Program Contacts

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Important Information

Please be aware the Ministry of Health has mandated all hospital and health care employers establish, implement and ensure compliance with a mandatory COVID-19 vaccination policy.  The Ministry directives can be reviewed here. Residents matched to any Ontario residency program must ensure they are able to comply with the Ministry directive in order to start training July 1, 2022.  

It is important to understand this is an evolving issue. You are required to review Provincial, Hospital, University and Program information to ensure you are in continued compliance with directives.  

 

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General Instructions

Program application language: English

 

** The University of Toronto Adult Neurology Residency Program fully recognizes the unprecedented challenges that are imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic on this year's CaRMS applicants, and that most applicants are not able to complete an elective with us and/or obtain letters of reference from neurologists. We will ensure that these elements will NOT be factored into the file review and applicant ranking processes. We will also put more emphasis on your CV, personal letter and MSPR to level out some of the inequalities introduced by the pandemic restrictions. **

 

There has never been a more exciting time to learn and practice neurology. The University of Toronto Adult Neurology Residency Program seeks all-round applicants who have a strong passion in pursuing a career as a neurologist in either community or academic practice, and who can contribute to the ongoing evolution of our program through educational, quality improvement and research endeavours. Our top commitment is to train future clinical neurologists with excellent clinical and patient care skills to serve our population for the prevention, diagnosis and management of with neurological diseases. We also aim to train future academic scientists, investigators and educators to advance our specialty. Our graduates are competent and devoted clinicians who serve a diverse patient population regardless of their race, ethnic or cultural origin, language, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, geography, mental or physical illness/disability, socioeconomic status and age. 

We also seek applicants who are committed to contribute to the diverse background and interests of our current trainees, as well as a positive learning and working environment that enhance the well-being of oneself and colleagues, through a culture of collaborative learning, mutual respect and support. Resident wellness is a key priority of our program.

Communication and interpersonal skills are paramount to excellent neurologic care. We therefore value applicants who can demonstrate these skills in both patient care and interprofessionally. 

We also look for applicants who are invested in our residency program. Our current residents give back to the program, the community, and the specialty at large. Examples include:

• Improving neurology education for neurology and off-service residents, as well as medical students
• Conducting quality improvement projects related to patient care and education
• Participating in research in neurology or related disciplines
• Advocating for marginalized patients and populations
• Creating initiatives to improve our program's equity, diversity and inclusion
• Supporting resident and physician wellness

In summary, our program seeks excellent communicators with diverse interests and backgrounds who will enrich our training program and the field of neurology for years to come.

All of the supporting documentation listed below must be provided by the applicants before their file can be considered for review. Applicants providing strong evidence of the following in their application file will be prioritized for further consideration: (a) excellent academic/clinical performance exemplifying all CanMEDS roles, (b) strong desire and motivation to pursue neurology as a career, supported by strong reference letters, a compelling personal statement, and ideally an elective in neurology, (c) demonstrated interest in scholarly activities, which can include anything from the history of neurology to quality improvement and education, and to clinical and basic science research, and (d) meaningful and sustained engagement in leadership and extracurricular activities.

For every residency position in our program, approximately five applicants will be interviewed. Successful applicants will have the opportunity to demonstrate at the interviews: (a) their interest in neurology and in our program, (b) their insight into current issues in the field of neurology, (c) their ability to reflect on experiences in their medical training to date, and (d) their skills related to various intrinsic CanMEDS roles.

Please see the File review process and Interview process sections for more detailed information.

Applicants will be selected based on their application file and interview performance, as well as how their overall ideas and values match with those of our program ("general fit"). The selection committee reserves the right to adjust final rankings by consensus to address issues of program priority and diversity.

 

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Supporting Documentation

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Review Process

Applications submitted after file review has opened on January 31, 2022

Supporting documents (excluding letters of reference) that arrive after file review has opened  on  January 31, 2022

Letters of reference that arrive after the unmasking date on January 31, 2022

 

The composition of our Resident Selection Committee reflects a diverse group of faculty and residents. It is comprised of faculty who are members of the Adult Neurology residency program committee as well as resident representatives. All members of our selection committee have completed training on unconscious and implicit bias prior to participating in the applicant file review and interview processes, in order to mitigate any biases that disadvantage certain groups.

Each applicant’s file is reviewed and scored by at least two faculty or residents (typically a faculty-resident pair) using a standardized tool with pre-defined criteria and ratings, based on evidence of the following: (a) excellent academic/clinical performance exemplifying all CanMEDS roles, (b) strong desire and motivation to pursue neurology as a career, supported by strong reference letters, a compelling personal statement, and ideally an elective in neurology (due to COVID-19, electives are not a requirement for the 2021 Match), (c) demonstrated interest in scholarly activities, which can include anything from the history of neurology to quality improvement and education, and to clinical and basic science research, and (d) meaningful and sustained engagement in leadership and extracurricular activities.

 

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Interviews

Dates:

• March 4, 2022

Selection Criteria

Please see below for details regarding the evaluated components during the file review and interview processes.

 

Program goals

The University of Toronto Adult Neurology Residency Program is committed to train future clinical neurologists with excellent clinical and patient care skills to serve our population for the prevention, diagnosis and management of with neurological diseases. We also aim to train future academic scientists, investigators and educators to advance our specialty. Our graduates are competent and devoted clinicians who serve a diverse patient population regardless of their race, ethnic or cultural origin, language, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, geography, mental or physical illness/disability, socioeconomic status and age.

 

Selection process goals

The University of Toronto Adult Neurology residency program seeks all-round applicants who have a strong passion in pursuing a career as a neurologist in either community or academic practice, and who can contribute to the ongoing evolution of our program through educational, quality improvement and research endeavours.

We also seek applicants who are committed to contribute to the diverse background and interests of our current trainees, as well as a positive learning and working environment that enhance the well-being of oneself and colleagues, through a culture of collaborative learning, mutual respect and support. Resident wellness is a key priority of our program.

Communication and interpersonal skills are paramount to excellent neurologic care. We therefore value applicants who can demonstrate these skills in both patient care and interprofessionally. 

We also look for applicants who are invested in our residency program. Our current residents give back to the program, the community, and the specialty at large. Examples include:

• Improving neurology education for neurology and off-service residents, as well as medical students
• Conducting quality improvement projects related to patient care and education
• Participating in research in neurology or related disciplines
• Advocating for marginalized patients and populations
• Creating initiatives to improve our program's equity, diversity and inclusion
• Supporting resident and physician wellness

In summary, our program seeks excellent communicators with diverse interests and backgrounds who will enrich our training program and the field of neurology for years to come.

 

File review process

Evaluation criteria :

Elective criteria

Interview process

Interview evaluation criteria :

Information gathered outside of CaRMS application

Specifically, we may consider:
Social interaction during program related events
Communication with program administration
Social media
Unsolicited reference letters
Unsolicited email references
Unsolicited verbal information on a candidate's prior performance
Unsolicited feedback from colleagues and co-workers

Ranking process

The behavior(s) exhibited below during the interview process may prevent an applicant from being ranked by our program :
Unprofessional or inappropriate behavior   
Did not attend interview   
Interview performance was not competitive   

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Program Highlights

1.   Size: 60+ full-time neurology faculty, 38 residents

2.   Diversity and depth of resources within neurology and related subspecialties with every major subspecialty being represented with an expert in the field

3.   Academic and scholarly content of the program with significant resident input

4.   Significant resident involvement in program design, curriculum development and continuous quality improvement 

5.   Strong commitment to advancing clinical and basic research in neurology

6.   Annual resident retreat to foster collaborative efforts between residents and faculty in the continuous quality improvement of the residency program

7.   Subspecialty Clinic rotations where residents rotate through 8 different subspecialty clinics per week for 8 weeks during different CBD stages (FOD, COD and TTP) , with different goals at each stage to help residents develop an increasing level of expertise and systematic development of competencies

8.   Community Neurology rotation in FOD/COD provides residents with experience in the clinical practice of neurology in a community setting

9.   PGY1 neurology clinic helps residents refine their neurological exam skills and gives them additional exposure to neurology while on internal medicine

10. Starting in FOD, residents can choose the Women’s Issues in Neurology elective which addresses issues specific to managing women (especially young women of childbearing age) with various neurological conditions (e.g., stroke, epilepsy, multiple sclerosis) 

11. Formal mentorship program with senior residents and junior faculty as mentors

12. All residents participate in the monthly NIRVE (Neurology International Residents Videoconference and Exchange) video education rounds - a resident-led initiative founded by the Division of Neurology at the University of Toronto in 2009 to promote neurology education through international collaboration

13. Opportunities to pursue advanced degrees in neuroscience (MSc, PhD), medical and health professions education (MEd, MScCH, PhD), quality improvement & patient safety (MSc), health services research (MSc, PhD), system leadership and innovation (MSc), and health administration (MHSc)

14. Annual divisional event and dinner to celebrate our graduating residents and resident research

15. Women in Neurology longitudinal program organizes evening group events with invited speakers and set themes (e.g., career development, work-life balance, resilience and burnout), led by the Women's Neurology fellowship director

16. Multiple activities and initiatives created and led by resident representatives that are supported by a dedicated budget from the Division of Neurology, with the aim of enhancing resident wellness and social experience

17. Annual book-and-travel fund for each resident ($1,000) to support textbook and conference expenses

18. Plenty of opportunities to participate in the teaching and mentoring of medical students in the MD Program

 

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Program Curriculum

This residency program is for 5 years.

Program length of training does not exceed the Royal College or College of Family Physicians of Canada standard.

 

All neurology residency programs in Canada have started their transition to Competence by Design (CBD) in 2020-2021. The Adult Neurology competencies, entrustable professional activities (EPAs) and training experiences have been finalized by the Royal College Specialty Committee.

Resident performance is formally reviewed at regular intervals by our Competence Committee, a sub-committee of the Residency Program Committee. The Competence Committee also makes decisions regarding a resident's successful completion of each CBD stage and their progression to the next stage.

Our residents participate in neurology call with varying frequency in all 5 years, including PGY2 and PGY4.

 

Transition to Discipline (TTD)

This stage typically spans of the first two blocks of residency. All residents are assigned to inpatient neurology as their first block to provide them with a sense of belonging to the program and to introduce them to their resident peers and staff neurologists. EPAs for this stage focus on fundamental clinical skills that any resident physician should be competent in.

 

Foundations of Discipline (FOD)

This stage typically spans the remainder of the first year and the second year of residency training. There are a total of 8 blocks of inpatient neurology during this stage. The emphasis of the other rotations is on general internal medicine with additional rotations in subspecialty medicine, emergency medicine, neuroradiology, neuropsychiatry, intensive care and neurosurgery. There are also 4 blocks of medicine selectives (e.g., geriatrics, rheumatology, endocrinology, medicine of headache, physical medicine & rehabilitation, medical genetics, sleep) and 2 blocks of neurology elective. The latter includes the opportunity to pursue the Women's Issues in Neurology elective and a research elective.

From January to June of the first year of training, residents are assigned to a longitudinal PGY1 neurology clinic (one half-day per week) to ensure that they receive direct observation and feedback on their neurological examination skills. 

In the second year of training, residents begin a general neurology longitudinal clinic that spans two years (one half-day per week) under one faculty supervisor, who can be in academic or community practice. In addition, residents participate in the Subspecialty Clinic rotation. They rotate through 8 different subspecialty clinics every week for 8 weeks. The focus at this training level is to gain broad exposure to all neurology subspecialties for career sampling prior to their fellowship applications, and to build up and refine their repertoire of neurological examination skills by working with different subspecialty staff.

Finally, residents are also assigned a block of Community Neurology to provide exposure to this career path and the nature of clinical practice in this setting, and the opportunity to contrast it with neurology practice in academic centres.

 

Core of Discipline (COD)

This stage typically spans 24-36 months and represents of a significant period during which the residents develop the core competencies of a neurologist. Approximately half of the time is spent on inpatient neurology rotations at different hospitals (St. Michael's Hospital, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, and University Health Network & Mount Sinai Hospital) where they act as senior residents. There is 1 block of neuropathology and 3 blocks of pediatric neurology. They also rotate through another two blocks of Subspecialty Clinics, but the focus at this training level is to attain further improvement and refinement of their clinical skills in the various subspecialties to become competent.

The remaining blocks are electives. Electives are offered in electroencephalography, neuromuscular diseases/electromyography, cognitive neurology, movement disorders, epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, headache and pain, sleep neurology, neuro-oncology, neuro-ophthalmology/neuro-otology, women's issues in neurology, community neurology, interventional neuroradiology and research. An elective focusing on functional neurological disorders will be offered in the near future.

Beginning in the fourth year of training, residents have the option to convert their weekly longitudinal clinics from a general neurology focus into different subspecialty clinics of several blocks each in duration.

For residents pursuing an academic career in research (e.g., Clinician-Scientist or Clinician-Investigator), the elective time can be used towards research and/or entry into a graduate degree program, provided that the resident is in good academic standing. It is also possible to take time away from residency training to complete a graduate degree (e.g., 2 years for a MSc) before returning to the program to complete training. There is flexibility in the curriculum to allow for this type of tailored, advanced training for career development.

With advanced planning of at least a year, inter-provincial or international electives are also possible. 

The written (short-answer) component of the Royal College certification examination is held in the Spring of the fourth year of residency training.

 

Transition to Practice (TTP)

This final stage of residency training spans 6-12 months. It consists of 6 blocks of inpatient neurology during which the residents will function as a Junior Attending in both inpatient and ambulatory settings to acquire the necessary skills and competencies for independent practice (see TTP EPAs). They also rotate through a final two blocks of Subspecialty Clinics, with the focus being to demonstrate mastery of clinical skills at the level of a junior consultant, and hence be ready for the Royal College OSCE and future practice. There are also 4 additional blocks of electives.

The applied component of the Royal College certification examination (currently in OSCE format) is held in the Spring of the final year of training. Residents need to pass the written component to be eligible to sit the OSCE.

 

Ambulatory Care

As described above in the different CBD stages, there is a significant component of ambulatory training in the program that spans all 5 years, including the PGY1 neurology clinics, longitudinal clinics (general neurology and subspecialty), and the three 8-week blocks of Subspeciality Clinics in each of FOD, COD and TTP with different goals to help residents develop an increasing level of expertise and systematic development of competencies. 

Residents also attend a variety of ambulatory care clinics including general and subspecialty neurology, neurosurgery and neuropsychiatry at the various hospital sites during their rotations.

 

Research

All residents are required to complete a research project that is presented to the entire division at the end of their fourth year at our annual Residents' and Fellows' Research Day. The resident with the best presentation receives the James Sharpe Award. Given the large number of research opportunities in various fields (e.g., clinical, basic science, quality improvement, education, etc.), most residents have been involved in several research projects of varying scales by the end of their training.

 

Teaching Program

Our academic half-day occurs weekly and includes a combined clinical neurology and basic neuroscience curriculum organized by subspecialty blocks that integrates the teaching of all CanMEDS roles. Additional content areas related to career planning, billing and finance, bioethics, communication skills, leadership skills, journal club, research and biostatistics are also covered to constitute a comprehensive curriculum. Professor's Rounds, where selected faculty moderate a resident-led case presentation with pre-determined key learning points, occur weekly during the academic year (except July and August). 

In July, the senior residents host an Emergency Neurology lecture series to provide junior residents with approaches to common acute neurological presentations and their management.  In August, small-group sessions on neuroanatomy are held in the anatomy labs at the Medical Sciences Building, where prosections and anatomical specimens as well as clinical cases are be used for learning clinical neuroanatomy. 

All large-group lectures are recorded. The academic half-day curriculum (i.e., the lecture recordings and their corresponding lecture slides) is hosted on Quercus, the University of Toronto learning management system. Formative assessments in the form of short-answer questions are offered every 6 months based on the academic half-day content, as well as an annual practical exam on neuroanatomy.

A practice OSCE is organized annually for residents in their fourth and fifth years of training (i.e., in COD and TTP). Planning is underway to introduce another OSCE earlier in training, corresponding to late FOD/early COD stage.

U of T Neurology Grand Rounds occur monthly from September to June, with speakers comprising of local faculty members and visiting professors.  Residents have opportunities several times a year to interact and present cases to visiting professors from other universities in the world.

Residents also have opportunities to participate in a large variety of formal teaching activities in the MD Program (e.g., small-group workshops, clinical skills teaching, case-based learning, portfolio, neuroanatomy demonstration) to refine their teaching skills and receive feedback on their teaching performance. 

NIRVE (Neurology International Residents Videoconference and Exchange) rounds are led and organized monthly by residents. They are one-hour interactive rounds, currently involving neurology residents and faculty in Canada (Toronto, Ottawa, Kingston), Russia (St. Petersburg, Ufa), Brazil (São Paulo), Chile (Santiago), Mexico (Mexico City), France (Paris), Ireland (Dublin), Ethiopia (Addis Ababa), Philippines (Manila) and Spain (Basque Country), during which interesting cases and neuroimaging challenges are presented on a rotating schedule.

In addition, there is a one-week neuromuscular disease course in the fourth year of training.

Finally, each hospital has multiple, weekly teaching rounds for residents, including phenomenology rounds at each site as well as KBI Neuroscience Rounds at Toronto Western Hospital. 

During the COVID-19 pandemic, our academic half-day has continued virtually with all its components, and all hospital-based virtual teaching sessions are shared with all residents.

 

PGCorEd

Since July 1, 2008, all University of Toronto residents entering PGY1 are required to complete the web-based PGCorEd core competency modules as part of their residency program certification. These modules provide the foundation on various topics in the CanMEDS 2015 Physician Competency Framework, and are designed for PGY1 and PGY2 trainees

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Training Sites

Sites and Resources

The Division of Neurology at the University of Toronto is one of the largest and most comprehensive neurological practices in Canada, with approximately 60 full-time faculty and a comprehensive collection of subspecialty clinical programs and research institutes. Our education programs span the entire medical education continuum.

The affiliated hospitals are: 

Adult General and Subspecialty Neurology

• St. Michael's Hospital 
• Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre 
• University Health Network (Toronto General Hospital, Toronto Western Hospital, Toronto Rehabilitation Institute, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre) 
• Mount Sinai Hospital 
• Women's College Hospital
  
• Baycrest Health Sciences

Pediatric General and Subspecialty Neurology

• The Hospital for Sick Children 

Community Neurology

• St. Joseph's Health Centre 
• North York General Hospital 
• Michael Garron Hospital (formerly Toronto East General Hospital) 
• Scarborough General Hospital
  
• Markham Stouffville Hospital 
• Trillium Health Partners
  
• Credit Valley Hospital 
• Mississauga Hospital 

Autoimmune Neurology

• University Health Network

Behavioural and Cognitive Neurology 

• Baycrest Health Sciences 
• Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre 
• University Health Network 

Concussion

• University Health Network
• Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre

Epilepsy 

• University Health Network

Functional Neurological Disorders

• University Health Network 
• Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre

Headache & Pain 

• Women's College Hospital 

Movement Disorders 

• University Health Network 
• St. Michael’s Hospital 
• Baycrest Health Sciences 

Multiple Sclerosis 

• St. Michael’s Hospital 
• Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre

Neuromuscular 

• St. Michael’s Hospital 
• Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre 
• University Health Network 

Neuro-oncology

• University Health Network
• Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre

Neuro-ophthalmology 

• Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre 
• University Health Network 
• St. Michael’s Hospital 
• Kensington Eye Institute 

Neuropsychiatry 

• Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre 
• University Health Network 
• Centre for Addictions and Mental Health 

Sleep Neurology 

• Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre 

Stroke 

• St. Michael’s Hospital 
• Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre 
• University Health Network 

Women's Neurology

• University Health Network
• Women's College Hospital
• St. Michael's Hospital 

Research Units: 

• Tanz Centre for Research in Neurodegenerative Diseases 
• Krembil Research Institute
• Toronto Dementia Research Alliance
• Rotman Research Institute 
• Sunnybrook Research Institute
• Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute at St. Michael's Hospital
• The BARLO MS Centre

 

All residents have access to a large collection of electronic learning resources hosted on Quercus, the University of Toronto learning management system, including academic half-day content (lecture slides and recordings), e-modules, neurological examination videos (including virtual neurologic exam) and rotation-specific learning resources.

 

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Additional Information

1. Permanent Residents: Successful applicants who hold Permanent Resident status in Canada will be required to disclose their Country of Citizenship to the postgraduate medical education office in order to comply with current reporting requirements of the Ontario Ministry of Colleges and Universities
2. Matched applicants: CaRMS will provide their electronic data file to the matched university’s postgraduate education office. The postgraduate office will share the information as needed, but not limited to, the Ontario Physician Human Resource Data Centre, Canadian Post-MD Education Registry, the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario, the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons, the College of Family Physicians of Canada, the Association of Faculties of Medicine of Canada, the Professional Association of Residents of Ontario, teaching hospitals and other training sites, Touchstone Institute and the Ontario Ministry of Health.
3. Changes: The Ontario Faculties of Medicine and Ontario Ministry of Health reserve the right to make changes to the information published on the CaRMS website pertaining to Ontario postgraduate training without prior notice.
4. Failure to meet or provide proof of any of the stated requirements may result in the applicant file not being reviewed and removed.

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FAQ

Question: When can I meet with the Program Director? 

Answer: The Program Director is willing to meet any prospective candidate and to answer questions regarding the program. However, the Program Director will not meet with candidates once the CaRMS file review is open. 

 

Question: Do you foresee changes in this program? 

Answer: Our program has a robust set of continuous quality improvement processes. As a result, there are always evolutionary changes to the program every year, based on dedicated time for resident feedback during our residency program committee meetings, our annual retreat, and changes mandated by PGME and the Royal College. 

We are always looking to improve and adapt to the best practices in medical education. We have transitioned to Competency by Design this year and are currently undergoing Royal College accreditation. We are also open to any changes to enhance physician wellness and our program's equity and diversity. 

 

Question: What are the strengths of the program? 

Answer: Our biggest strength is our cohort of residents, who as a group are all kind, supportive, and eager to teach. They all bring their own strength to the program and enhance the residency training experience. They are also significantly involved in the continuous quality improvement of the program and the development of program curriculum. Multiple roles including co-chief residents, education representatives, wellness representative, social representatives, and resident leads in neuroanatomy, journal club and research are a few of the many ways residents can influence and be involved in the dynamics of the program.

Our major strengths also include collegiality, mutual respect, transparency and open communication among faculty and residents, and a positive and collaborative learning environment that fosters residents to thrive in their training and future careers. We also have a diverse group of faculty who works in a wide range of subspecialties.  

 

Question: What is the geographic reach of the program? 

Answer: As we are a relatively large program, we cover the entire city. This is also one of our strengths as you will learn broad and varied aspects of neurology at the different sites. Surrounding communities also offer opportunities for community electives. Thanks to this layout our residents are very adaptable at moving from site to site and gain excellent exposure to academic and community neurology.

 

Question: Are there research opportunities? 

Answer: Yes, and plenty. A completed research project is expected at the end of the fourth year of training.  We also have the Faculty of Medicine Clinician-Investigator Program as well as the Department of Medicine Clinician-Scientist Training Program and the Clinician-Educator Training Program for residents who are gearing towards an academic career. A number of our residents have pursued advanced training, typically involves completing a Master or Doctoral degree, through these programs. 

Residents are strongly encouraged to pursue research and other scholarly opportunities throughout their residency (e.g., case reports, poster presentation at conferences, etc.).  

 

Question: Is there an ideal candidate? 

Answer: We are seeking candidates who are not only interested in neurology but also can enhance and broaden our collective experience in our residency program. We consider many different attributes as outlined in previous sections. 

 

Question: Can you tell me why I was not selected for an interview? 

Answer: Every application is carefully reviewed by members of our selection committee using a structured process and standardized rating tools. We only select those applicants who score (and therefore rank) highly in our objective and comprehensive file review process for an interview. We do not provide feedback to those applicants not selected for an interview.