Background: This descriptive study reports the early career outcomes of postdoctoral fellows who completed a novel embedded fellowship training program, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) Health System Impact (HSI) Fellowship. The program was designed to support impact-oriented career paths of doctoral graduates, build research capacity within health system organizations, and help to advance learning health systems in Canada. Methods: Employment of fellowship alumni upon completion of the program were tracked using internet searches of publicly accessible online sources and complemented with program survey data. Results: Descriptive analyses show that all 87 eligible alumni included in the study are currently employed (100% of 87), with 92% employed in Canada. Their employment spans several sectors, including in academic (37%), public (29%), healthcare delivery (17%), and private (14%) sectors. Altogether, 32% of alumni held hybrid roles with an affiliation in academia and another sector. The most common position types were senior scientist (42%), professorships (18%), and director, manager or administrator roles (12%). Program reporting data indicate that these employment outcomes are generally consistent with the group’s career aspirations reported at the start of the fellowship program, and that the program receives high ratings from fellows in the extent it is believed to support their career preparedness and readiness (4.49 out of 5). Conclusion: We find that HSI Fellow alumni are employed mostly in research-related roles in a range of sectors including, but not limited to academia, that they positively perceive the program’s success in elevating their career readiness and potential to make an impact – suggesting that the program may help equip fellows with the skills, readiness and networks for a broad array of employment sectors and roles. The findings are a promising signal of the demand for research talent and the growing capacity for learning health systems in Canada.

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IHSPR) Strategic Plan 2021-2026 (CIHR IHSPR 2021) aims to accelerate healthcare system transformation to achieve the Quadruple Aim and health equity through research. This special issue features a collection of commentaries from academic and health system leaders who were invited to respond to IHSPR's strategic plan and share insights regarding the opportunities the plan presents and areas where more attention may be needed. The present paper features a response from the IHSPR team and outlines the next steps regarding implementation. IHSPR is deeply grateful to the commentary authors for their insight, advice and recommendations, which will help to inform the implementation of the plan. RÉSUMÉLe Plan stratégique 2021-2026 de l'Institut des services et des politiques de la santé des Instituts de recherche en santé du Canada (CIHR IHSPR 2021) vise à accélérer, par la recherche, la transformation du système de santé pour atteindre les quatre objectifs et l'équité en santé. Ce numéro spécial présente une série de commentaires de leaders universitaires et du système de santé qui ont été invités à réagir au Plan stratégique de l'ISPS et à partager leurs idées concernant les possibilités que présente le Plan ainsi que les domaines où une plus grande attention est nécessaire. Cet article est une réponse de l'équipe de l'ISPS et décrit les prochaines étapes qui concernent la mise en oeuvre du Plan. L'ISPS est profondément reconnaissant aux auteurs des commentaires pour leur perspicacité, leurs conseils et leurs recommandations, qui contribueront à éclairer la mise en oeuvre du Plan.

outlines the Institute's key priority areas for investment and activity over the next five years. IHSPR used an evidence-informed strategic planning process that was pan-Canadian in scope and designed to elicit the health services and policy research priorities of decision makers, providers, researchers, patients, communities and the public. This paper outlines IHSPR's four key strategic priorities for supporting and optimizing research in transforming Canada's healthcare delivery systems over the next five years. RÉSUMÉLe Plan stratégique 2021-2026 de l'Institut des services et des politiques de la santé (ISPS) des Instituts de recherche en santé du Canada : Accélérer la transformation du système de soins de santé par la recherche pour atteindre les quatre objectifs et l'équité en santé pour tous (CIHR IHSPR 2021) décrit les domaines d'investissement prioritaires de l'Institut et les activités prévues pour les cinq prochaines années. L'ISPS a eu recours à un processus de planification stratégique fondé sur les données probantes, de portée pancanadienne et conçu pour déterminer les priorités de recherche sur les services et les politiques de santé à l'intention des décideurs, des fournisseurs, des chercheurs, des patients, des collectivités et de la population. Ce document décrit les quatre priorités stratégiques de l'ISPS qui visent à soutenir et à optimiser la recherche dans la transformation des systèmes de soins de santé canadiens pour les cinq prochaines années.