Program Contacts

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Important Information

Co-Program Directors, Dr. Katherine Blood and Dr. Sylvie Langlois, or our Program Assistant would be happy to answer your questions. Do not hesitate to contact the program by email at medgeneducation@cw.bc.ca 

The Medical Genetics and Genomics residency programs in Canada will launch Competence by Design in July 2022.

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General Instructions

Program application language: English

All applications  will be reviewed by the Program Selection committee and candidates selected for interviews will be contacted by email in February 2022.

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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

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Interviews

Dates:

• March 9, 2022
• March 11, 2022

Selection Criteria

Candidates are judged on the basis of written applications and interviews by the Residency Training Program Selection Committee. Candidates are prioritized on the basis of: academic performance, clinical ability, demonstrated interest in clinical genetics, reference letters, and interpersonal communication skills.

Program goals

At UBC, we are committed to training well-rounded medical geneticists prepared to serve Canadians' health needs, and advance the translation of genetics and genomics to clinical care.  Residents in our program are expected to demonstrate clinical and academic excellence, exemplary interpersonal and teamwork skills, and a sense of responsibility and dedication to the
profession. Residents are expected to be active community members and demonstrate balance as evidenced by engagement in volunteer, extracurricular or other types of activities.
At UBC, we rely on the entire province for training. Therefore, the ability to complete rotations 'away' from your home base is expected.

Selection process goals

• Identify applicants interest in our specialty, and those who will develop into the excellent medical geneticist
• Identify applicants who have demonstrated the ability to interact appropriately with patients, colleagues,
  and healthcare team members alike
• Identify applicants who have demonstrated attributes highlighted in the CanMEDS 2015 roles.
• Identify applicants who have demonstrated the ability and enthusiasm to learn and are able to adapt to the
  various demands of residency training.
• Identify applicants who have a sincere interest to serve British Columbians

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
Other : Program's impression of a candidate during an elective or other similar interaction at the program, if applicable

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   
Other : Not a proper fit for the program

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Program Highlights

The strengths of the UBC Medical Genetics and Genomics training program are:

1. Broad clinical exposure: training takes place in the British Columbia Provincial Medical Genetics Programme ensuring a wide variety of clinical experiences in all areas of clinical genetics.
2. A dedicated "Resident Clinic"  for senior 3rd-5th year residents allowing trainees to see patients from initial consultation through ongoing stages of investigation and follow-up.
3. Training in a centre with an exceptional genetic counselling and genetics lab scientists training programs and thus an opportunity to learn not only from residents but also from cohorts of genetic counselling students and lab fellows. 
4. Exposure to cutting edge clinical application and research in genomics.
5. Strong biochemical training: biochemical genetic rotations include three months with the clinical Biochemical Disease Service at the BC Children's Hospital and 1 month of Adult Biochemical Genetics at the Vancouver General Hospital.
6. Committed instructors: training with a range of Medical Geneticists committed to resident education, with expertise in different areas of clinical genetics and strong support and teaching from Laboratory Specialists in molecular, cytogenetics and biochemical genetics labs.
7. A national leader in adopting and translating genomics into clinical care.
8. Research: strong academic department providing diverse opportunities for research.
9. Balance: an appropriate balance between education, research and service.

UBC Medical Genetics and Genomics Residency Program is within a busy, provincial service that sees approximately 3000 families per year as outpatient, inpatient and outreach consultations. Our service is centralized at the BC Children's Hospital and Women' Health Centre (C234 – 4500 Oak Street, Vancouver, BC V6H 3N1). Provincial Medical Genetics Clinic provides the following:

• Evaluation and diagnosis of congenital anomalies and genetic diseases in fetuses, children, and adults
• Genetic counselling regarding the risks of occurrence or recurrence of congenital anomalies, mental retardation and genetic disease;
• Inpatient, outpatient and outreach consultations about congenital anomalies, genetic diseases, and teratogen exposures; and
• Education about medical genetics for the public, for undergraduate, graduate and post-graduate students, as well as for health professionals in B.C.
• Research

BC Women’s Hospital & Health Centre (BCW) is the only facility in British Columbia devoted primarily to the health of women, newborns and families. It provides a broad range of specialized women’s health services that address the health needs of women of all ages and backgrounds. BC Women’s is one of the largest maternity facilities in Canada, with over 7,000 births a year, and is both the major primary and secondary maternity services provider in the Lower Mainland and the cornerstone of the provincial tertiary care system. As an academic health centre, BCW’s mandate includes providing strong leadership in research and the education and professional development of health care professionals in areas related to the health of the populations we serve.

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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.

The Medical Genetics and Genomics Residency Training Programs will launch Competence by Design in July 2022.

Curriculum 

The training follows the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada guidelines. The program is a five-year program.

Our residents have a curricular blueprint organized around the competencies related to:

• wellness/community building,
• as designated by the Royal College training document, and
• around managing select presentations.

In years 1 and 2 the resident will complete 9 months of Pediatrics, 8 months of Internal Medicine, 2 months of Maternal-Fetal Medicine (MFM), 1 month of Reproductive Psychiatry with the remaining months for electives.

In years 3-5, the resident will complete 18 months of clinical genetics, 6 months of laboratory genetics and graduate-level course work. The remaining months will be dedicated to research and electives. Senior MGG residents (PGY3-PGY5) will hold Medical Genetics Resident clinics (minimum 20 clinics in their fifth year of training), during which a resident sees 3-5 new patients per clinic, and is solely responsible for preparing and doing the all the follow-up for the cases selected for the clinic.   

Research  

Each resident will complete a scholarly project (clinical or laboratory). The topic will be chosen by the end of year 3 and completed during years 4 & 5. The resident will be able to access world-renowned laboratories and clinical research groups to define and complete the projects.

Educational Activities

Residents are offered protected learning/research time, which includes weekly participation in the Academic Half Day (AHD) activities, which run Fridays from 12-4. Medical Genetics AHD includes weekly patient reviews, monthly journal club, and weekly tailored learning sessions which have resident/fellow-led learning and learning with a faculty member, who will lead discussions of specific competencies/topics in the field of clinical genetics, discussions and analysis of the select cases etc. This curriculum provides a wide variety of learning opportunities addressing all of the CanMeds roles. PGY1’s attend pediatric AHDs instead but are welcome when service requirements allow to attend Medical Genetics half days.

The residents are also informed about and welcome to attend rounds of other services highly relevant to Medical Genetics (Fetal Diagnosis Service Rounds, Combined Perinatal Rounds, Pediatrics Grand Rounds, DSD rounds, Biochemical Diseases Clinical Service Rounds, Autopsy Rounds).

Course work and Seminars

In their third year, the residents participate in two graduate level genetic courses. In addition, they are involved in dedicated weekly academic half-days throughout their five years of training, which are geared towards preparation for their career and Royal College Examination.

In addition, Objective Standardized Clinical Encounters (OSCE) and practice written examinations are held twice a year. OSCE's are multi-station exams designed to be similar to the Royal College examination format. Each resident also is offered funding to write the ABMGG practice exam once during the residency, most likely in a senior year. 

Residents also participate in Telehealth for Genetic Residents and Fellows (TeleGRAF) sessions; across Canada monthly teaching seminar series delivered via videoconference.

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Training Sites

Training Sites

The pediatric, internal medicine, MFM and other basic training in the Medical Genetics and Genomics Residency Program is interdisciplinary. Residents train at a number of tertiary level academic teaching hospitals and laboratories in Vancouver, all with large patient loads derived from the entire province.  Sites include, but are not limited to:

BC Children's Hospital, 4480 Oak Street, Vancouver, BC, V6H 3V4

BC Women's Hospital and Health Centre, 4500 Oak Street, Vancouver, BC, V6H 3N1

Vancouver General Hospital, 899 12th Avenue W, Vancouver, B.C. V5Z 1M9

BC Cancer Agency, Vancouver Centre, 600 West 10th Avenue, Vancouver, BC, V5Z 4E6

Saint Paul's Hospital, 1081 Burrard St. Vancouver, B.C., V6Z 1Y6

Royal Columbian Hospital, 330 E Columbia St, New Westminster, BC V3L 3W7

UBC Hospital, 2211 Wesbrook Mall, Vancouver, BC V6T 2B5

The core Medical Genetics clinical training is within a busy, provincial service that sees approximately 3000 families per year as outpatient, inpatient and outreach consultations.  Our service is centralized at the BC Children's Hospital and Women' Health Centre (C234 – 4500 Oak Street, Vancouver, BC  V6H 3N1).  Residents have the opportunity to take part in Genetic Outreach clinic in underserviced areas in British Columbia and to attend dedicated clinics at the BC Hereditary Cancer Program affiliated with the BC Cancer Agency. Patients demonstrate a wide variety of prenatal, pediatric, and adult conditions. There is close affiliation with both diagnostic and research laboratories.  

Our program emphasizes learning and integration of basic genetics with clinical genetics, with our residents completing upper level course work within the UBC Medical Genetics Graduate Program. 

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Additional Information

Quick Facts:

- The ratio of residents to faculty is 1:2

- The dedicated "Resident Clinic" allows senior residents the opportunity for continuity of care and follow-up of their own patients.

- There are opportunities to serve rural communities via videoconference.

- Our institution provides residents with access to electronic medical resources.

- There are opportunities for interprovincial and international electives.

- Research electives can be tailor-fit to the residents' interests, designed to focus on future goals.