Professional Education

Teaching Program

Residency Teaching Program
The UHN Breast Restoration Program provides valuable teaching to graduating residents in the Plastic and Reconstructive Residency Program at the University of Toronto. Each year, we have between 3 – 4 rotating senior or graduating residents who come to learn the principles of reconstruction following oncologic ablation including breast reconstruction, microsurgical skills, and management of complex cutaneous malignancies.

International Fellowship Program
At the UHN Breast Restoration Program, we have both the largest postgraduate breast reconstruction training program, as well as the longest history of a microsurgical training program in Canada. Each year, our program offers three international fellowship opportunities.

There is one microsurgical/Head & Neck fellowship position which is funded by the Department of Surgery at UHN. This fellowship entails one year of intensive microsurgical training with a focus on head and neck reconstruction.

There are two Breast Reconstruction fellowship positions available each year funded by Allergan Corporation. The Breast Reconstruction fellows spend six months at UHN learning free tissue transfer techniques, oncoplastic breast surgery, as well as implant and acellular dermal substitute techniques of breast reconstruction. The volume of breast reconstruction is approximately 200 microsurgical breast reconstructions, 150 implant reconstructions, and 200 secondary breast procedures per annum.

For more information on the University of Toronto Residency Training Program and Fellowship Opportunities, please go to http://www.uoftplasticsurgery.ca/main.php?p=833&s=5.

Teaching other Health Professionals

To maintain high level of professionalism and safety in patient care, we offer routine in-service training sessions to our operating room nurses, in-patient floor nurses, recovery room and preoperative staff, physiotherapists, and patient managers. During these sessions, pre- and postoperative patient care protocols are reviewed, and any concerns or questions from the nursing staff are addressed. The overall aim of these interactive sessions is to continuously improve the quality of care delivered to our breast reconstruction patients.

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