Program Contacts

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Important Information

Please be aware that most, if not all, hospitals and Universities in Ontario have mandatory COVID-19 vaccination policies in place that require, in the absence of a valid medical or human rights exemption, proof of vaccination. Acceptable vaccination must be in accordance with Health Canada. You will be required to provide documentation of COVID-19 vaccination to the appropriate institution if matched. Failure to comply and provide the appropriate documentation may result in the termination of the contract. These guidelines could change at any time in accordance with future direction from the Ministry of Health or the Universities based on information from Public Health.  

 

The University of Toronto has deferred the use of the CaRMS Self-Identification Questionnaire (CSIQ) responses until the 2024 R-1 Match. PGME is seeking to learn from the experience of other schools in the 2023 CaRMS match with a view to piloting this initiative in 2024 R-1 Match. 

For the 2023 R-1 Match - If you assign the CSIQ to any University of Toronto program the programs will NOT be able to view the content of your CSIQ response. There are programs which provide applicants other opportunities to self-identify as a member of an equity seeking group. Please see individual program descriptions for details.

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General Instructions

Program application language: English

Thank you for your interest in the Postgraduate Medical Education program in Public Health and Preventive Medicine (PHPM) at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health, at the University of Toronto. We are one of the largest PHPM programs in Canada and are accredited by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada.

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Supporting Documentation / Information

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Review Process

Applications submitted after file review has opened on January 10, 2023

Supporting documents (excluding letters of reference) that arrive after file review has opened  on  January 10, 2023

Letters of reference that arrive after the unmasking date on January 10, 2023

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Interviews

Dates:

• February 10, 2023

Selection Criteria

Program goals

University of Toronto PHPM Residency Program Goals:

Our program seeks to graduate Public Health and Preventive Medicine (PHPM) specialists with the knowledge and skills needed to assess and manage health issues faced by communities and populations. The program will ensure that all graduates can make independent, evidence informed, community responsive, accountable, and ethical decisions that maintain and improve health overall and reduce health inequities.

The program will prepare all trainees to serve as local medical officers of health. However, recognizing the need for PHPM specialists in many roles and the variety of career paths graduates may choose, the program will support trainees to gain clinical certification in Family Medicine and to have opportunities to enhance knowledge and skills in focused areas such as research, education, health system leadership, and global health.

The program will ensure that residents are provided with learning and assessment opportunities that meet Royal College, program, and personal objectives.

Selection process goals

The PHPM residency program is looking for residents who are committed to clinical excellence, health equity, and improving population health. Candidates must demonstrate:

• Excellent clinical skills to be admitted to, and successfully complete, the two-year residency program in the Department of Family and Community Medicine* (DFCM) at the University of Toronto.
• Excellent quantitative skills and academic achievement to be admitted to and successfully complete a Master's program involving population health, epidemiology, and biostatistics.
• An understanding of the field of public health and preventive medicine, motivation to train and pursue a career in this field.
• Potential to contribute to the program and to have a future impact on the field.
• Very strong oral and written communications skills.

Candidates who rank highly on the above criteria through the file review will be considered for an interview. Final ranking will be based on the scores of their application (50%) and interview (50%). The selection committee reserves the right to adjust file review, interview scoring and final rankings by consensus to address issues of program priority and diversity.

*Please note that the DFCM residency program is involved in our selection process, as the first two years of training in family medicine largely occur under the supervision of the DFCM, in partnership with the Public Health and Preventive Medicine residency program at the University of Toronto.

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 : As per the recommendations of PGME, at the time of the final match decision, members of the Residency Program Committee (RPC) are invited to raise any issues of unethical or unprofessional conduct that they may be aware of, concerning a candidate – whether solicited or unsolicited. This will be brought to the attention of the RPC and considered in final rank order decision-making. Of note, only major egregious ethical concerns are considered.

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

Quick Facts:

• There are approximately 10-15 residents in our program at any given time and approximately 100 field and university-based faculty associated with the program. This is the largest Public Health and Preventive Medicine residency program in Canada, offering a rich and varied range of training opportunities.
• Graduates from this program have the opportunity to earn CCFP, MPH (or equivalent), and FRCPC qualifications.
• Graduates from this program pursue careers in public health leadership positions at local, provincial, federal, and international public health agencies, government and non-governmental agencies. Others follow academic and research career paths, while others still choose to work in focused clinical areas such as addictions, immigrant health, and global health.
• Residents iteratively discuss their training pathway with the Program Directors and the Residency Program Committee to tailor it to meet their personal learning objectives within the Royal College and program competencies framework.
• Resident field rotations occur at sites affiliated with an accredited Public Health and Preventive Medicine residency program as well as through elective rotations in a variety of settings within Canada and internationally.
• PHPM is a recognized entry route for subspecialty training in Occupational Medicine by the RCPSC. Subspecialty training in Occupational Medicine is a 2-year program; however, PHPM graduates may be provided up to 1 year of credit for training during the PHPM residency by the RCPSC. PHPM graduates with an interest in Occupational Medicine may apply for the subspecialty residency program through CaRMS. For more details, please refer to the Occupational Medicine Residency Program description.

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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 program is designed to prepare Public Health and Preventive Medicine specialists with a comprehensive knowledge of the basic and applied academic disciplines of public health and preventive medicine and the skills to apply this knowledge to a broad range of settings such as public health practice, health sector leadership, teaching and research, and community-oriented clinical practice.

The Royal College of Physicians & Surgeons of Canada (RCPSC) requires 5 years of post-MD training in Public Health and Preventive Medicine. This includes:

• 1 to 2 years of clinical training.
• A minimum of 2 semesters of academic work in Public Health and Preventive Medicine.
• A minimum of 18 months of Public Health and Preventive Medicine field placements.

The PHPM residency program at the University of Toronto is a 5-year program that includes the following:

PGY-1 & 2: Residents must complete 24 months (26 blocks) of training within the Family Medicine residency program and are expected to obtain certification in family medicine (CCFP). This training provides residents with diverse clinical exposures to a variety of health problems and health system organizations relevant to the study of public health and preventive medicine, while at the same time preparing trainees for the Medical Council of Canada Qualifying Examination Part II.

PGY-3: The majority of residents complete an MPH (or equivalent) during the PGY-3 year. Residents interested in pursuing graduate opportunities outside of the University of Toronto are required to meet the 12 months expectation and ensure that the core of epidemiology, biostatistics, health system, health policy, health promotion, and research methods are included at an appropriate level of depth and breadth. This must be approved by the Program Director.

Residents with prior graduate training in relevant fields can request credit through the Royal College to shorten training, or use the year of training to complete additional graduate work or field rotations.

PGY-4 & 5: Residents have 18-24 months or more for public health field rotations depending on the length of their graduate training and previous experience.

The 20 core blocks of field training include:

• 2 blocks of Public Health Systems and Practice (PHSP)
• 3 blocks of Communicable Disease Control (CD)
• 3 blocks of Environmental Health (EH)
• 3 blocks of Health Policy, Systems, Evaluation and Planning (HPSEP)
• 3 blocks of Chronic Disease, Health Promotion and Injury Prevention (ChrDHPIP)
• 6 blocks of Leadership, Management and Consolidation (LMC)

Residents typically book 6 blocks of electives during their PGY4-5 years.

Although there is no requirement to do rural public health rotations, for residents wishing to pursue rotations outside of Toronto, certain public health units are able to provide travel and housing stipends. Access to a vehicle may be required for some rotations.

* Effective July 1, 2008 all University of Toronto Residents entering PGY1 will be required to complete the web based PGCorEd core competency modules as part of their residency program certification. These modules provide the foundation for the non-Medical Expert roles for the Royal College of Physician and Surgeons of Canada Specialty Programs. Completion of these modules will be required before the end of the PGY2 year. Failure to complete the modules will delay processing of CCFP certification and may constitute professional misconduct.

 

Research

All residents are expected to become competent in research and scholarly activities, including various research methodologies relevant to public health and preventive medicine. This will be demonstrated in an academic project undertaken during PGY3-5. Residents who have interest in gaining additional research competencies and experience will have opportunities to engage in research electives and other work with faculty and colleagues. 

Seminars

During clinical training (PGY1-2), residents are encouraged to attend the program's academic half-days (Friday mornings) when they are able to, during family medicine block or as negotiated through longitudinal family medicine programs. Residents can attend in person or via teleconference. The University of Toronto program rounds are attended by PHPM residents across the province and are an opportunity for learning and connecting with other PHPM residents within and outside U of T.

In the senior years (PGY3-5), residents are required to participate in the program's educational academic half-day. Academic half-day includes ‘topic of the week’, program rounds, and field notes components. Residents are expected to prepare for academic half day and actively participate as presenters and discussants. In addition to the academic program, residents are encouraged to attend conferences and seminars organized by public health organizations.

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Training Sites

Resources

The Public Health and Preventive Medicine program of the University of Toronto provides a diverse range of public health and preventive medicine field rotation placement and academic experiences. These include:

• Many affiliated urban, suburban, and rural public health units including: Toronto Public Health, Peel Public Health, Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit, Halton Regional Health Department, and Durham Region Health Department.
• Affiliated provincial sites such as Public Health Ontario and the Chief Medical Officer of Health Office at the Ontario Ministry of Health.
• Other sites accredited by other PHPM programs such as the Public Health Agency of Canada, various Northern Ontario Health Units, or Provincial/Territorial sites such as Nunavut CMOH Office or BCCDC.

All residents receive full access to the University of Toronto library holdings. This includes access to electronic search engines, electronic indexes, as well as the several hundred electronic medical/health journals to which the university subscribes.

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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 of Canada, 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 applicant file being removed at any point during the match.

Applicants who are interested in attending Friday morning rounds (a standard part of the academic half-day) should contact the Program Coordinator (phpm.progasst@utoronto.ca) as well as the PHPM chief resident (phpmchief@gmail.com).