Maternal-fetal Medicine

Program Director:

Jamie Schachar
jaime.schachar@ahs.ca

Program Administrator:

Katiane Ummels
katiane.ummels@ahs.ca

Enrolled:

Dr. Laura Sevick (Aug 2025)

Alumni:

Dr. Gabrielle Bonneville

Dr. Melodie Bourdages

Dr. Rati Chadha

Dr. Stephanie Cooper

Dr. Olivier Drouin

Dr. Kirsty Grabowska

Dr. Cindy Kao

Dr. Audrey Labrecque

Dr. Candace O’Quinn

Dr. Patrick O'Farell

Dr. Christy Plypjuk

Dr. Genevieve Quesnel

Dr. Jaime Schachar

Dr. Nancy Soliman

Dr. Lara Wesson

Welcome to the postgraduate residency program in Maternal-Fetal Medicine (MFM) at the University of Calgary!

The MFM residency is a dynamic two-year program (PGY-6 and -7) with a goal of developing specialists equipped with skills to become future leaders in Maternal-Fetal Medicine.  The program is supported by a diverse range of highly qualified faculty and provides excellent training in clinical and academic Maternal-Fetal Medicine in one of the busiest obstetrical centers in Canada. During this two-year program, the resident will:

• Develop proficiency in tertiary maternal and fetal medicine, including maternal medicine, fetal medicine, fetal imaging and procedures, and in high-risk obstetrics.
• Learn to function as an independent MFM consultant (under both direct and indirect supervision of MFM faculty). The resident will manage complex pregnancies, from pre-conception to the postpartum period, as part of a multidisciplinary team, with defined graduated responsibility.
• Undertake clinical experiences to gain exposure and appreciation of the principles of obstetric internal medicine, reproductive genetics, pathology, neonatology, obstetric anaesthesia, and paediatric and imaging subspecialties relevant to MFM.
• Lead a scholarly project in (or related to) Maternal-Fetal Medicine, which could basic/clinical research, educational, or QA/QI/Patient Safety in nature.
• Undertake elective options to further explore areas of interest in Maternal-Fetal Medicine, either locally or at an approved site, in either Canada or abroad.

The MFM residency is fully accredited by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada and uses the CanMEDS competency framework for teaching and assessment. While MFM belongs to a late cohort for transition to Competence By Design (CBD), this program has integrated elements of CBD and intends to be an early adopter of CBD principles. We have already established our Competence Committee and have adapted our assessment strategy to include frequent low-stakes direct assessments.

We believe that the MFM residency program in Calgary offers several advantages in MFM Training:

1. Individualized program. Presently, there are only 1-2 funded residents per year, which offers the advantages of individual attention, close working relationships with faculty, and responsiveness to concerns, both individual and program related. This flexibility, combined with well-defined goals and objectives with graduated responsibility, enables the resident to take an active role in their training, explore areas of interest in depth, and easily identify and address deficiencies. We also place emphasis on resident education and well-being over clinical service, and thus can support our residents to meet their individual goals and objectives. Pending individual residency and career goals, we offer flexibility as to required protected time for scholarly activity of between 3 to 6 blocks, in keeping with updated RCPSC Specialty Training Requirements.

2. Experienced and diverse faculty. Despite being still relatively new, the MFM residency program is supported by an experienced Section consisting of highly qualified faculty with a wide range of expertise. Our faculty distributed in experience (new grads to >20 years’ experience), background (graduates of a range of MFM programs and other training) and areas of interest (including clinical researchers, clinician educators, and QI specialists). The clinical practice of MFM varies across Canada; centers are usually homogenous in how the specialty is practiced. Within our group, there are a variety of practice patterns – a true microcosm of MFM practice within Canada. Practice patterns include tertiary center and community, consultative and continuing care, clinical and academic, inpatient and outpatient, with and without Obstetrics practice, with and without Fetal Therapy practice … MFM residents can experience the full depth, breath, and range of MFM that they may choose to practice in their careers. Learning in our program lets residents see first-hand the variety of options inherent to a career in MFM in Canada.

3. Large referral center.  There were 48,799 births in Alberta in 2020-2021, with over half of these occurring in our MFM referral catchment area (Southern Alberta, and parts of Eastern British Columbia). While the birth rate in Calgary has fallen some from the astronomical peaks of recent years, there are still >14,500 births per year. Our region has significantly more complicated pregnancies than national and provincial averages, with higher rates of late maternal age, multiple births, low birth weight, and prematurity. As a result, there is a large volume of referrals to the Calgary MFM Center and to our AHS MFM services, resulting in a high concentration of patients with complex maternal and fetal problems for residents to learn from. Being one of the largest tertiary referral centers in Canada with a relatively small residency program gives excellent clinical opportunity for our residents, without competition from other trainees. 

4. Obstetric Internal Medicine. Obstetric Internal Medicine remains strong and unique presence in Calgary, with 5 internists with specialty training in Obstetric Internal Medicine and their own clinical fellowship program. There is daily inpatient consultation service and expanded outpatient clinics, and includes a pre-pregnancy consult clinic. The MFM group works very closely with the OB-IM program, with shared case-based educational rounds, collaborative clinics, and generally close involvement with complex patients. The OB-IM group considers the training of the MFM residents as a priority and has undoubtedly strengthened our program and team.

5. Academic excellence. The program strives to meet the goals, objectives and specialty-training requirements as outlined by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada. The depth of faculty both within MFM and the affiliated disciplines provides excellent training in both clinical and academic MFM. A clinical ARP has facilitated development of a more academic and patient-focused model of care within AHS that is of significant benefit to the education of residents. All members of the Section of MFM make significant contributions to clinical care and education and/or research. As a program, we recognize that there are varied paths for residents to tale for academic excellence in scholarly activity for residency and in their career. We offer opportunities for residents to pursue an area for focus / “stream,” including clinical / basic research, medical education, QA / QI / patient safety, and leadership / administration. Given some unique resources in Calgary, our residents can gain valuable education / certification in their chosen field and can be supported in a scholarly project to successful completion.

6. Innovative approach to curriculum and learning. The MFM curriculum has undergone transformational change since the last external review. We have long embraced principles of adult learning, personalization of learning experiences, and flexibility to the needs of the resident. We have worked tirelessly with faculty, current and past residents to develop a curriculum with graduated supervision and resident responsibility, with a specific progress through learning experiences. We have for several years now embraced principles of CBD, with stages of training including Introduction, Core, and Transition to Practice, all with stage-specific objectives and assessments. We have adapted our assessments to include carefully selected multiple points of low-stakes feedback, with progress through the program determined by Competence Committee. We offer personalization of learning experiences to meet the specific learning needs of our residents and have been able to consistently offer flexibility to resident needs and feedback. We also have a philosophy of continuous quality improvement and continue to adjust learning experiences as needed. We anticipate the upcoming transition to CBD in July 2022 to go smoothly with minimal change to the administration of the residency program.

Our program encourages innovation and development of novel educational strategies and welcomes the suggestions and input of any trainees or faculty.