Program Overview

Program Overview

The Thoracic Anesthesia Fellowship program is designed to foster trainee skill and knowledge in the perioperative care of high acuity thoracic surgical patients.

Program Details

• The program is based at Foothills Medical Centre, a referral centre for thoracic surgery in southern Alberta and southeastern British Columbia.
• Surgical procedures include lung resection, esophageal surgery, mediastinal mass resection, chest wall resection, pleurectomy/decortication, and sympathectomy.
• The centre is not a lung transplant facility but can accommodate fellows who wish to pursue electives at a lung transplant facility.
• Foothills Medical Centre is also a leading centre for interventional pulmonary procedures, including diagnostic and therapeutic complex airway procedures.

Fellowship Structure

• Fellows are assigned two to three thoracic surgical operating rooms per week.
• The remaining time is spent in non-thoracic operating rooms, with approximately one non-clinical day per week.
• Time is also spent in the pre-assessment clinic, focusing on developing care plans for thoracic surgical patients, as well as the acute pain service for post-operative pain management.

Expectations

• Fellows are expected to complete a scholarly project during their training.
• They are also expected to be active participants in resident and clerk teaching.

Eligibility Criteria

The eligibility criteria for the program are not specified in the provided context.

Program Manual and Policy

• The Thoracic Anesthesia Fellowship Program Manual is available.
• The Fellowship Policy can be downloaded.

Faculty and Team

• The program is led by experienced faculty members, including Dr. Lorraine Chow, who serves as the clinical lead of Thoracic Anesthesia and the Medical Director of the Perioperative Blood Conservation Program in Alberta Health Services, Calgary Zone.
• Dr. Chow's research interests include hematologic diseases in pregnancy, coagulation testing and transfusion practices, and airway management in pregnancy.

University and Location

• The University of Calgary is located in the heart of Southern Alberta.
• The university acknowledges and pays tribute to the traditional territories of the peoples of Treaty 7, which include the Blackfoot Confederacy, the Tsuut’ina First Nation, and the Stoney Nakoda.
• The city of Calgary is also home to the Métis Nation within Alberta.