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What is the CHEO Research Institute?
The CHEO Research Institute is the research arm of CHEO, a pediatric health centre in Ottawa, Canada. It is a not-for-profit corporation that brings together researchers, clinicians and technology to study child and youth health, with the stated aim of improving life for children, youth and families locally and beyond. Its work spans clinical trials, mental health, brain tumours, physical activity, nutrition, sleep and adolescent well-being, among other areas.
Who it is useful for
- Families and patients: People looking for the research behind pediatric care, or wondering whether a study might be relevant to their child, can browse news and discovery summaries written for a general audience.
- Researchers and clinicians: It is a place to follow current projects, find collaborators, and see how pediatric clinical trials are being organized in Canada.
- Students and trainees: The institute's focus on connecting talent and technology makes it a reasonable starting point for those exploring pediatric research careers.
- Funders, policymakers and journalists: The annual report and research strategy documents give an overview of priorities and direction.
What you will find on the site
- Updates & News, covering recent studies and researcher profiles.
- Latest Discoveries, listing peer-reviewed publications with plain-language titles.
- Strategy and accountability documents, including an annual report and a multi-year research strategy.
- News about research infrastructure, such as a new Clinical Trial Access Core and Clinical Investigation Unit intended to strengthen pediatric trials in Canada.
A practical next step
If you are a parent or patient, start with the news and discoveries sections to see whether any current study matches your situation, then ask your child's care team whether the institute is running a related trial. If you are a researcher, read the research strategy first to check whether your interests align before reaching out about collaboration. The institute's own site is at CHEO Research Institute, and its parent hospital is at CHEO.
How can my child participate in a clinical trial at the CHEO Research Institute?
Participation almost always starts through your child's clinical care team, not by contacting the research institute directly. The CHEO Research Institute runs pediatric studies, including clinical trials, and has announced a new Clinical Trial Access Core and Clinical Investigation Unit to strengthen pediatric trials in Canada. That means more trials are likely to be coordinated through the hospital and its clinics, with research staff screening patients who may be eligible.
Practical steps for a parent
- Ask your child's specialist or treating physician whether any open study fits your child's condition. Clinicians usually know which trials are recruiting and can refer you to the study team.
- If you are not already a CHEO patient, ask your family doctor or pediatrician about referral to the appropriate CHEO clinic first; research eligibility generally follows from a diagnosis and ongoing care.
- When you hear about a study, request the consent form and ask what participation involves: number of visits, tests, time commitment, travel, and whether any costs are covered.
- Ask what happens if you change your mind. In pediatric research, parents or guardians give permission and children may also be asked for their assent, depending on age and the study.
- Keep a simple record: study name, contact person, phone number, and next appointment. If you are considering more than one option, this makes comparison easier.
Who this suits and what to weigh
Clinical trials can offer access to new treatments or closer monitoring, but they also involve uncertainty, extra appointments, and possible side effects. They are not a shortcut around standard care. If your child's condition is stable and well managed, a trial may still be worthwhile for contributing to knowledge, but the practical burden on your family is the main trade-off to discuss.
Your next step: at your child's next appointment, ask directly, "Is my child eligible for any research study or clinical trial here, and who should I speak to?" For general context on the institute's research areas and news, see CHEO Research Institute.
How do I apply for a research job or graduate student position at the CHEO Research Institute?
Start by identifying the specific research program or investigator whose work matches your background, then apply through that program's own posting rather than a single central application. The CHEO Research Institute's site presents itself as a research organisation spanning many areas of child and youth health, and its news and "Latest Discoveries" items name individual scientists and study teams — those names are your best entry points.
H3 What to look for on the site
- Named investigators and their studies. Recent items cover brain tumour research, adolescent eating behaviours, and long-term mental health outcomes. Each corresponds to a lab or team you can approach.
- Research strategy and annual report pages. These show which areas are being prioritised, which helps you target a team that is actively growing.
- News and discovery listings. These are dated and frequently updated, so they indicate which groups are currently publishing and recruiting.
H3 Practical steps
- Read the pages for two or three teams whose topics match your training.
- Check whether the institute or the affiliated children's hospital posts current openings; research institutes are usually tied to a hospital or university human-resources system.
- Write to the principal investigator directly with a short note: your degree and field, one or two sentences on why their specific work fits you, and what you are seeking (a graduate placement, a postdoctoral role, or staff work).
- Attach a CV and, for graduate study, indicate the university department you would apply through, since graduate students are normally enrolled at a partner university rather than at the institute itself.
- If you are applying for graduate study, apply to both the university program and contact the supervisor — admission and supervision are separate decisions.
H3 Audience and trade-offs
- Undergraduate or master's students should expect to apply through a university graduate program, with supervisor agreement as the deciding factor.
- Postdocs and research staff apply more directly, but competition is driven by grant funding, so timing matters: openings cluster around new grants and clinical trial infrastructure.
- Clinical researchers may have a smoother path if they already hold a clinical appointment, since the institute works alongside a pediatric hospital.
A useful next step is to look at the institute's own site for the research strategy and current news, and compare it with a partner university's job board. Related Canadian pediatric research centres, such as The Hospital for Sick Children and BC Children's Hospital Research Institute, post similar roles and can help you gauge what a competitive application looks like.
Where can I find the CHEO Research Institute's annual report and strategic plan?
Both are linked directly from the CHEO Research Institute homepage at CHEO Research Institute. Look for the "Learn more" links beside the 2025-2026 Annual Report and the CHEO Research Strategy 2025-2029 in the page's top section.
What each document covers
- 2025-2026 Annual Report — the year in review: research activity, discoveries and organizational results.
- CHEO Research Strategy 2025-2029 — the forward-looking plan setting direction and priorities for the coming years.
Which to open first
| Your goal | Start with |
|---|---|
| See what the institute has already achieved | Annual Report |
| Understand where its research is heading | Research Strategy |
| Cite priorities alongside results | Both, in that order |
If you're a partner, funder or journalist: the strategy gives you the framing for decisions and funding priorities, while the report supplies concrete outcomes to reference. Read the strategy first so the report's results land in context.
If you're a student or trainee: use the strategy to spot research areas that match your interests, then check the report and the site's "Updates & News" section for active projects and recent publications.
Next step: open the homepage, follow each "Learn more" link, and if a link has moved, use the site's news section or contact page to request the current copies.
What funding sources and grants support CHEO Research Institute researchers?
CHEO Research Institute does not present a single public list of funding sources or grant programs on its homepage. What the page does show is a research organization that operates as a not-for-profit corporation and highlights major strategic documents—its 2025–2026 Annual Report and its CHEO Research Strategy 2025–2029—which are the most likely places to find how its researchers are funded.
In practice, pediatric research institutes like this one typically draw on a mix of:
- Competitive national and provincial grants — awards from health research funders that individual scientists apply for.
- Hospital and foundation philanthropy — donor-supported campaigns and endowed chairs.
- Industry-sponsored clinical trials — the page notes a new Clinical Trial Access Core and Clinical Investigation Unit intended to strengthen pediatric clinical trials in Canada, which points to trial-related funding and partnerships.
- Institutional and government support — core infrastructure and program funding.
If you need the actual funders, names of grants, or award amounts, the Annual Report and Research Strategy linked from the homepage are the right starting points; the news items about specific studies may also name supporting grants.
For a concrete next step: if you are a researcher or trainee looking for funding, check the institute's own career, trainee, and research-support pages first, since internal studentships and seed grants are usually listed separately from external funders. If you are a donor or partner, the Annual Report will show which programs and priority areas currently need support. A useful decision criterion is whether you need project-level grant detail (go to the strategy and annual report) or funding opportunities for yourself (go to the institute's training and careers pages).
How does the CHEO Research Institute partner with families and the community on pediatric research?
The CHEO Research Institute involves families and the community mainly through participation in studies, advisory and engagement roles, and public sharing of findings. Its page describes a mission of research "for every child, youth and family," and it highlights news and discoveries on topics such as adolescent mental health, eating behaviours, screen and social media use, physical activity and sleep. Those are areas where families often contribute by joining studies, answering surveys, or helping shape research questions and priorities.
For a concrete picture, consider a parent who wants to contribute but is not a scientist. Practical routes include:
- Enrolling a child or adolescent in an active study, such as survey or cohort research on health behaviours.
- Joining patient and family advisory structures, where caregivers and youth give feedback on study design, consent materials and how results are communicated.
- Attending or following public events, reports and news, which keeps the community informed and creates openings to give input.
- Partnering through schools, clinics and community organisations, which helps reach families who are less likely to hear about research directly.
A useful next step is to look at the institute's current news and discovery listings to see which studies are recruiting or seeking input, then contact the research team or engagement office for that project. If your interest is participation, ask what time and travel are involved and how privacy is protected. If your interest is advising, ask how family and youth voices are selected and how feedback changes decisions.
For broader context on pediatric research and family engagement, you can also consult CHEO and CIHR.
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