Fellowships

Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Department of Anaesthesia and Pain Management

Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre is fully affiliated with the University of Toronto, and is one of four major teaching hospitals in the city. There are three hospital sites: Bayview Campus, Holland Centre and St. John's Rehab. Fellows will be expected to work at Bayview Campus and the Holland Centre depending on their subspecialty interest. Sunnybrook is a major tertiary referral centre for cardiac (700 cases/year), major trauma (800+/year), oncology, and burns. A full complement of surgical specialties with the exception of pediatrics are on site. In total the hospital carries out approximately 18,000 surgical procedures per year and provides obstetrical services for over 4,000 deliveries per year.

The Department of Anaesthesia also runs a Clinical Simulation Centre, providing training for multiple medical specialties.

Education, research and advanced clinical training in anesthesia subspecialties as described below.

DURATION:

Most fellowships are a 1 year. Fellowships that are shorter or longer may be pursued under certain circumstances.

Fellowship programs offered:

Advanced Clinical Anaesthesia
Regional Anaesthesia
POCUS Fellowship (Point of Care Ultrasound)
Simulation & Education Fellowship
Trauma Anaesthesia Fellowship
Obstetrical Anaesthesia
Chronic Pain Medicine Fellowship

THE PROGRAM:

Fellows will be assigned to an operating room lists appropriate to their subspecialty training program and clinical experience. Supervision is by consultant staff members of the department at all times. Responsibilities include supervision and teaching of junior and senior residents in the program, and medical students. After hours duty is at the second and third call level, with the first call consultant available at all times. The frequency of on call duties is similar to the consultants. All fellows participate in the Acute Pain Service if the Fellowship schedule can accommodate this.

Fellows will spend at least 1 - 2 days in subspecialty training per week and 2 - 5 days providing general anaesthesia care in the operating room. The overall aim is to maximize the exposure to the fellow's subspecialty area. One research day per week is available to every fellow but is granted only if the fellow is involved in a specific project related to the fellowship area of interest. Fellows participating in research are required to present at Shield's Day, the yearly University research day, and are expected to produce at least one peer-reviewed publication.

Formal evaluation of fellows is carried out at the 6 and 12-month marks of the fellowship year. The Fellowship Coordinator carries this out after consultation with the Chief of the Department and Departmental staff. At the 12-month point the fellow receives a certificate documenting successful completion of the fellowship if this has occurred.

Evaluation of the Fellowship is done on an ongoing basis through contact between the fellows and the Fellowship coordinator, Chief of the Department, and the Fellowship Supervisor. For certain fellowships evaluations external to the departmental auspices may be required.

All fellowships are salaried positions. The salary offered is highly competitive. Fellows are entitled to four weeks of vacation and one week conference leave.

LICENSING:

Once in receipt of the required documents, a temporary license is issued by the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario (CPSO). This enables the fellow to practice under direct supervision in a teaching hospital. After successful completion of a 1 to 3 month assessment period, the CPSO issues an educational license and the fellow may continue the fellowship. This assessment period is mandated by the CPSO and failure of this assessment will preclude licensure and the fellowship will be immediately terminated.

Medical Malpractice insurance must be procured by the fellow.

The fellowship committee will review and rank all candidates and only those highest ranked will be contacted. Fluency in English is mandatory. Applicants whose first language is not English must pass the TOEFL/TSE or IETLS.

To Apply:

Please follow the application instructions described in the specific fellowship section which you are applying for. Please note that the application links provided will close after the application cut-off date. You may, under special circumstances, be considered for a late application. Please contact the Fellowship Coordinator (listed below) if you are applying outside the normal timeline.

Reference letters need to be signed by the referee and sent independently to our office. Please note that when applying, electronic correspondence (i.e. email) is preferred for all documents (including reference letters).

General Inquiries and Reference Letters should be directed to:

Dr. Shu (Roland) Xu (shuzhengrong.xu@sunnybrook.ca)
Fellowship Deputy Director, Department of Anaesthesia
Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre
2075 Bayview Avenue, Room M3-200
Toronto, Ontario
Canada M4N 3M5

Specific Fellowships

The Advanced Clinical Fellowship in Anaesthesia

The Advanced Clinical Fellowship in Anaesthesia involves gaining experience in the anaesthetic management of all types of surgery carried out at Sunnybrook except cardiac anesthesia. Surgical services represented in the OR include general (including major colorectal, hepatobiliary and pancreatic oncology), trauma surgery, otolaryngology, urology, orthopedics, plastic and facial reconstructive surgery, cancer reconstructive surgery involving muscle flaps, gynecologic oncology, ophthalmology, vascular surgery, neurosurgery, and major spine surgery. Ancillary anesthetic locations include the cardiac catheterization laboratory for implantable defibrillator insertion, MAZE and ablation procedures, radiology suite for various embolization, thrombectomy and stent procedures, psychiatry ward for electroconvulsive therapy, and the cancer centre for insertion of radiotherapy devices. Fellows may work in the pre-assessment clinic in rotation with staff and also participate in running the acute pain service on a rotational basis. As Sunnybrook is a tertiary care trauma centre, particular experience in managing blunt and penetrating trauma will be gained during this fellowship. There will also be opportunities to be exposed to regional anaesthesia and obstetrical anaesthesia. Though this is a general clinical anaesthesia fellowship, we will make efforts to meet the trainee's clinical and educational goals by creating a more focused program.

Application Process:

Applications should be made at least 12 to 15 months in advance.
To apply please use the following links below. Each link corresponds to a specific intake period. Please choose only one intake period for your application (if you are flexible in your start time please make this clear in your letter of intent).
In addition to using the links below please send a CV and letter of intent to Dr. Shu (Roland) Xu (shuzhengrong.xu@sunnybrook.ca)
The Letter of intent should stipulate the fellowship position you are applying for and indicate the dates you wish to work, your educational goals, research aims (if any) and future plans.

Advanced Clinical Fellowship Application Links:

Regional Anaesthesia Fellowship

Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre performs more than 3,000 regional anaesthesia procedures each year. Under the supervision of a staff regional anaesthetist, fellows will learn to perform a variety of different peripheral nerve blocks of the upper and lower extremity. Fellows will gain expertise in continuous catheter techniques for postoperative analgesia for both the upper and lower extremities. Central neuraxial techniques, including thoracic epidurals, combined spinal-epidurals, and spinal anaesthetics are also commonly performed for surgery at our hospital. The successful applicant will learn to perform all peripheral nerve block techniques as well as neuraxial procedures and truncal blocks with ultrasound guidance.

Fellows will also participate in the Acute Pain Service rotation and non-regional anaesthesia cases during the training year. The Acute Pain Service manages approximately 2,500 patients per year including referrals with challenging chronic and cancer pain.

Positions per year: 4 - 6

Duration of training: 12 months

Research Experience: Regional anesthesia fellows will spend up to 20% of time in research and educational activities. Under direct staff supervision, regional anaesthesia fellows are expected to initiate at least one research project during the training year. Fellows will often assume a teaching role especially towards their end of their fellowship year.

Application Process:

Applications should be made at least 15 to 18 months in advance.
To apply please use the following links below. Each link corresponds to a specific intake period. Please choose only one intake period for your application (if you are flexible in your start time please make this clear in your letter of intent).
In addition to using the links below please send a CV and letter of intent to Dr. Shu (Roland) Xu (shuzhengrong.xu@sunnybrook.ca)
The Letter of intent should stipulate the fellowship position you are applying for and indicate the dates you wish to work, your educational goals, research aims (if any) and future plans.

Regional Anaesthesia Fellowship Application Links:

Perioperative POCUS Anaesthesia Fellowship

The Sunnybrook Health Sciences POCUS fellowship was the first program in Toronto. Fellows will spend one-year learning different aspects of POCUS using the established I-AIM (Indication, Acquisition, Interpretation and Medical Decision-Making) framework.

The program objectives include learning the fundamentals and advanced applications of perioperative echocardiography using advanced transthoracic echocardiography, basic transesophageal echocardiography, advanced lung ultrasound, limited abdominal ultrasound for trauma (FAST), procedural ultrasound for vascular access as well as gastric and airway ultrasound. At the end of the program, the fellows will achieve the requirements to obtain the American Society of Anesthesiology (ASA) Diagnostic POCUS Certificate Program and the National Board of Echocardiography certification for Basic Perioperative Transesophageal Echocardiography (Basic PTEeXAM).

The perioperative POCUS program at Sunnybrook uses different learning modalities, including high-fidelity simulation, hands-on training with POCUS-certified faculty and educational rounds in collaboration with the Critical Care and Anesthesia Basic Ultrasound Curriculum.

Positions per year: 2

Duration of training: 12 months

Research Experience: POCUS fellows will be allotted non-clinical time to develop and improve the delivery of bedside ultrasound-guided assessments to patients in the perioperative setting. This time may also be used to pursue related quality and improvement studies and research.

Application Process:

Applications should be made at least 18 months in advance.
To apply, please use the following links below. Each link corresponds to a specific intake period. Please choose only one intake period for the application (if you are flexible in your start time, please clarify this in your letter of intent).
In addition to using the links below, please send a CV and letter of intent to Dr. Pablo Perez d’Empaire (pablo.perezdempaire@mail.utoronto.ca)
The letter of intent should stipulate the dates when you wish to start the program, the educational goals, the research aims (if any) and future plans.

POCUS Fellowship Application Links:

Anaesthesia Simulation Fellowship

The Canadian Simulation Centre for Human Performance and Crisis Management Training was the first high fidelity simulation centre in Canada, and remains one of the most academically productive centres in North America. Approximately 1000 learners attend the centre each year.

The objectives of the Simulation fellowship are as follows:

To develop a knowledge of how to establish educational and research programs in part-task and high fidelity simulation.
To develop expertise in using simulation for evaluation purposes
To develop expertise in debriefing of simulation scenarios
To participate in active research programs
To enhance knowledge of the literature with respect to the uses of simulation in medical education.

The applicant will spend one to two days per week in the simulator centre per week and carrying out simulator research. The applicant would have the opportunity to participate in ongoing research studies as well as to pursue an independent study in conjunction with one of the simulation researchers. The remaining days per week will be spent providing anaesthesia care in the general operating rooms.

Duration: 12 months

Application Process:

Applications should be made at least 15 months in advance.
To apply please use the following links below. Each link corresponds to a specific intake period. Please choose only one intake period for your application (if you are flexible in your start time please make this clear in your letter of intent).
In addition to using the links below please send a CV and letter of intent to Dr. Shu (Roland) Xu (shuzhengrong.xu@sunnybrook.ca)
The Letter of intent should stipulate the fellowship position you are applying for and indicate the dates you wish to work, your educational goals, research aims (if any) and future plans.

Simulation Fellowship Application Links:

Obstetrical Anaesthesia Fellowship

Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre has a busy obstetric service with a significant volume of high risk deliveries. There are approximately 4250 deliveries every year in our new state of the art obstetric centre at Sunnybrook. Fellows will be taught to critically appraise the evidence base for obstetrical anaesthesia procedures pertaining to labour analgesia, post-caesarean section pain, high risk obstetrical patients and the diagnosis and treatment of post-dural puncture headache. These are areas of active research in the Obstetrical Anaesthesia Research Unit (OARU).

Fellows will gain considerable obstetrical anaesthetic experience with ultrasound guided epidural and CSE placement and management, anaesthesia for caesarean sections and the interdisciplinary management of high risk obstetric cases.

Fellows will spend 2 days per week on the labour and delivery floor. They are also expected to do an allotment of obstetrical anaesthesia call. Two days a week will be spent providing anaesthesia care in the general operating rooms. One day a week may be reserved for involvement in an appropriate research project.

Click here for more information on the Obstetricial Anaesthesia Fellowship.

Duration: 12 months

Application Process:

Applications should be made at least 15 months in advance.
To apply please use the following links below. Each link corresponds to a specific intake period. Please choose only one intake period for your application (if you are flexible in your start time please make this clear in your letter of intent).
In addition to using the links below please send a CV and letter of intent to Dr. Faraj Massouh (faraj.massouh@sunnybrook.ca)
The Letter of intent should stipulate the fellowship position you are applying for and indicate the dates you wish to work, your educational goals, research aims (if any) and future plans.

Obstetric Anaesthesia Fellowship Application Links:

Trauma Anaesthesia Fellowship

Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre is a major tertiary care centre in the city of Toronto with a large referral base and the largest trauma centre in Canada. Sunnybrook has a large multi-disciplinary trauma service of which anaesthesia plays an integral role.

The objectives of the fellowship will be to develop expertise in managing trauma acutely during the initial patient triage and management period and during the intra and post-operative care stages. Fellows will be trained in the Trauma Team Leader role where they will initially work under the supervision of TTLs of varying medical backgrounds (anaesthesia, surgery, emergency medicine) and later will operate in this role independently but with consultant backup. When not working as a TTL, the fellow will be expected to work in the operating rooms with a focus of care in the trauma/burn population. The fellow will spend one month on the hospital Trauma service caring directly for trauma patients. Pain management in the trauma patient will also be a key role for this fellowship program. The fellow will be expected to play an integral role in reaching out and delivering advanced pain management to trauma patients including the application of regional pain management techniques.

Research: The fellow will be expected to participate in a research or quality improvement project. Research time will be provided for projects of suitable quality

Duration: 12 months minimum

Application Process:

Applications should be made at least 15 months in advance.
To apply please use the following links below. Each link corresponds to a specific intake period. Please choose only one intake period for your application (if you are flexible in your start time please make this clear in your letter of intent).
In addition to using the links below please send a CV and letter of intent to Dr. Shu (Roland) Xu (shuzhengrong.xu@sunnybrook.ca)
The letter of intent should stipulate the fellowship position you are applying for and indicate the dates you wish to work, your educational goals, research aims (if any) and future plans.

Trauma Anaesthesia Fellowship Application Links:

Pain Medicine/Chronic Pain Fellowship

Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre is the largest trauma hospital in Canada and has a busy pain medicine practice spanning acute, transitional, and chronic pain services. Therefore, this fellowship has a focus on multidisciplinary transitional trauma pain. Under the supervision of a Pain Medicine Physician, fellows will become experienced in comprehensive pain assessments and interdisciplinary/multidisciplinary pain management. Fellows will develop expertise in a variety of ultrasound and fluoroscopic guided pain procedures, especially with peripheral nerve and musculoskeletal ultrasound guided interventions as they are frequently performed in the outpatient setting.

Fellows will also participate in the Acute Pain Service rotation, Regional Anesthesia, and Anesthetic Operating Room cases during the training year. The Acute Pain Service manages approximately 2,500 patients per year including referrals with challenging chronic and cancer pain.

Positions per year: 1

Duration: 12 months minimum

Research Experience: Pain Medicine fellows will spend up to 20% of time in research and educational activities. Under direct staff supervision, fellows are expected to initiate at least one research project during the training year.

Application Process:

Applications should be made at least 18 months in advance
To apply please use the following links below. Each link corresponds to a specific intake period. Please choose only one intake period for your application (if you are flexible in your start time please make this clear in your letter of intent).
In addition to using the links below please send a CV and letter of intent to Dr. Howard Meng (howard.meng@sunnybrook.ca)
The letter of intent should stipulate the fellowship position you are applying for and indicate the dates you wish to work, your educational goals, research aims (if any) and future plans

Chronic Pain Fellowship Application Links:

Contact Information

If you have any questions or concerns which this website cannot answer please feel free to contact the Anaesthesia Fellowship Program Deputy Director, Dr. Shu (Roland) Xu (shuzhengrong.xu@sunnybrook.ca).

Location and contact

Anesthesia department

Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre

View full details »

2075 Bayview Avenue,
M-wing, 3rd floor,
room M3200
Toronto, ON M4N 3M5

Phone: 416-480-4864
Fax: 416-480-6039

Holland Centre

View full details »

43 Wellesley Street East,
Toronto, ON M4Y 1H1

Phone: 416-967-8500

Simulation Centre

View full details »

Tarsila Da Cruz or Agnes Ryzynski

Phone: 416-480-6100 ext. 63377

Email:
Simulation.centre@ sunnybrook.ca