Complex Airway Program (Severe Asthma and COPD)

The Calgary Division of Adult Respiratory Medicine Complex Airways Program operates at Foothills Medical Center (FMC), Rockyview General Hospital (RGH) and Peter Lougheed Center (PLC) outpatient clinics. The program offers a multidisciplinary team approach to airways diseases, that includes Respirologists, Certified Respiratory Educators and Respiratory Therapists. We can support and manage patients across the spectrum of airways disease, from confirmation of diagnosis to management of complex disease phenotypes by focusing on identifying and treating ‘treatable traits’. Referral is through the Calgary Pulmonary Central Access and Triage. 

In Calgary, our Complex Airways Program has access to state-of-the-art testing including Pulmonary Function, bronchial provocation testing (with Methacholine challenge and Eucapnic Voluntary Hyperpnea), cardiopulmonary exercise testing (with Exercise Induced Bronchoconstriction) and Fractional Excretion of Nitric as markers of airway inflammation and potential treatable traits. The clinics are supported by the Calgary COPD and Asthma Program (CCAP) with Certified Respiratory Educators who can assist patients with understanding their disease, assessing and managing disease triggers and optimizing the use of their inhaled medications.  There are clinics at RGH, FMC and PLC specifically targeting patients with severe and difficult to control asthma, where more specialized biologic therapies are considered to improve outcomes for these patients. The RGH has an Adolescent Transition Asthma Clinic that focuses on enabling a seamless transition from the Alberta Children’s Hospital Pediatric Asthma clinic to our adult Complex Airways Program.

Finally, we offer an opportunity at our monthly Severe Asthma Case Series for all Respirologists to bring challenging clinical cases for round-table discussion with the group. To join the Case Series on line invitation, email Dr Brandie Walker at b.walker@ucalgary.ca.

Respirologists at the Complex Airways Program also actively participate in clinical trials through the Respiratory Clinical Trials Centre at the University of Calgary, conducting both industry sponsored and investigator-led research in airways disease. For more information about the research program, go to the website:  https://cumming.ucalgary.ca/research/anewbreath/anewbreath.

The Severe Asthma Fellowship is a one year training program, and has a defined curriculum designed to cover all aspects of advanced training in the assessment and management of patients with severe asthma as well as other inflammatory airways diseases. Candidates must be completing or have completed a Canadian Respirology fellowship program and be eligible to work in Canada. 

The severe asthma fellowship has a focus on excellence in clinical care, with 60% of the time devoted to clinical training, although this may be adjusted to meet the goals of the trainee. The clinical component will include ambulatory clinics in severe asthma, chronic cough, COPD and dysfunctional breathlessness. The trainee will participate in general respiratory rounds, radiology rounds and weekly asthma and airways diseases case conference discussions. Clinical training will also include time spent learning the methodologies of pulmonary function testing as it pertains to severe airways disease. There will be an emphasis on techniques around sputum induction and processing as well as interpretation of sputum cell count results (a test offered as part of the research program), and methacholine challenge testing. The remaining time will be dedicated to a planned research project and experience in clinical trials research. 

The Fellowship is funded with a base commitment of $15,000 from the University of Calgary GSK Chair in Inflammatory Lung Disease and successful applicants are encouraged to apply for external funding from sources such as inter alia, CLA, CRRN, CSACI and CAAIF. The remainder of the renumeration required for all University of Calgary PGME fellowship programs (minimum $68,000) is made through opportunity for locum weeks/weekends for the Division of Respiratory Medicine in Calgary. 

 https://www.lung.ca/research/current-funding-opportunities/studentship-and-fellowship-awards

Applications can be sent to Monika Khoury-Dool (monika.khoury-dool@ahs.ca) and Dr. Brandie Walker (b.walker@ucalgary.ca) and are due by October 31 for a typical start date of July 1. Candidates must be completing or have completed a Canadian Respirology fellowship program and be eligible to work in Canada.

Please direct referrals via: Connect Care (use the Ambulatory Referral Order for Asthma or COPD) or Fax completed referral form along with relevant documentation to Calgary Pulmonary Central Access and Triage 403-592-4201.