Cardiology
Welcome to the Cardiology Residency Program at the University of Alberta.
preparation
Trainees are provided with learning experiences and assessments that support their development into highly skilled and confident cardiologists
flexibility
Flexibility in this program enables trainees to tailor their skillset to become highly competitive in fellowships and job markets
WELLNESS
This program emphasizes wellness, balance, and resilience to prepare trainees for a long and satisfying career
Interview/CaRMS Specific Information
Canadian Citizens and Permanent Residents: August 20, 2024 @ 10 a.m. MT (or 12 p.m. ET)
Foreign Sponsored Trainees: July 31, 2024
Program Information Session: September 9, 2024
Interview Days: September 10, 12, 13, and 20, 2024
More information about the interview process can be found on our Application Process page.
Dr. Janek Senaratne
Program Director
Welcome to Our Program
The University of Alberta offers a comprehensive training program in Adult Cardiology with a large complement of organized training experiences designed to enable each trainee to meet and exceed the Cardiology objectives mandated by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada (RCPSC).
Our program is committed to training outstanding Cardiologists who are well equipped to excel as contemporary cardiovascular specialists, making them in high demand for fellowship and staff positions, and fostering their career goals across the broad spectrum of available opportunities within Cardiology.
Our program follows the objectives for subspecialty training in Adult Cardiology put forth by the RCPSC and the Bethesda Task Force in Adult Cardiology Training of the American College of Cardiology (ACC).
The foundational principles of general internal medicine training are applicable to Cardiology. However, major advances in the diagnosis and treatment of patients with cardiovascular diseases have increased the demands on the cardiovascular specialist and require an ongoing re-evaluation of cardiovascular training.
With support from the University of Alberta Division of Cardiology, we have created an environment that fosters the development of knowledge, clinical skills, judgment, compassion, and attitudes essential to the modern Cardiologist and encourages our trainees to cultivate an attitude of scholarship and dedication to continuing education that will remain throughout their professional careers.
Our Program
Program Highlights
Accreditation: Successful Royal College program accreditation in 2017 with no identified weaknesses
Adult Congenital Heart Disease: We are a referral centre for congenital heart surgery and have one of the busiest adult congenital heart disease clinics in Canada, following nearly 1800 people
Backup Call Coverage: We support our early cardiology trainees with six blocks of procedural backup call coverage. This is currently the longest such backup call among Adult Cardiology residency training programs in Canada
Outside Calls: Our trainees get early hands on exposure to providing support to community physicians' cardiology issues and assisting with patient transfer decisions. The Provincial physician support line streamlines looping cardiology attendings, air transport, and other clinical services into discussions in real time
Diversity: Our program places a priority on equity and diversity, and acknowledges our social responsibility to train Cardiologists that reflect and support the diversity of the Canadian population we serve
Residency at a Glance
Starting July 2021, Adult Cardiology residency training programs across Canada implemented a curriculum called Competency by Design (CBD), which is based on the competency-based medical education model. Each trainee will advance through four stages of training and within each stage will complete Entrustable Professional Activities (EPAs) and milestones, based on the CanMEDS framework.
Cardiology Residency Training Program at the University of Alberta Hospital offers the following electives for Medical Students and Internal Medicine Residents
- CCU
- Ward
- Consults
- Ambulatory Clinics
- EP
In addition Cardiology Residents who are interested in pursuing an elective at the University of Alberta Hospital can choose one of the above electives as well as
- Echo
- MRI
- Cardiac Cath
- Transplant
- Adult Congenital Heart Disease
If you would like to apply for any of the electives please contact:
Cardiology Medical Education Program Coordinator
E-mail: medncard@ualberta.ca
Please note that with every request for elective a CV and a letter of objectives is required.
Teaching Hospitals
A unique feature of our program is trainee access to the Mazankowski Alberta Heart Institute, commonly referred to as “the Maz”, a world class cardiac health care facility that opened in July 2009. As the primary training site for our program, the Maz provides our residents with invaluable experience providing cardiac care to a diverse mix of urban and rural populations while being supported by highly skilled Cardiologists, Cardiovascular Surgeons, and dedicated cardiac health care professionals. The Maz provides our residents with access to state-of-the-art equipment, enabling them to carry out the full spectrum of available diagnostic, treatment, and rehabilitation options for their patients, all with the convenience of being under one roof.
Facts about the Maz:
- Serves the urban Edmonton and area population as well as the rural populations of northern Alberta through RAAPID North
- Home to 14 multidisciplinary cardiac research centres including the Alberta Cardiovascular and Stroke Research Centre (ABACUS), Cardiovascular Research Centre (CVRC), and Servier Virtual Cardiac Centre
- Home to the Jim Pattison Centre for Heart Health, one of two sites that support the Northern Alberta Cardiac Rehabilitation Program (NACRP)
The Mazankowski Alberta Heart Institute is supported by the University Hospital Foundation (UHF). Read the latest Annual Report for the Maz here.
The Mazankowski Alberta Heart Institute is attached to the University of Alberta Hospital (UAH) which is the largest medical complex in Edmonton. The UAH complex contains the Walter C. Mackenzie Health Sciences Centre (WMC) and Stollery Children's Hospital and is connected to or within a short walking distance of the Kaye Edmonton Clinic, Edmonton Clinic Health Academy (ECHA), Zeidler Ledcor Centre (ZLC), and Cross Cancer Institute (CCI). Our residents support the UAH Emergency Department and offer inpatient consults as requested. Residents also undertake training in pediatric congenital heart disease at the Stollery as part of their scheduled rotations and have the option of completing electives at UAH in other Internal Medicine subspecialties, Critical Care Medicine, Cardiac Surgery, Anesthesiology, and Transplant. Medical education for University of Alberta trainees is supported through on-site administration offices in ECHA, ZLC, and the Clinical Sciences Building (CSB).
The University of Alberta Hospital is supported by the University Hospital Foundation (UHF). Read the latest Annual Report for the UHF here.
The Royal Alexandra Hospital (RAH) is the second-largest medical complex in Edmonton and home of the CK Hui Heart Centre which opened to patients in May 2011. Residents in our program complete some of their scheduled rotations at RAH including CICU, Echocardiography, Electrophysiology, Exercise Stress Testing, and Interventional. The nearby Hys Medical Centre is home to the Edmonton Cardiology Consultants office which accepts patient referrals and offers another training facility for our residents. Also nearby are the Glenrose Rehabilitation Hospital, the second Edmonton site that supports the NACRP, the Lois Hole Hospital for Women, and the Eye Institute of Alberta.
RAH is supported by the Royal Alexandra Hospital Foundation (RAHF). Read the latest Annual Report here.
Program Supports
- Educational Rounds: Dedicated and comprehensive, up to 8 hours/week, including academic half-day, bedside physical examination, hemodynamics, angiography and interventional cardiology, advanced cardiac imaging, ECG and electrophysiology, journal clubs, scholarly activity rounds, and Program Director rounds.
- Trainees also have frequent preparatory exams and an annual OSCE.
resident testimonials
Our residents share some of their experiences with our program as well as what they like about Edmonton, their highlights of the program, or one piece of advice for applicants about the interview process. Here is what a few of them had to say.
“An excellent place to do residency training. The clinical exposure is world class. You will be well trained to deal with any acuity ill patient."
–Sanam Verma (PGY6)
"Absolutely loving the program. Very supportive staff and admins who made me feel at home from day one. Training is top notch and research opportunities are great and diverse.”
–Motasem Alyamani (PGY6)
“The University of Alberta Adult Cardiology program is an extraordinary training program for several reasons. Firstly, the program is dedicated to resident learning. Our Program Director and his colleagues are very receptive to resident feedback and continually seek to improve the program. The program is very accommodating to however you would like to tailor your residency”
–Haran Yogasundaram (PGY 4)
“I was exposed to patients with a wide array of pathology and I had the opportunity to learn from talent from across the globe on the cutting edge of medicine.”
– Ermin Nath (PGY6)
“Friendly and approachable attending physicians, particularly when on call.”
– Matt Church (PGY 4)
“I am now four months into training and surely blessed with my choice."
– Rabia Kashur (PGY4)
Contact Us
Dr. Janek Senaratne
Program Director
Cardiology Residency Program
janeks@ualberta.ca
780-407-7078
Melissa Peters
Medical Education Program Coordinator (MEPC)
medncard@ualberta.ca
780-248-1441
Dr. Nathan Gamble
Cardiology Lead Resident
cardres@ualberta.ca
Dr. Kai Yi Wu
Cardiology Lead Resident
cardres@ualberta.ca