Host Institutions

The University of Manitoba is affiliated with two teaching hospitals:

• Health Sciences Centre Winnipeg (HSC)
• St. Boniface General Hospital (SBGH)

The program is also affiliated with CancerCare Manitoba (CCMB) which is adjacent to HSC and within SBGH.

This two-year program in Medical Oncology meets the requirements of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada.

The first year is comprised of mandatory rotations including:

• three months in Haematology
• three months in Radiation Oncology
• one month in Palliative Care
• one month in Gynecologic Oncology
• four months in Medical Oncology

The haematology rotation is focused largely on malignant haematology including one month on the Leukemia/Stem Cell Transplant service.

Early in the first year trainees are assigned a longitudinal clinic, supervised by an attending staff member of the Section. Whenever possible this clinic is chosen to reflect the trainee's stated interests. Participation in this clinic enables trainees to appreciate the long-term nature of much of contemporary cancer care and allows trainees to hone patient interaction and communication skills.

The second year includes six months of Medical Oncology rotations plus six months of elective time. Residents are encouraged to spend one month in Pathology and one month in Community Oncology as part of their elective time but residents with strong academic standing and defined research interests can request the entire six months as a research elective block. Medical Oncology rotations are based on three multi-disease site specific teams. There is no in-house call, and call is largely restricted to Medical Oncology rotations; and never exceeds one in four.

Graded responsibility for the care of both inpatients and outpatients is provided throughout the rotation.

The program is closely linked with CCMB, the organization which oversees cancer care in Manitoba. CancerCare Manitoba is charged by an act of the legislature of Manitoba with responsibility for:

• cancer prevention
• detection
• care
• research
• education for the people of Manitoba

As a centre of choice, CCMB is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for those living with cancer and blood disorders, and to improving control of cancer for all Manitobans.

Based out of two facilities in Winnipeg - the MacCharles Unit adjacent to Health Sciences Centre, and the St. Boniface Unit at the St. Boniface General Hospital. These two sites are only 5 km apart. Each disease site specific rotation includes clinics in both hospitals, providing access to a wide spectrum of clinicians and patients. Currently there are Medical Oncologists between the two facilities seeing approximately 2,000 new patients per year.

The program includes links to a lively research environment. CancerCare Manitoba is extensively involved in:

• clinical trials
• affiliations with the National Cancer Institute of Canada's Clinical Trials Group
• the Radiation Therapy Oncology Group
• industry-sponsored trials

Faculty members are expected to be productive on an academic level and interests range from involvement in:

• basic science research in breast cancer
• Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL)
• prostate cancer (with close ties to the highly-regarded Manitoba Institute of Cell Biology - a joint institute of CCMB and U of M, located at CCMB)
• Clinical Epidemiology research with collaboration through CCMB's Epidemiology Department and the Manitoba Cancer Registry