings from a CIHR-funded scan of Indigenous-focused health services in children’s hospitals across Canada. Discover current gaps and opportunities in Indigenous staffing, spaces, data practices, and cultural safety education, and hear success stories from hospitals implementing smudging and navigation programs.
Learn how to get involved in a new CIHR-funded Community of Practice supporting collaboration among clinicians, researchers, and Indigenous health leaders to advance the Truth and Reconciliation Calls to Action and Joyce’s Principle—and help shape a more culturally safe healthcare system for all children and families.
This webinar was presented by Dr. Amy Shawanda & Dr. Patty Li on December 10, 2025 at 11am EST via Zoom.
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Join us to explore the latest evidence on how pandemic public health measures impacted hospitalization and ICU admission rates for child maltreatment in Canada, especially among children under two. This session shared findings from the longest national study on the topic and provided real-world examples to help translate data into practice.
Learn how to:
Recognize how emergency measures may affect child maltreatment trends.
Strengthen your ability to identify and manage suspected maltreatment in young children.
This webinar was presented by Dr. Matt Carwana & Dr. Nita Jain on December 17, 2025 at 11am EST via Zoom.
You can watch the recording of this webinar here - coming soon.
Annual Conference:
Every year, POPCORN hosts its annual conference, bringing together network members from across Canada, both in person and online. Each year, this event serves as a valuable opportunity for our network to reconnect, network, share progress, spark new ideas, and reflect on the year’s achievements.
Collaborator Training & Events
ENRICH logo
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ENRICH offers Raising Interdisciplinary Scientist Excellence Learning Management System (RISE LMS), an online, free-to-all training resource for scientific and professional skills development.
Children's Healthcare Canada logo
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POPCORN is pleased to partner with Children’s Healthcare Canada, a national leader in healthcare systems for Canada's children and youth, which supports healthcare professionals and child health researchers from 44 members representing over 250 unique health delivery organizations across the continuum of care, including acute care hospitals, community hospitals, rehabilitation centres, regional health authorities, and home care agencies. Children’s Healthcare Canada regularly offers various knowledge products and events (e.g., webinars, podcasts, pop-up events, and an annual conference).
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The LifTING and Sepsis Canada Research Training Program is a 2-year virtual health research training initiative fully funded by CIHR. This program is designed for individuals who are interested in engaging with and/or conducting research in the field of life-threatening illnesses and sepsis. Our multidisciplinary approach breaks down silos between research domains and fosters meaningful collaborations among early career researchers, established investigators, and key community members, including patient and family partners.
Our program's core values emphasize creating a safe and inclusive learning environment, integrating equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) principles, and promoting anti-oppressive practices and social justice.
Key features of our program include:
Interactive Curriculum: Tailored online modules and workshops designed to build research capacity and to develop both professional and personal skills.
Mentorship Pods: Small group mentorship groups to foster close professional connections.
Funded Research Practicum: An experiential learning opportunity for trainees where they are guided by a supervisor.
Annual Symposium: A fully covered, in-person event with keynote speakers, workshops, and networking opportunities.
Trainee Award Competition: Funding of $25,000 awarded to three research proposals per stream.
For more information about the LifTING and Sepsis Canada Research Training Program, please visit our website or contact our program managers: Amanda Choi (amanda.choi@sri.utoronto.ca) and Janelle Stables (janelle.stables@rimuhc.ca).