An initiative of
Dr. Daniel Marko
Program Director
Terri Martin
The Hematological Pathology residency program is a Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada accredited program. This competency-based program aims to develop competent specialists in the diagnosis of various hematologic disorders encompassed within the fields of morphology, hemostasis, and transfusion medicine. The residents will develop leadership qualities, critical thinking, and managerial expertise which will lead to productive careers in Hematological Pathology with the highest ethical and professional standards.
The residents will do their training in the city of Winnipeg at three major teaching sites linked with tertiary health centers, Health Science Center (HSC), Winnipeg, St. Boniface (SBH), and Canadian Blood Services (CBS), Winnipeg. All three teaching sites are accredited by top accreditation bodies: both HSC and SBH are accredited by College of American Pathologists (CAP), while CBS is accredited by both CAP and American Association of Blood Banks (AABB). HSC and SBH provides an extensive breadth of different common and rare entities that a hematological pathology resident needs to be exposed to in their training, which include bone marrow aspirates and biopsies, peripheral blood films, lymph nodes, hemoglobin studies, immunopathology (including flow cytometry and autoimmune testing), hematological molecular diagnostics, as well as transfusion medicine and hemostasis. Across the street from HSC, the Canadian Blood Services, Winnipeg, provides an extensive array of transfusion medicine laboratory testing for most hospitals across the province, including large fast-paced blood banks at HSC and SBH.
During residency training in hematological pathology, the residents will have graduated responsibilities over the course of their training. Initially, the residents will review cases on rotations with the faculty on service. Then, as the resident gains experience, it is expected that the resident will independently develop accurate diagnostic reports for hematolymphoid disorders. But, from the start, the residents will be exposed to most cases that pass through the various services. The philosophy of training is that residents learn best by being exposed to a large volume of clinical material and having a level of responsibility appropriate for their level of training to ensure the resident will maximize their learning and understanding. Resident responsibility, under the supervision of an attending pathologist, will be enough to test their knowledge, hone their decision-making skills, and learn the practice of hematological pathology.
On completion of the program, the trainees will be practice-ready in Hematological Pathology, and capable of assuming a consultant’s role in this specialty and display excellence in all CanMEDS competencies. The training program ensures the resident becomes proficient in the diagnosis and monitoring of disorders of the blood, bone marrow and lymphatic systems, and hemostasis in adults and children. Also upon completion of training, the physician is ready to take a leadership role in transfusion medicine and in the management of a diagnostic hematology laboratory, at the community and tertiary care levels.
