Advanced Endoscopic and Pelvic Floor Surgical Fellowship
Updated May 30, 2024
Program Director:
Dr. Allan Kanee, MD, FRCSC, FACOG
Assistant Professor, Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology
University of Toronto
Staff Physician Trillium Health Partners
Email: Allan.Kanee@thp.ca
Setting:
Trillium Health Partners, including, but not limited to Credit Valley Hospital,
Mississauga Hospital, Queensway Hospital
Application Deadline: June 30
Please send a letter of interest and CV to Dr. Kanee (Allan.Kanee@thp.ca) and please have 3 references sent directly to Dr. Kanee (Allan.Kanee@thp.ca) by the June 30 deadline.
Program Description:
This 1-year fellowship in Pelvic Floor Surgery at Trillium Health Partners (THP) aims to build on the core competencies from a general OBGYN residency program to enhance proficiency at surgeries aimed to treat common pelvic floor disorders including incontinence and pelvic organ prolapse. Prospective fellows should be interested in pursuing a generalist community practice and this fellowship will allow for maintenance of generalist gynecologic skills. One in 10 women will require surgery for pelvic floor disorders and patients in Ontario experience some of the longest wait times for these surgeries. This fellowship offering specifically focuses on achieving competence in incontinence and prolapse procedures given the expanding community needs for generalists who offer these surgeries.
Sites:
Trillium Health Partners is the largest academically affiliated community site at the University of Toronto and is comprised of both the Credit Valley and Mississauga sites. Fellows will operate with faculty at both sites.
Faculty:
The faculty are 6 generalist OBGYNs across the 2 THP sites who have either subspecialty training in urogynecology or a practice with a focus on treating pelvic floor disorders. All faculty perform generalist gynecologic procedures, allowing the fellow to maintain these generalist skills in the OR.
Program Structure:
This 1-year fellowship will be divided into 4 blocks and follows a competency framework with 21 learning objectives mapped by CanMEDS role. Each block will include review of case logs, surgical coaching sessions, and a confirmation of progress meeting with the fellowship director.
Surgical:
During each block, fellows will work toward proficiency in vaginal hysterectomy, anterior and posterior repair, vault suspension, laparoscopic Burch, TVT/TOT, LeFort colpocleisis, and laparoscopic ureterolysis. Past fellows have completed nearly 50 vaginal hysterectomies and anterior/posterior repairs as well as over 25 TVTs and we expect these volumes to increase. Fellows will have the opportunity to assist in, if not independently perform, laparoscopic sacral colpopexy and laparoscopic uterine artery ligation. Daily assessments will be through the myTIPreport app.
Clinic and urodynamics:
Each week, fellows will have the opportunity to attend clinics directly supervised by faculty. Fellows will also participate in urodynamics studies and outpatient cystoscopy and complete new incontinence consults.
Academics:
Fellows will have protected academic time to initiate a quality improvement or other scholarly project to gain practical skills in project execution. Formal teaching includes involvement in the University of Toronto didactic sessions through the urogynecology department. Fellows will work closely with residents in both a collaborative and teaching capacity to enhance their surgical coaching skills.
Length of Program: 1 year
Salary: Minimum $ 80 000, further details available upon request