Transfusion Medicine

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Transfusion Medicine Area of Focused Competence (AFC) Program overview

Program length: One - two years

Session dates: July 1 – June 30

Program structure: Series of hospital and CBS based rotations

Evaluation methods: In-training assessments, training portfolio

Program Director: Dr. Yulia Lin

Certification: Diploma of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada

Accreditation: Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada

The AFC Diploma Program in Transfusion Medicine is based at the University of Toronto affiliated hospitals, as well as Canadian Blood Services.

Trainees with a background in Internal Medicine, Hematology, Pediatrics, Hematological Pathology, Anaesthesiology or General Pathology will develop the required skills and competencies to practice all aspects of Transfusion Medicine, including its foundations in the sciences and research

Program structure

The fellowship provides training in:

the diagnostic and therapeutic aspects of immunohematology, apheresis, histocompatibility, and related molecular biology and biotechnology
management of the medical laboratory and blood centre, including quality, safety and regulatory aspects
ensuring the appropriate use of blood
ensuring the adequacy of supply for the blood system
supervising the provision of a safe and effective blood supply
supervising the banking and provision of cell therapy products and human tissues for transplantation purposes
engaging governments, other physicians and other health professionals in Transfusion Medicine
advancing the discipline through basic scientific and clinically applied research

Supported through:

>120,000 whole blood donations, >6000 apheresis donations per year
>350,000 blood products transfused per year
>50,000 red cell antibody investigation cases per year
>700 transfusion reaction investigations per year
>400 bone marrow transplants
>700 solid organ transplants per year

How you are assessed

Complex transfusion cases
Antibody lab reports
In-training examinations (written, oral)
Documented training assignments (consultation, quality projects etc.)
Documented contribution to clinical and educational rounds/seminars
Evidence of scholarly activity

You will submit your completed training portfolio to the RCPSC for assessment and, if successful, will obtain a diploma in official recognition of your subspecialty training.

Eligibility and how to apply

To be eligible, you must have Royal College certification in (or enrolment in a Royal College accredited residency program in these areas):

Internal Medicine
Hematology
Pediatrics
Hematological Pathology
Anesthesiology
General Pathology

You must be certified in your primary specialty in order to be eligible for the Royal College certification portfolio in Transfusion Medicine.

Application process

Application deadline for July start: September 1 of the prior year (for example, September 1, 2020 application deadline for July 2021 start date).

To apply, follow the same process for Clinical and Research Fellowships.

Funding

Funding is supported by Canadian Blood Services. You must be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident to be eligible for funding.

Our graduates

All our trainees now work in centres across Canada. See below for what some of our graduates are doing now.

Name and designations	Year completed training	Now working in Transfusion Medicine in…
Marc Bienz, MD, MSc, FRCPC, DRCPSC	2024	Jewish General Hospital, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec
Heather VanderMeulen, MD, FRCPC, MSc, DRCPSC	2023	Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Toronto, ON
Catherine Dube, MD, FRCPC, DRCPSC	2022	Hôpital Charles-Le Moyne, Centre désigné des activités transfusionnelles de la Montérégie, Greenfield Park, QC Affiliated with Université de Sherbrooke
Bryan Tordon, MD, FRCPC, DRCPSC	2022	Alberta Precision Laboratories, University of Calgary
Rachel Jug, MB BCh BAO, DRCPSC	2021	University of Cincinnati Medical Center
Aditi Khandelwal, BSc Hons, MDCM, MSc, FRCPC, DRCPSC	2020	Canadian Blood Services, Unity Health-St. Michael's Hospital, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre
Matthew Yan MD FRCPC DRCPSC MSc	2018	Canadian Blood Services Fraser Health Authority, British Columbia
Anne-Sophie Lemay, MD, FRCPC, DRCPSC	2016	Centre hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal, Montréal, Québec
Asim Alam, MD, FRCPC, DRCPSC	2014	Medical Director of Utilization Services, Canadian Blood Services, Toronto, ON

Clinical and Professional Programs Assistant

Tara Asgharzadeh

416 978 1004

pathology.residency@utoronto.ca