The Canadian journal of cardiology
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Research is a core aspect of training in academic medicine, but fellows face many challenges thwarting their ability to perform clinically meaningful projects. The concept of a multicentre clinical trial collectively operated by fellows, and integrated longitudinally into training, has never been described. In this article, the authors expose the key principles of Collectively Operated Fellow-Initiated Research (COFIR) that they put in place. ⋯ Third, fellows must document and disseminate the newly acquired methodological know-how. Finally, fellows must put the safety of patients above any other consideration. Examples of how these principles were applied in a research project are provided in this article; it represents a call to action for fellows to collectively contribute to the production of significant medical research.