Riding the knowledge translation roundabout: lessons learned from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research Summer Institute in knowledge translation

BACKGROUND: Funding the education and training of the next generation of health researchers is a key mandate of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) knowledge translation (KT) portfolio. The field of KT is growing daily; thus, the training and development of a new generation of KT researchers is essential. METHODS: Using curriculum documents, participant evaluations, and self-reflection, this paper describes a unique Summer Institute hosted by the CIHR in Cornwall, Ontario, Canada. We outline the key aspects of a successful training initiative that could inform organizations and agencies worldwide with an interest in or who have a mandate for KT. RESULTS: This work provides potential funders, faculty, and students with an inside look into the purpose, process, and outcomes of such training initiatives. CONCLUSION: National and international KT organizations, research institutions, and funding agencies are encouraged to consider replicating the training model employed here, as investment into KT personnel will foster the advancement of the field within and beyond local borders. 'To the individual who devotes his/her life to science, nothing can give more happiness than when the results immediately find practical application. There are not two sciences. There is science and the application of science, and these two are linked as the fruit is to the tree.' – Louis Pasteur, 1871 (from presentation by Ian Graham, 2008 CIHR Knowledge Translation Summer Institute)