The Residents Section, founded in 1990, is a network for those in paediatric training. The section makes up nearly a quarter of CPS membership and represents 94% of all paediatric residents in Canada. It provides a forum for residents to develop ideas and discuss issues related to their training and education. The section is active in areas such as advocacy and professional development, particularly during the CPS Annual Conference.
The section has representation on the CPS Board of Directors and an executive committee made up of from each paediatric program in Canada.
My name is Dr. Jhanahan Sriranjan, and I am a fourth-year paediatric resident physician at McMaster University and the current President of the CPS Residents Section. I am thrilled to be joined by my colleague Dr. Vivian Chen (McMaster University) in the Vice-President role, and Jennifer Simone (University of Manitoba) as our Medical Student Liaison for the 2025-2026 academic year. On behalf of our team, it is truly an honor to represent our colleagues and future paediatricians across the country, and to continue on in the footsteps of our predecessors who have worked tirelessly to advocate for the health and well-being of children and young people across Canada.
Our priorities for the 2025-2026 academic year are:
Understanding and support paediatric resident needs. Residency is an incredibly rewarding, yet often challenging time of our lives. With increasing complexity and healthcare demands, it is more important than ever that our training programs and future careers evolve to meet these demands. This year, we hope to enhance communications across residency programs and foster a national network of residents and early career paediatricians to help support trainees through this process. Initiatives including our National Grand Rounds on different careers in paediatrics will help support trainees, while advocacy with national education groups will ensure residents are supported equitably and effectively.
Promote resident-led paediatric advocacy initiatives. Alongside our planned national initiatives, we hope to continue to encourage local resident projects on the ground at each of the 17 paediatric residency programs across Canada. Initiatives led by paediatric residents have contributed to significant environmental, social, and psychological impacts on their communities, and we will continue to support these as well as other collaborative initiatives through enhancing funding and through larger national collaborative efforts.
Strengthen medical student and resident relationships. The partnership between the CPS Residents Section and the Medical Student Liaison is one of our most effective and valuable resources. Each year, our medical student involvement continues to grow, and we see continued success from events such as our “Why Paeds” panel, mentorship program, mock CaRMS interviews, and national conference programming. This year, we hope to expand the role further and focus on building collaborations with paediatric interest groups at the various medical schools across Canada to help spread the word about this incredibly specialty and the variety of options available.
Our work is just beginning, but we are excited to see what this year brings! We welcome your feedback, ideas, and collaboration as we continue to use our voices and resources to support children, families, and trainees across the country. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to us – we’d love to hear from you!
