Information Box Group
Breast/Cross-Sectional Imaging
Breast/Cross-Sectional Imaging fellowship is based at: Juravinski Hospital and St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton.
Juravinski Hospital
Breast-Cross-Sectional Imaging Fellowship
The Juravinski Hospital is one of four teaching hospitals within Hamilton Health Sciences. Nestled on the mountain brow, the Juravinski Hospital is a tertiary care referral site for Central West Ontario, providing specialized care for a population of 2.2 million people. There is a large volume of pathology referred for diagnosis, management and follow-up.
Given its affiliation with the neighbouring Juravinski Cancer Centre, there is a high volume of oncology-related imaging. There is a large outpatient oncology referral base and inpatient acute care population, that includes the regional Hepatobiliary surgical service and adult hematology-oncology.
Acute care facilities include ER, Coronary Care and Intensive Care Units, general surgery and internal medicine practices, an internal medicine clinical teaching unit and a general orthopedic and joint replacement program.
The Juravinski Hospital radiology group boasts a collegial working atmosphere. The radiologists have strong working relationships with surgeons, internists, pathologists and oncologists. Fellows are a welcome addition to this positive work and educational environment. Fellowships are flexible and can be tailored to the particular interests of the applicant. There are ample research opportunities within the department.
This breast portion of the fellowship experience exposes the learner to a busy Tertiary and Community screening program which includes routine screening, diagnostic and post-surgical breast imaging populations. The fellow will participate in mammography, breast ultrasound, breast tomosynthesis, contrast-enhanced mammography, stereotactic and US-guided biopsies, tomo guided core needle biopsies, galactograms, radioactive seed localization and breast MRI. There are off-service rotations in Breast Pathology and Plastic Surgery to add to the well-rounded experience.
During the body portion of the fellowship, there is exposure to all aspects of oncology imaging, related to chest and abdomen, male and female pelvis and neuro-oncology. There are ample rotations in CT, US and MRI.
The breast imaging team works closely with breast surgeons and breast pathologists. There are weekly radiology-pathology conferences, reviewing all breast biopsy cases, as well as weekly conferences with the medical and radiation oncology teams. During the cross-sectional part of the fellowship, fellows participate in weekly multidisciplinary rounds including hepatobiliary, GI, GYN oncology, neuro-oncology rounds and diagnostic imaging interesting case rounds.
Further inquiries can be directed to Marilynn Scott at scottm@mcmaster.ca
St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton
Supervisor – Dr. Narry Muhn
A) Breast Imaging Overview
This 6-month breast imaging fellowship is offered as part of the 12-month Breast & Cross-Sectional Imaging fellowship at St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton (SJHH). There is currently 1 position available annually. The fellowship is divided into 80% clinical and 20% research. The breast imaging fellowship offers a comprehensive and integrated multi-modality approach to breast imaging and intervention.
The breast imaging division is staffed by 5 breast radiologists. Over the course of the 6 months of the fellowship, you will have the opportunity to interact with the radiologists, breast surgeons and pathologists at our institution.
Our training program reflects the Breast Imaging Fellowship Curriculum published (2013) by the education committees of the ACR (American College of Radiology) and SBI (Society of Breast Imaging).
Mammography & Ultrasound
As our breast imaging fellow, you will have exposure to a high volume of screening and diagnostic mammograms. We perform approximately 300-350 screening and diagnostic mammograms per week. You will have exposure to 2D digital mammography and 3D mammography (tomosynthesis). Our center is further an authorized site for the Ontario Breast Screening program (OBSP) through which both average risk and high-risk screening mammograms are performed. You will also have the opportunity to be involved with approximately 50-60 breast ultrasound studies per week.
Breast MRI
Breast MRIs are performed primarily on a 1.5T GE scanner. Some studies are performed on a 3T Philips unit. Dynacad is the post-processing software that is used for kinetics analysis. Breast MRIs performed at our center include high risk screening as well as diagnostic studies. We perform 20-25 breast MRI studies per week. As well, the fellow will have the opportunity to perform 1-2 MRI-guided breast biopsies per week.
Intervention
There are many opportunities for interventional procedures, including stereotactic vacuum-assisted biopsies, ultrasound-guided core biopsies, MRI-guided vacuum-assisted biopsies, therapeutic needle aspirations, post-biopsy marker/clip placement, as well as stereotactic and Ultrasound-guided preoperative magnetic seed localization.
Multidisciplinary Rounds
The breast imaging fellow will have the opportunity to lead the weekly multidisciplinary breast rounds, which have active participation from our breast surgeons and breast pathologists.
Equipment
We have 2 digital mammography units (GE & Hologic), 2 digital mammography units with tomosynthesis (GE), 2 stereotactic core biopsy units (upright [GE] and prone [Hologic]), state of the art ultrasound units with shear-wave elastography capabilities (Canon) as well as 2 MRI units used for breast imaging (1.5 GE and 3T Philips).
B) Cross-Sectional Imaging Overview
This 6-month cross-sectional imaging fellowship is offered as part of the 12-month Breast / Cross-Sectional Imaging fellowship at SJHH. This portion of the fellowship offers a comprehensive multi-modality diagnostic imaging experience with the goal of enhancing the skills of the fellow in CT, MRI, and ultrasound imaging. While the focus is on abdominal and pelvic imaging, there will be exposure to chest, head & neck, as well as neurological imaging. There is currently 1 position available annually. The fellowship is divided into 80% clinical and 20% research.
Structure
The fellow will be supervised by fellowship-trained radiologists with subspecialty interests in chest, abdominal, neuroradiology, as well as head & neck imaging. The fellow will also be exposed to emergency imaging, as well as to all aspects of oncology and non-oncology imaging. There will be exposure to CT and MRI angiography studies, as well as CT Colonography.
The fellow will learn to appropriately select the modality most likely to answer the clinical question. The fellow will further learn to appropriately protocol CT and MRI examinations to accurately and efficiently answer the clinical question.
There are no weekday evening call responsibilities. The fellows will experience daytime on-call work during weekends. Call frequency is approximately 1 in 4 weekends. Fellows will always be backed up by a staff radiologist.
It is understood that clinical functions will be pursued during this fellowship, and therefore, a valid educational (or independent) license is required.
Equipment
The department of radiology at SJHH boasts state of the art equipment, including multislice CT scanners, CT fluoroscopy, two 1.5T GE MRI units, one 3T Philips MRI unit, as well as a research 3T GE MRI unit.
At SJHH, we offer an extensive multi-modality imaging experience. Fellows will be exposed to all aspects of CT imaging, including CT angiography and CT colonography. Fellows will also be exposed to primarily abdominal and pelvic MRI imaging. SJHH is a major referral center for prostate imaging in the region.
As part of the fellowship, there can be an opportunity for the fellows to be involved in some procedures, primarily US-guided thyroid and prostate biopsies. This includes the opportunity to gain experience in MRI-US fusion biopsies of the prostate.
C) Teaching
The fellow will have teaching commitments to Medical Students and Radiology Residents. There will be an opportunity to attend visiting professor lectures (7-8 times per year).
D) Research
The breast/cross-sectional imaging fellow will have 20% dedicated research time. The fellow is expected to complete 1 project during the fellowship, to be presented at the Annual McMaster University Radiology Research Day, usually held in April. Presentation of research work at both national and/or international scientific conferences is strongly encouraged. A $2,000 CAD stipend is available per 12-month fellowship to non-funded fellows. Projects can be performed in collaboration with other clinicians, surgeons and pathologists.
E) Time-Off
Vacation
Two work weeks (10 days) per 6-month block of your fellowship [Total of four work weeks over your 12-month fellowship program]. Leave must be taken in one-week blocks rather than individual days, unless by special arrangement with the Fellowship Supervisors.
Conference Leave
One week per 12-months upon approval.
Academic Days
After six weeks into your Fellowship program, you will be allotted one Academic Day per 5-day week for research. No academic days are allotted on short weeks (i.e. 4-day weeks due to a statutory holiday).
Further inquiries can be directed to Marilynn Scott at scottm@mcmaster.ca
Teaching
The fellow will have teaching commitments to Medical Students and Radiology Residents. There will be an opportunity to attend visiting professor lectures (1-2 times per year).
Research
The breast imaging fellow will have 20% dedicated research time. The fellow is expected to complete 1 project during the breast component of the fellowship, to be presented at the Annual McMaster University Radiology Research Day, usually held in April. Presentation of research work at both national and/or international scientific conferences is strongly encouraged. A $2,000 CAD stipend is available per 12-month fellowship to non-funded fellows. Projects can be performed in collaboration with breast pathologists and/or breast surgeons.
Further inquiries can be directed to Marilynn Scott at scottm@mcmaster.ca
Combined Cross-Sectional Fellowship
The combined cross-sectional fellowship offers a breadth of experience unmatched in the region. This fellowship is divided into: 6 months at St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton and 6 months at Juravinski Hospital and Cancer Center.
St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton
Located in the heart of Hamilton, the ninth-largest city in Canada, St. Joseph’s Healthcare (SJHH) is a multi-site, acute-care 740-bed facility in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. Affiliated with the Faculty of Health Sciences at McMaster University, SJHH operates as the regional referral center for Thoracic Surgery, Head and Neck Surgery, Respirology, Nephrology, as well as Renal Transplantation and Urology. SJHH is also a referral center for minimally invasive gastric bypass surgeries.
While at SJHH, you will have the opportunity to work with fellowship-trained radiologists in a busy diagnostic imaging department that serves a large inpatient and outpatient population. The department of radiology at SJHH boasts state of the art equipment, including multislice CT scanners, CT fluoroscopy, two 1.5T GE MRI units, one 3T Philips MRI unit, as well as a research 3T GE MRI unit.
At SJHH, we offer an extensive multi-modality imaging experience. Fellows will be exposed to all aspects of CT imaging, including CT angiography and CT colonography. Fellows will also be exposed to primarily abdominal and pelvic MRI imaging. SJHH is a major referral center for prostate imaging in the region.
As part of the fellowship, there will be an opportunity for the fellows to be involved in some procedures, primarily US-guided thyroid and prostate biopsies. This includes the opportunity to gain experience in MRI-US fusion biopsies of the prostate.
Juravinski Hospital and Cancer Centre
The Juravinski Hospital is one of four teaching hospitals within Hamilton Health Sciences. Nestled on the mountain brow, the Juravinski Hospital is a tertiary care referral site for Central West Ontario, providing specialized care for a population of 2.2 million people. There is a large volume of pathology referred for diagnosis, management and follow-up.
Given its affiliation with the neighbouring Juravinski Cancer Center, there is a high volume of oncology-related imaging. Fellows are exposed to diverse pathology at a tertiary care referral center. As one of the province’s busiest cancer centers, there is an emphasis on oncologic imaging. It is the regional referral center for hepatobiliary and pancreatic surgery, gynecologic oncology, neuro-oncology, malignant hematology, medical and radiation oncology.
The Juravinski Hospital radiology group boasts a collegial working atmosphere. The radiologists have strong working relationships with surgeons, internists, pathologists and oncologists. Fellows are a welcome addition to this positive work and educational environment. There are ample research opportunities within the department.
The hospital is well-equipped with state-of-the-art ultrasound, 3T GE Signa Architect MRI scanner and two 64-slice CT scanners.
Structure
Clinical activities take place at the Juravinski Hospital, St Joseph’s Hospital and West 5th campus (St Joseph’s Hospital) sites of McMaster University. The fellows will be scheduled at the hospitals during phases of their training. The fellowship includes access to advanced, state-of-the-art imaging equipment: 3T MRI systems, three 1.5T MRI systems, 4 CT scanners and 15 ultrasound units.
During the St Joseph’s Hospital rotations, the fellow will have daily assignments in Body MRI/CT, Chest, ER, US, US-guided biopsies and Neuroradiology. This will include access to CT Colonography, MR Enterography, and MRI prostate. The biopsy rotations involve US-guided prostate and Thyroid Biopsy. St Joseph’s Hospital is considered a regional leader in prostate imaging.
At Juravinski Hospital, clinical rotations are based on daily assignments in body CT, body MRI, ultrasound and neuro MR/CT. Fellows participate in weekly multidisciplinary rounds in hepatobiliary, GI, gynecologic oncology, neuro-oncology rounds and diagnostic imaging interesting case rounds.
The fellow will progressively assume the role of junior staff and will be supervised by staff radiologists. The fellow will benefit from progressive autonomy during the academic year and will be able to further develop their leadership skills. Clinical rotations are designed to enable the fellows to accumulate a broad base of knowledge, develop technical skills and establish decision-making and consultation skills.
The fellow will become an integral member of the Abdominal Radiology Division. Our fellowship program provides a well-balanced clinical and teaching curriculum with plenty of opportunities for research. The fellow’s responsibilities will be commensurate with their level of training and experience and will increase as the year progresses. The Fellowship Program trains the fellows to be able to interact with their referring physicians and function in their future consultative roles.
The radiology fellow will develop clinical expertise in the interpretation of all diseases of the chest, abdomen and pelvis with particular emphasis on the following areas: hepatobiliary diseases, pancreas disease, genitourinary disease, gynecologic disease, oncology, trauma, various organ transplantation (liver, pancreas, kidney), vascular studies (Doppler, CT angio, MR angio), up to date lung cancer staging and follow-up, interstitial lung diseases classifications.
Responsibilities
- Learn to function autonomously as a radiology consultant in US, CT and MR interpretation
- Learn how to manage the workload and prioritize cases on a daily basis
- Teach residents, organize teaching rounds which will include lung rounds, interstitial lung diseases, colorectal rounds, gynecologic oncology rounds and neuro-oncology rounds
- Participate in at least one scholarly project, with the goal of publishing in major peer-reviewed journals. We encourage our fellows to participate in the annual educational day to present their research.
- Learn how to manage on-call workload and identify/manage urgent cases
Further inquiries can be directed to Marilynn Scott at scottm@mcmaster.ca
Comprehensive Body Fellowship
Niagara Health System
The Department of Radiology at Niagara Health is a McMaster University affiliated regional healthcare provider with multiple sites at Southern Ontario. Our team is made up of more than 4,800 employees, 600 physicians and 850 volunteers who we count on to deliver extraordinary caring to every person, every time. We provide a wide range of in-patient and out-patient services to more than 450,000 residents across Niagara, including Acute Care, Cancer Care, Cardiac Care, Complex Care, Emergency and Urgent Care, Kidney Care, Long-Term Care, Mental Health and Addictions, Stroke Care and Surgical Care. As a community-based sub-specialist academic centre, teaching, research, innovation and partnership are propelling us as we imagine a healthier Niagara.
Currently 29 radiologists are part of Diagnostic imaging team at Niagara, including 4 Interventional radiologists, 3 Cardiac radiologists, 1 Nuclear Medicine physician, 1 Chest radiologist, 5 Breast radiologists, 3 MSK radiologists and 5 Body/Cross Sectional radiologists servicing 3 hospitals (St. Catharines, Welland and Greater Niagara hospitals), and two community centers (PCG & DMH). The radiologists provide on-call service to all three hospital sites.
The Department has two clinical MR scanners, 4 CT scanners and multiple ultrasound units and general and nuclear Cardiology department.
We are thrilled that we can offer this comprehensive body fellowship at Niagara. Our aim is to make this one of the best and most versatile programs geared at fellows who wish to pursue community radiology work.
This comprehensive body imaging fellowship is focused on all modalities.
MRI comprises neuroimaging including spine (30%), MSK including gadolinium arthrography (20%), cardiovascular (5%), abdominal/pelvic (35% which includes staging cancers), and breast (10%). Prostate MR will be offered as well.
The majority of our outpatient CT referrals are from our Cancer Center. MSK and trauma cases are mainly from our Emergency departments. We have a busy cardiac CT department.
Sonographic cases include abdominal, breast, MSK, obstetric, pelvic and vascular studies.
Breast imaging is part of OBSP program and is offered and state of the art breast imaging is offered at all sites.
Fellows can also liaise with the interventional staff and perform a wide range of minor interventional procedures if interested.
The fellows will have the chance to rotate in all modalities. They will participate at our call schedule and are given the chance to choose one or two dedicated rotations at breast, cardiac or MSK during their body fellowship. Research will be encouraged with dedicated academic half days.
Our ultimate goal is to provide our fellows with strong preparation for the next steps in their career and with an excellent experience.
Further inquiries can be directed to Marilynn Scott at scottm@mcmaster.ca and Dr. Ali Sabri, fellowship coordinator at Niagara health. (ali.sabri@Nigarahealth.on.ca)
Cross-Sectional Imaging
Cross-Sectional Imaging fellowship is based at: Hamilton General Hospital, Juravinski Hospital and St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton.
Hamilton General Hospital
The Hamilton General Hospital (HGH) is one of four teaching hospitals of the Hamilton Health Sciences. Founded in 1848 as the first hospital in Hamilton, HGH has grown to become the leading healthcare provider for the entire South Central Ontario- a region with a population of 2.4 million people. HGH is a tertiary cardiac, vascular, neurosurgical and level 1 trauma centre. One of the Ontario Burn Units and Integrated Stroke Unit is located at the HGH.
The Department of Radiology is fully digitalized with state-of-the-art equipment (two 64-slices CT scanners, two 1.5 T MRI, five US units, CR and DR). The department is served by a cohesive group of radiologists with fellowship training in abdominal, breast, cardiac, MSK, vascular/interventional and women’s imaging. The cross-sectional fellowship is focused on whole-body MRI, body and MSK CT and all subspecialties of the US.
MRI: The case volume comprises neuroimaging including spine (60%), MSK including gadolinium arthrography (25%), cardiovascular (5%), abdominal/pelvic (5%) and breast (5%) MRIs.
CT: Chest, abdominal-pelvic and MSK studies provide comprehensive exposure suitable for the academic and community hospitals. The body CT experience includes 500 major trauma per year.
US: Sonographic cases include abdominal, breast, MSK, obstetric, pelvic and vascular studies.
Further inquiries can be directed to Marilynn Scott at scottm@mcmaster.ca
Juravinski Hospital
The Juravinski Hospital is one of four teaching hospitals within Hamilton Health Sciences. Nestled on the mountain brow, the Juravinski Hospital is a tertiary care referral site for Central West Ontario, providing specialized care for a population of 2.2 million people. There is a large volume of pathology referred for diagnosis, management and follow-up.
Given its affiliation with the neighbouring Juravinski Cancer Centre, there is a high volume of oncology-related imaging. There is a large outpatient oncology referral base and inpatient acute care population, that includes the regional Hepatobiliary surgical service and adult hematology-oncology.
Acute care facilities include ER, Coronary Care and Intensive Care Units, general surgery and internal medicine practices, an internal medicine clinical teaching unit and a general orthopedic and joint replacement program.
The Juravinski Hospital radiology group boasts a collegial working atmosphere. The radiologists have strong working relationships with surgeons, internists, pathologists and oncologists. Fellows are a welcome addition to this positive work and educational environment. Fellowships are flexible and can be tailored to the particular interests of the applicant. There are ample research opportunities within the department.
The cross-sectional imaging fellowship experience involves all aspects of oncology and non-oncology imaging (except breast), related to chest, abdomen, male and female pelvis, and neuro-oncology.
Fellows are actively involved in all aspects of our cross-sectional imaging services in CT, ultrasound and MRI. A wide range of body, chest and neuro CT cases are performed at our site each day, including CT enterography and CT angiography. Fellows gain a rich experience in body MRI, covering liver, liver, pancreas, MR enterography, GU, male/female pelvis, neuro-oncology, neuro MR perfusion and spectroscopy.
Fellows can liaise with the interventional staff and perform a wide range of minor interventional procedures if interested.
The hospital is well-equipped with state-of-the-art ultrasound and mammography equipment, 3T GE Signa Architect MRI scanner and two 64-slice CT scanners (GE Discovery CT750 HD and GE LightSpeed VCT).
There is ample opportunity for research and participation in weekly multidisciplinary rounds including hepatobiliary, GI, GYN oncology, neuro-oncology rounds and diagnostic imaging interesting case rounds.
Further inquiries can be directed to Marilynn Scott at scottm@mcmaster.ca
St. Joseph’s Healthcare
Located in the heart of Hamilton, the ninth-largest city in Canada, St. Joseph’s Healthcare (SJHH) is a multi-site, acute-care 740-bed facility in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. Affiliated with the Faculty of Health Sciences at McMaster University, SJHH operates as the regional referral center for Thoracic Surgery, Head and Neck Surgery, Respirology, Nephrology, as well as Renal Transplantation and Urology. SJHH is also a referral center for minimally invasive gastric bypass surgeries.
While at SJHH, you will have the opportunity to work with fellowship-trained radiologists in a busy diagnostic imaging department that serves a large inpatient and outpatient population.
If you are looking to advance your skills in advanced abdominal and prostate imaging, this is the fellowship for you.
A) Overview
This 12-month cross-sectional imaging fellowship at St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton (SJHH) offers a comprehensive multi-modality diagnostic imaging experience with the goal of enhancing the skills of the fellow in CT, MRI, and ultrasound imaging. While the focus is on abdominal and pelvic imaging, there will be exposure to chest, head & neck, as well as neurological imaging. There is currently 1 position available annually. The fellowship is divided into 80% clinical and 20% research.
Structure
The fellow will be supervised by fellowship-trained radiologists with subspecialty interests in chest, abdominal, neuroradiology, as well as head & neck imaging. The fellow will also be exposed to emergency imaging, as well as to all aspects of oncology and non-oncology imaging. There will be exposure to CT and MRI angiography studies, as well as CT Colonography.
The fellow will learn to appropriately select the modality most likely to answer the clinical question. The fellow will further learn to appropriately protocol CT and MRI examinations to accurately and efficiently answer the clinical question.
There are no weekday evening call responsibilities. The fellows will experience daytime on-call work during weekends (call frequency is approximately 1 in 4 weekends). Weekend call frequency is one weekend per month. Fellows will always be backed up by a staff radiologist.
It is understood that clinical functions will be pursued during this fellowship, and therefore, a valid educational (or independent) license is required.
Equipment
The department of radiology at SJHH boasts state of the art equipment, including multislice CT scanners, CT fluoroscopy, two 1.5T GE MRI units, one 3T Philips MRI unit, as well as a research 3T GE MRI unit.
At SJHH, we offer an extensive multi-modality imaging experience. Fellows will be exposed to all aspects of CT imaging, including CT angiography and CT colonography. Fellows will also be exposed to primarily abdominal and pelvic MRI imaging. SJHH is a major referral center for prostate imaging in the region.
As part of the fellowship, there will be an opportunity for the fellows to be involved in some procedures, primarily US-guided thyroid and prostate biopsies. This includes the opportunity to gain experience in MRI-US fusion biopsies of the prostate.
C) Teaching
The fellow will have teaching commitments to Medical Students and Radiology Residents. There will be an opportunity to attend visiting professor lectures (7-8 times per year).
D) Research
The fellow will have 20% dedicated research time. The fellow is expected to complete 1 project during the fellowship, to be presented at the Annual McMaster University Radiology Research Day, usually held in April. Presentation of research work at both national and/or international scientific conferences is strongly encouraged.
A $2,000 CAD stipend is available per 12-month fellowship to non-funded fellows. Projects can be performed in collaboration with other clinicians, surgeons and pathologists.
E) Time-Off
Vacation
Two work weeks (10 days) per 6-month block of your fellowship [Total of four work weeks over your 12-month fellowship program]. Leave must be taken in one-week blocks rather than individual days, unless by special arrangement with the Fellowship Supervisors.
Conference Leave
One week per 12-months upon approval.
Academic Days
After six weeks into your Fellowship program, you will be allotted one Academic Day per 5-day week for research. No academic days are allotted on short weeks (i.e. 4-day weeks due to a statutory holiday).
Further inquiries can be directed to Marilynn Scott at scottm@mcmaster.ca
Musculoskeletal Imaging
Two-site Musculoskeletal Fellowship
The Department of Radiology, Faculty of Health Sciences, McMaster University, currently offers a dual-site MSK Imaging Fellowship. The fellowship is be based at St Joseph’s Healthcare Charlton Campus and Juravinski Hospital & Cancer Centre. This fellowship program draws from the strengths of both facilities, delivering a comprehensive MSK imaging program, recognized throughout North America.
Further inquiries can be directed to Marilynn Scott at scottm@mcmaster.ca.
St. Joseph’s Healthcare
St. Joseph’s Healthcare is a multi-site, acute-care 740-bed facility in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada affiliated with the Faculty of Health Sciences, McMaster University. St. Joseph’s Healthcare operates as a Regional Referral Center. From an MSK perspective, the hospital is the home to a busy general orthopedic practice with a special interest in trauma, upper limb surgery and sports medicine. There are also busy departments of rheumatology, physical rehabilitation and plastic surgery, including hand surgery. We are home to the Imaging Research Centre, the Centre for Minimal Access Surgery (CMAS), Firestone Unit for Respiratory Health, the McMaster Centre for Urology, and the Father Sean O’Sullivan Research Centre.
While at St. Joseph’s Healthcare you will have the opportunity to work with 4 fellowship-trained MSK radiologists in a fully-digitalized, busy Diagnostic Imaging Department that serves a large in-patient and out-patient population. St. Joseph’s Healthcare has a fully digitized Department. Our PACS system integrates state-of-the-art imaging equipment (2 CTs including one 16-slice CT and one 64-slice VCT; 3 MRI units, including two 1.5T MRIs and one 3T MRI) with hospital Epic RIS. Reporting is facilitated by PowerScribe, a web-based speech recognition software.
We offer an extensive multi-modality imaging experience. Fellows are being exposed to all aspects of MSK imaging including rheumatology, sports imaging and orthopedics, as well as MSK Ultrasound/fluoroscopic interventional procedures. Approximately 150 MSK MRIs are done per week in the department, including 7-8 arthrograms. We have a busy ultrasound department, performing up to 50 diagnostic MSK US cases per week. The fellow will get to perform multiple ultrasound-guided procedures (dry-needling tendons, PRP injections, tendon sheath injections, perineural hydro-dissection, ganglion cyst aspiration, joint injections, Morton’s neuroma injection etc.). The fellows present at the weekly rheumatology-radiology rounds. Research and education form a strong component of the fellowship and are actively encouraged. Fellows will have the additional research opportunity on our dedicated 3T MRI at the Imaging Research Centre at St. Joseph’s Healthcare.
Further inquiries can be directed to Marilynn Scott at scottm@mcmaster.ca
Juravinski Hospital
The Juravinski Hospital & Cancer Centre (JHCC) is a full-service general hospital and offers excellence in cancer care and orthopedics. Serving as a large tertiary referral centre for the Central West Region of Ontario and its population base of 2.3 million, it is the second-largest cancer centre in Canada providing acute inpatient and palliative care, diagnostic services and an educational environment to support the needs of cancer patients. The highly regarded orthopedic program combines health care and research, offering patients a range of services dedicated to helping them prepare for and recover from joint replacement surgery. The MSK imaging team has strong links with Orthopedic Surgery, Pathology, Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Sports Medicine and Oncologists.
The hospital represents one of only three designated centres in Ontario specializing in the provision of sarcoma care. The orthopedic oncology department receives a large number of referrals for musculoskeletal tumours from other institutions, with imaging playing an important role in their management. This includes both bone and soft tissue sarcoma work. The multimodality approach to MSK tumour imaging provides an invaluable teaching experience for fellows, with excellent scope for research. There is ample exposure to other aspects of MSK radiology, including imaging of sports injuries and joint replacements, arthropathy, diagnostic ultrasound, ultrasound-guided interventions, including soft tissue tumour biopsies. There are usually about 5-10 ultrasound-guided musculoskeletal procedures performed per week. In addition, the fellows present at the popular educational MSK oncology-radiology rounds and multidisciplinary sarcoma rounds are held on a weekly basis.
JHCC musculoskeletal radiologists offer imaging services to Hamilton’s professional football and soccer teams, with fellows actively involved in the diagnosis of sports injuries.
The fully-digitized radiology department was completely renovated in August 2011 and is equipped with new latest imaging equipment (including 2 CT scanners and a 3T MRI).
The department offers a strong, knowledgeable and collegial working team. Staff are dedicated to education, teaching and clinical excellence.
Further inquiries can be directed to Marilynn Scott at scottm@mcmaster.ca
One-site Musculoskeletal Fellowship
McMaster University & Hamilton General Hospital
The Department of Radiology at McMaster University and the Hamilton General Hospital offers a one-year Musculoskeletal (MSK) Radiology fellowship. One funded position is offered each year, beginning July 1st and ending June 30th.
The emphasis of the fellowship is on achieving well-balanced, comprehensive subspecialty training in all areas of MSK Radiology. It is intended that the intensive MSK Radiology experience prepares the fellow for a career in subspecialty MSK Radiology, either private practice or academic.
The Hamilton General Hospital is a tertiary care hospital and Level 1 orthopedic trauma regional center of excellence covering South Central and South West Ontario, a region with a population of 2.3 million people. McMaster University is also home of the David Braley Athletic Center which is one of the largest fitness centers at a Canadian university, providing patient care to the McMaster University athletes as well as outpatients with sports-related injuries. The MSK Radiology Division at the Hamilton General Hospital works closely with the Orthopedic Surgeons, plastic surgeons, Neurologists, Family physicians and Physiatrists to provide timely and comprehensive patient care. As such we see a wide range of musculoskeletal pathology, as our population ranges from primary care to tertiary care. MSK fellows and division members participate in numerous intradepartmental conferences as well as interdisciplinary working conferences.
The MSK Radiology Division provides full musculoskeletal diagnostic imaging services, including digital radiography, fluoroscopy, computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, and ultrasound. The Department of Radiology has state-of-the-art equipment and high-quality technical and ancillary staff. The MSK Radiology Division performs fluoroscopy, CT and ultrasound-guided procedures including diagnostic and therapeutic injections of joints, various ultrasound-guided tendon procedures, pulley injections, nerve-related interventions and CT/ MR arthrography. Requests for ultrasound-guided muscle biopsies are also accepted.
The MSK fellowship at the Hamilton General Hospital is one of the few in North America that includes comprehensive training in musculoskeletal ultrasound. The MSK fellow will learn current MSK ultrasound protocols, gain hands-on experience for all diagnostic MSK ultrasound examinations, and will participate in a wide range of interventional ultrasound procedures (e.g .tendon fenestration, PRP injections, bursal injections, tendon sheath injections, calcium aspiration, perineural injections/hydrodissection, cyst aspiration, joint aspirations, neuroma ablation, pulley injections, fascia fenestration).
The MSK faculty are actively engaged in clinical research and fellows are strongly encouraged to become involved in research projects, culminating in presentations at national/ international meetings and publications in major journals. Academic time (one day/ week), mentoring by faculty members and quality ancillary support are provided to promote a rewarding academic experience.
The MSK Fellow works closely with MSK faculty members in clinical work, with progressive independence as his/her experience grows. Fellows will develop the comprehensive technical and consultative skills needed to successfully manage complex musculoskeletal imaging cases. The atmosphere is professional, yet friendly, and promotes the highest quality in clinical services, teaching, and research.
Further inquiries can be directed to Marilynn Scott at scottm@mcmaster.ca
Neuroradiology Imaging
Hamilton General Hospital
The Hamilton General Hospital is a busy tertiary centre for neurosurgical, neurological and trauma patients with a catchment area of 2.4 million. The annual volume of neurological examinations includes approximately 10000 CT’s and 7000 MRI’s. Departmental equipment includes two new state-of-the-art Siemens CT scanners, two 1.5 T Siemens MRIs, and a biplane rotational Siemens unit dedicated to neuroangiography.
The diagnostic neuroradiology fellow will be supervised by 9 dedicated neuroradiologists. These are fellowship-trained professionals with proven experience in the field. The fellow will also rotate through the other HHS sites including Juravinski Hospital, St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton and McMaster Children’s Hospital, where he/she will interact with another 7 fellowship-trained neuroradiologists. Together the entire staff team offers many years of both adult diagnostic and interventional neuroradiology experience, as well as expertise in oncology, head and neck and pediatric neuroradiology.
The diagnostic neuroradiology fellow at the Hamilton General Radiology Department would be responsible to review protocol requests for both neuro CT and MRI, as well as reviewing and interpret such studies with staff guidance. The fellow would participate in the teaching of our radiology residents, medical elective students and off-service residents as appropriate. The fellow would be scheduled to attend rounds related to the CNS disciplines, and give presentations at interdisciplinary rounds. Participation in a research project is expected and one academic day per week will be allotted for this pursuit.
Participation in neuroangiography and neurointerventional studies are observational, however, the fellow is expected to understand the indications, risks and techniques for these procedures. Participation in spine interventional procedures is encouraged.
Further inquiries can be directed to Marilynn Scott at scottm@mcmaster.ca
Thoracic Imaging Fellowship
St Joseph’s Healthcare
Located in the heart of Hamilton, the ninth-largest city in Canada, St. Joseph’s Healthcare (SJHH) is a multi-site, acute-care 740-bed facility in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. Affiliated with the Faculty of Health Sciences at McMaster University, SJHH is a designated regional referral center for Respirology and Thoracic Surgery. The Firestone Institute for Respiratory Health provides subspecialty care in interstitial lung disease and asthma, has a tuberculosis clinic, as well as a lung diagnostic assessment program (for patients with suspected lung malignancy) and a malignant pleural effusion clinic, among others. As such, there is a wide diversity of both acute and outpatient cases seen in the Thoracic Radiology Division.
SJHH also operates as the regional referral center for Head and Neck Surgery, Nephrology, Renal Transplantation, Urology, and minimally invasive gastric bypass surgeries.
Overview
This 12-month thoracic imaging fellowship at St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton (SJHH) offers a comprehensive diagnostic imaging experience with the goal of enhancing the skills of the fellow in thoracic imaging and CT-guided chest biopsies. There is currently 1 position available annually. The fellowship is divided into 80% clinical and 20% research.
Structure
The thoracic imaging section is staffed by 5 fellowship-trained radiologists with subspecialty interests in chest.
Fellows will spend the majority of their clinical time supervising the acquisition of and interpreting thoracic CTs with some time devoted weekly to interventional procedures (primarily CT-guided chest biopsies). There may be opportunities for limited exposure to cardiac CT and thoracic MRI.
One day per week, the fellow will be scheduled on an emergency rotation where they will have the opportunity to work with fellowship-trained radiologists with subspecialty interests in abdominal, musculoskeletal, neuroradiology, as well as head & neck imaging.
There are no weekday evening call responsibilities. The fellows will experience daytime on-call work during weekends (call frequency is approximately 1 in 4 weekends). Weekend call frequency is one weekend per month. Fellows will always be backed up by a staff radiologist.
It is understood that clinical functions will be pursued during this fellowship, and therefore, a valid educational (or independent) license is required.
Multidisciplinary Rounds
Fellows will be expected to lead the radiology discussion at multidisciplinary rounds, including Lung Cancer rounds and Interstitial Lung Disease rounds, which occur weekly.
Equipment
The department of radiology at SJHH boasts state of the art equipment, including multislice CT scanners, CT fluoroscopy, two 1.5T GE MRI units, one 3T Philips MRI unit, as well as a research 3T GE MRI unit.
Teaching
The fellow will have teaching commitments to Medical Students and Radiology Residents. There will be an opportunity to attend visiting professor lectures (7-8 times per year).
Research
The fellow will have 20% dedicated research time. The fellow is expected to complete 1 project during the fellowship, to be presented at the Annual McMaster University Radiology Research Day, usually held in April. Presentation of research work at both national and/or international scientific conferences is strongly encouraged.
Projects can be performed in collaboration with other clinicians, surgeons and pathologists.
Time-Off
Vacation
Two work weeks (10 days) per 6-month block of your fellowship [Total of four work weeks over your 12-month fellowship program]. Leave must be taken in one-week blocks rather than individual days, unless by special arrangement with the Fellowship Supervisors.
Conference Leave
One week per 12-months upon approval.
Academic Days
After six weeks into your Fellowship program, you will be allotted one Academic Day per 5-day week for research. No academic days are allotted on short weeks (i.e. 4-day weeks due to a statutory holiday).
Vascular - Interventional Imaging
Multi-site – Hamilton – Juravinski, Hamilton General Hospital, McMaster Children’s Hospital (MCH)
The Hamilton Health Sciences (HHS) and St Joseph Healthcare Hamilton (SJHH) are comprised of four tertiary teaching hospitals that are affiliated with McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. The four sites are the Hamilton General Hospital, the Juravinski Hospital, St Joseph Hospital and the McMaster University Children’s hospital.
Between these 4 sites, there is significant opportunity to gain experience in a wide variety of vascular and non-vascular procedures given the large volume of pathology and diversity of interventional radiology services offered. Every site provides some general hospital services, but all are unique and cater to a varied patient population. The Juravinski Site is attached to a large cancer centre and the primary focus is oncology interventions and hepatobiliary procedures. The Hamilton General Site is the adult trauma and vascular centre. The St Joseph Hospital is the primary site for thoracic surgery, urology, nephrology and head and neck surgery and provides experience in those areas. The McMaster Children’s Hospital provides exposure to women’s IR and Pediatric cases if this aligns with the fellows specific interests. Since the IR fellows are rotating through four sites, there are ample opportunities to obtain plenty of exposure and cater to specific training requirements.
Procedures you will gain experience in include –
– Iliac, SFA and tibial revascularization and stenting, arterial thrombolysis and mesenteric stenting
– Venous thrombolysis, recanalization and stenting, IVC filter insertion and removal
– Transjugular liver biopsies, Transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPSS) insertion, plug and coil assisted retrograde transvenous obliteration (CARTO/PARTO) of varices
– Embolizations (Trauma, GI bleeds, bronchial bleeds, Transarterial chemotherapy, Uterine fibroids, Varicoele, preoperative tumor embolization) and slow and fast flow vascular malformation treatment
– Vascular access (dialysis fistulas including thrombolysis and recanalization, port and line insertions)
Non vascular procedures:
– Radiofrequency, microwave and cryoablation (liver, renal, lung and bone)
– Percutaneous biliary drainages/stenting
– Urological procedures such as nephrostomy/suprapubic tube insertion, ureteric stenting, renal cyst and hydrocele aspiration and sclerotherapy
– Complex biopsies and drainages including lung, liver, kidney, prostate, bone, soft tissue, head and neck, spine
– GI procedures (percutaneous gastrostomy, gastrojejunostomy and direct jejunostomy tube insertion, colonic stenting, esophageal dilatation)
In addition to doing procedures, there will also be significant attention to patient evaluation and comprehensive multidisciplinary clinical management of IR patients. Fellows are expected to attend IR clinic. They will also gain greater familiarity with non-invasive vascular imaging including CTA, MRA and vascular ultrasound in a clinical context.
We have a large catchment area and referral base that allows us to form a collegial working relationship with referring clinicians and non-radiology staff. Our IR techs and nurses are an integral part of our team. The fellow will be expected to integrate into our teams.
All fellows are expected and encouraged to take an active role in educating medical students and residents. Routine participation in educational and clinical rounds. The IR fellow would also have appropriate interventional on-call responsibilities (1 in 4 weeks). Academic pursuits and research are recommended and encouraged.
For further details please contact the IR Fellowship Supervisor, Dr Sabarinath Nair via Marilynn Scott at scottm@mcmaster.ca
Multi-site Regional – St.Catharines General Hospital (Niagara Health) and Juravinski Hospital) Hamilton Health Sciences)
The NH and JH are teaching hospitals and affiliated with McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.
Between these two sites, there is a significant opportunity to gain experience in a wide variety of vascular and non-vascular procedures given the large volume of pathology and diversity of interventional radiology services offered across the two regions. Every site provides general hospital services, but each is unique and caters to a varied patient population. The Juravinski site is attached to a large cancer center and the primary focus is oncology interventions and hepatobiliary procedures. The NH site offers all aspects of IR,vascular and non-vascular interventions including tumor ablation on lung, liver and kidneys and chemoembolization. The NH site is attached to Walkers Family Cancer Center and regional Lung LDAP program. Since there is only one IR fellow rotating through the two sites, there is ample opportunity to obtain plenty of exposure and cater to specific training requirements.
The procedures the fellow would gain exposure to include angiography, stenting/angioplasty, CT and MR angiography, embolizations (Trauma, GI bleeds, Transarterial chemotherapy, Uterine fibroids, Varicoele, preoperative tumor embolization), radiofrequency/microwave/cryoablation ablation (lung/kidney/liver, bone), percutaneous biliary drainages/stenting, urology procedures such as nephrostomy tube insertion and ureteric stenting, central venous access (Port insertions, Tunneled central lines, PICCs), complex biopsies and drainages, dialysis access interventions, GI procedures (percutaneous gastrostomy, gastrojejunostomy and direct jejunostomy tube insertion, colonic stenting, esophageal dilatation), IVC filter insertions/removals , transjugular liver biopsies & intrahepatic stent insertion (TIPSS) and DVT pharmaco- mechanical thrombolysis.
We have a large catchment area and referral base that allows us to form a collegial working relationship with referring clinicians and non-radiology staff. The IR work in both the regions is increasingly clinical based with ever-increasing use of IR consultation clinics.
All fellows are expected and encouraged to take an active role in educating medical students and residents and to routinely participate in educational and clinical rounds.
The IR fellow would also have appropriate interventional on-call responsibilities (1 in 4 weeks). Academic pursuits and research are recommended and encouraged.
Further inquiries can be directed to Marilynn Scott at scottm@mcmaster.ca
AI Imaging Fellowship
AI Imaging Fellowship
This 12-month artificial intelligence medical imaging fellowship is jointly offered by St. Joseph’s Healthcare (SJHH) and Hamilton Health Sciences (HHS), in collaboration with faculty in the McMaster School of Biomedical Engineering. This innovative program will provide a hybrid experience that promotes the development of clinical expertise while simultaneously building a skillset to develop and apply novel artificial intelligence solutions to optimize medical imaging acquisition and analysis. Fellows will be exposed to a variety of cross-sectional imaging modalities in a clinical setting with an emphasis on MRI and CT of the brain, chest, abdomen and pelvis. Additionally they will have opportunity to attend a number of machine learning courses varying from beginner to expert level. The fellow will also be encouraged to spend time with one of our numerous machine learning faculty and their labs filled with graduate students. Each fellow will be assigned two supervisors- one from Radiology and the other from the School of Biomedical Engineering. This unique model will last for the duration of the fellowship and will emphasize development and applying a technological solution to address an aspect of AI in medical imaging.
Structure
The first two months of the fellowship will be spent predominantly on clinical service to gain exposure to workflow and to identify potential opportunities for optimization using AI. Months 3–6 will be 60% clinical time and 40% working with a research supervisor within the School of Biomedical Engineering. For months 6–12 60% of time will be spent with the engineering faculty member, and thus a greater proportion of time will be spent building expertise in artificial intelligence applications. Fellows will assume a lead role on a longitudinal project for the duration of the fellowship involving the application of artificial intelligence to medical imaging under the supervision of one of McMaster’s engineering artificial intelligence experts. Projects can be performed in collaboration with other clinicians, data scientists and engineers.
Since clinical functions will be pursued during this fellowship a valid educational (or independent) license is required.
Multidisciplinary Rounds
Fellows will be expected to lead monthly artificial intelligence in medical imaging rounds.
Equipment
The department of radiology at SJHH boasts state of the art equipment, including multislice CT scanners, CT fluoroscopy, two 1.5T GE MRI units, one 3T Philips MRI unit, as well as a research 3T GE MRI unit. In addition a new imaging research centre (contains state-of-the-art 3T and 256 slice dual energy CT) will be opening September 1st where the focus will include clinical studies, research and education.
Teaching
The fellow will have teaching commitments to Medical Students and Radiology Residents. There will be an opportunity to attend visiting professor lectures (7–8 times per year).
Vacation
Two work weeks (10 days) per 6-month block of your fellowship [Total of four work weeks over your 12- month fellowship program]. Leave must be taken in one-week blocks rather than individual days, unless by special arrangement with the Fellowship Supervisors.
Conference Leave
One week per 12-months upon approval.
Please Note:
In addition to the above fellowships, we are also offering a new Royal College accredited 2-year Neuroradiology (PGY 6-7) residency program. The application process is the same as for our fellowships. If you are interested in applying for the 2024/2026. Please visit Neuroradiology Residency Program for further details.
Deadline: June 1, 2023, to August 31st, 2023