General Surgery | Education | Colorectal Surgery Residency
Colorectal Surgery Residency Program
The University of Calgary offers a postgraduate training program in Colon and Rectal Surgery. Our program graduates one resident each academic year with the primary goal of producing colorectal surgeons who are dedicated to the pursuit of an academic surgical career. The program is fully accredited by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada. We currently have two residents enrolled, one in the research year and one in the clinical year.
The Royal College offers a Certification Examination in Colon and Rectal Surgery, and all our residents are eligible to sit this examination. Successful candidates will be awarded a certificate by the Royal College designating Fellowship status in Colorectal Surgery. Graduates of the program are also eligible for certification by the American Board of Colon and Rectal Surgery.
The program has two major components: a research year aimed at providing the trainee with experience in basic science or clinical investigation and clinical epidemiology, followed by a clinical year aimed at providing the trainee with the necessary skills to perform colon and rectal surgery at the consultant level. For those candidates wishing to be trained to carry out independent research, opportunities exist to pursue either a Master’s Degree (two years) or a PhD (three or more years). The program is university-based, and the faculty consists of eight colon and rectal surgeons working in two teaching hospitals and two community hospitals. The staff surgeons who are involved in the training program in colon and rectal surgery also have responsibilities for the training of general surgery residents.
Residency Program Director
Dr. Donald Buie
Foothills Medical Centre
Program Coordinator
Emad Massoud
Foothills Medical Centre
Email: ColorectalSurgery@ahs.ca
Faculty
- Dr. W. Donald Buie
Foothills Medical Centre (FMC) - Dr. Anthony R. Maclean
Foothills Medical Centre (FMC) - Dr. John A. Heine
Peter Lougheed Hospital (PLC) - Dr. Wayne Rosen
Peter Lougheed Hospital (PLC) - Dr. Indraneel Datta
Peter Lougheed Hospital (PLC)
Program Structure
The goals of the research training year are to introduce the resident to the concepts of basic science and clinical research and to provide the resident with exposure to the skills necessary to conduct independent research. For those residents wishing to pursue more advanced research training, degree programs at the Master’s or PhD levels are available and would require one to two extra years.
During the research year, the resident is primarily assigned to the laboratory for basic science research or an ongoing clinical research project with a clinical investigator. The activities of the group include research in the following areas:
- Mechanisms of anastomotic healing
- Colorectal cancer therapy
- Colorectal cancer prevention
- Clinical trials in inflammatory bowel disease
- Clinical epidemiology
- Surgical treatment of incontinence
The clinical year is spent meeting the specialty training requirements of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada and the American Board of Colon and Rectal Surgery.
The year encompasses three separate rotations at the three primary hospitals, and the program is structured to allow the resident to participate in the spectrum of activities of the eight staff surgeons. During the academic year, each colorectal surgery resident will perform more than 250 colonoscopies, 80 flexible sigmoidoscopies, 175 anorectal operations, 200 open abdominal operations, and 50 laparoscopic procedures.
The resident is a full participant in outpatient clinics and is given the opportunity to run an outpatient clinic independently with staff support. The residents are exposed to the full breadth of our specialty, including inflammatory bowel disease, colorectal oncology, minimally invasive colorectal surgery, anorectal pathology, diagnostic and interventional endoscopy, intestinal motor disorders, and fecal incontinence.
Resident Responsibilities
In addition to clinical responsibilities, the Colon and Rectal Surgery resident is involved in undergraduate and postgraduate teaching and is active in teaching clinical and operative skills to general surgery residents.
Participation in a clinical project during the clinical year is expected, and the resident is required to present that work at meetings, such as the Royal College, American College of Surgeons, American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons, and Society of Surgery of the Alimentary Tract. Attendance at one major meeting per year is mandatory, though the resident may present their work at as many meetings as there are abstracts accepted.
The resident is also responsible for documenting the operative experience during the clinical year.
Candidate Requirements
Candidates must complete a minimum of five years training in an approved General Surgery program. Candidates must also be eligible for certification by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada and for educational licensure in the province of Alberta. Graduates of an American Board of Surgery approved residency program in General Surgery will meet these requirements.
Application Process
Each year a resident is accepted into the program. We encourage applicants to apply before March 15, 2025, and the interview date will be set in April. The program currently does not participate in the CaRMS matching process.
Applications should be forwarded to the Program Coordinator and should include the following:
- Current CV
- Letter of Good Standing
- Personal Statement
- Three Reference Letters