Thoracic Surgery | Education

The section of Thoracic Surgery at the University of Calgary has grown to consist of five teaching faculty members, located at the Foothills Medical Centre. The section provides Southern Alberta with specialized care for diseases of the lung, esophagus, trachea, and mediastinum. Although the section's primary aim is the delivery of top-quality care to its patients, there has been considerable growth in surgical education, research, and leadership on a local and national scale.

Dr. Janet Edwards is the Undergraduate Medical Education lead for the section of thoracic surgery.  In this role, she sits on the Surgery Undergraduate Education Committee.

Thoracic Surgery Residency Program

The University of Calgary is one of eight centers in Canada that provides a Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons accredited residency program for thoracic surgery. The goal of the program is to educate future leaders in thoracic surgery by providing a high-volume, high-quality, contemporary learning environment in and out of the operating room. Residents enjoy undivided access to the breadth of educational activities as our program deliberately takes only one resident every two years. The strengths of our program are the dedicated faculty and excellent high-volume clinical exposure. The entire section's activities revolve around the resident educational schedule.

The program is two years in length and typically follows the completion of a residency in general surgery or cardiac surgery. During the two-year program, residents will spend at least 18 months of their time on the thoracic surgery service, with additional time spent on their mandatory cardiac surgery rotation and flexible elective time. The residents may tailor their elective experiences to their own needs and interests.

Application Information

Our residency program participates in the Canadian Resident Matching Service (CaRMS) Medicine Subspecialty Match.

Applications will be accepted during the 2025 match cycle for our July 1, 2026, extended resident position. Please visit the CaRMS website to learn more about the 2025 Medicine Subspecialty Match application deadlines and requirements.