Here are some of the strengths of the University of Calgary’s Anatomical Pathology residency program:

Our program is well-established, with an organized and structured rotation schedule and curriculum. Slide rounds and other educational activities are frequent and well-attended. In addition to the formal didactic curriculum, there are numerous additional optional teaching sessions on evenings and weekends. Most of these sessions are now virtual (Zoom format) due to the COVID pandemic, which allows residents to attend even if they are off-site. Our program’s rotation schedule is fairly flexible and allows for ample elective time (including away electives) and protected time for research.

The program director, program administrator and other program leaders are experienced and dedicated, and truly care about the residents. We listen to our residents and respond to their needs. We have a fantastic CBME lead and competence committee to serve our incoming CBD residents.

As a Calgary AP resident, you will have a large and diverse peer group. Calgary accepts 3 AP residents, 2 GP residents, +/- 1 NP resident per year, and the residents in these programs work together throughout much of their training. Residents get along very well and have fun together, both at work and outside of work. There is an atmosphere of collaboration. Residents show each other interesting cases, work with each other on research projects, and form study groups together.

Residents rotate at 7 training sites across Calgary, are exposed to a large volume and variety of cases in all sub-specialties of anatomical pathology, and have a pool of enthusiastic teaching faculty who participate in their training. All training sites share a common laboratory information system and electronic medical record system, so residents don’t need to re-learn a new system with each rotation. Alberta also has an awesome provincial electronic medical record system, which makes it very easy to get clinical information.

Our facilities are well-appointed. At our main training site of Foothills Medical Centre, our department is on the top floor of a new (built 2015) building. The resident room has large windows with a beautiful view of Canada Olympic Park and the Rocky Mountains. The gross room and morgue are modern, bright, clean, spacious, and well-ventilated. Most of our other training sites are newer or recently remodeled also.

The program provides generous financial support to residents, including a  personal CME fund, annual free registration to the Banff Pathology Course. Funding for research projects is available through the residency program, and generous funding for conference travel (for research presentations or leadership roles) is provided by the University of Calgary’s PGME office. Please see our program’s website and PGME’s website for more details.

PGY2-5 residents write two rigorous exams each year that are the same structure, length and difficulty as the Royal College Anatomical Pathology exam. Our PGY5 residents usually return from their Royal College exam reporting that there weren’t any surprises and that they felt well-prepared for everything. Additionally, we use the same digital imaging platform as the Royal College for our in-house exams, unknown slide rounds and some teaching sets. This ensures that our residents are already comfortable with the digital format, which gives them another advantage at the Royal College exam.

Most of our graduates complete sub-specialty fellowships at prestigious institutions such as Harvard, Yale, Stanford, Johns Hopkins, Emory, MD Anderson Cancer Center, and Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. Please see the Alumni document. Our graduates have no problem finding a job, and many choose to remain in Calgary as staff pathologists.

Finally, Calgary is a fantastic, friendly and welcoming place to live. Cost of living and commute times are lower than other large Canadian cities (i.e. Toronto and Vancouver), but Calgary is still large enough to offer ample cultural activities, great restaurants, and a ton of small craft breweries and distilleries. This is an awesome city for nature lovers and outdoor enthusiasts. There are numerous easily accessible parks, hiking trails and bike paths within the city and just outside Calgary. The Rocky Mountains (including Banff National Park, Kananaskis and Lake Louise) are only an hour away. While there are currently some political challenges in Alberta’s healthcare system, funding for residency training has remained stable, and we do not expect these political uncertainties to affect the training environment for our pathology residents.