Testimonials

Dr. Voja Jovanovic

Degrees: BSc (Kinesiology); MD; FRCPC
Year of grad from GI – 2016
Year of completion of IBD fellowship - 2017
Current Employment: Island Health, Victoria, BC

I feel very fortunate to have trained in the Edmonton Gastroenterology program. Both clinical and endoscopic teaching is superb and certainly made me feel prepared to start independent practice. There are ample research opportunities and keen mentors to facilitate this process. The core GI program learning goals are well structured to be met along the way, but the program still has plenty of room to accommodate individual interests/goals. There are ample subspecialty training opportunities and I found that my work with the IBD team and clinical trials unit was invaluable to the day-to-day work I do now. I would highly recommend the University of Alberta program.

Dr. Pernilla D'Souza

GI Graduate 2013

The GI program in Edmonton is a well-balanced program. I truly loved training here! Residents have an excellent exposure to all specialties within GI: transplant hepatology, general hepatology, motility, nutrition, IBD, and advanced therapeutic endoscopy. I felt that training at this busy referral center leaves you well versed in the assessment and management of complex cases, especially in IBD and transplant-hepatology. There are great research mentors to work with. I felt that my educational needs always came first and I was well supported by an amazing group of Gastroenterologists I am now proud to now call my colleagues.

Dr. Cathy Lu

Degrees, MSc, MD
Year of grad from GI - 2014,
Year of completion of IBD fellowship - 2016,
Current Employment: University of Calgary, Foothills Medical Centre

The University of Alberta IBD training program provided me with world class training. It has provided me with the confidence to run a clinical practice and fostered my research interest in bowel ultrasound. I was fortunate to meet many world leaders in IBD who came for visiting professorships to U of A. Transitioning from an IBD fellow to a faculty position was seamless in regards to starting my research career and managing complex IBD cases, as I had been exposed to many during my training. The U of A program stands out with its large clinical trials unit, interdisciplinary teams, supportive faculty, and in particular, its inpatient IBD service. Patients that are admitted are often the most ill or complex. Following these patients on a daily basis allowed me to observe the intricacies that can occur in IBD, the natural history of IBD, and its response to a variety of medical options including surgery. Overall, the U of A training program has innumerable strengths and I am very happy with the training I received.

Dr. Dustin Loomes

Degrees MD, FRCPC,
Year of grad from GI - 2014,
Year of completion of IBD fellowship - 2015,
Currently employment: Island Health 2015

The Edmonton Gastroenterology program provided an incredible breadth of clinical exposure, research experience, and training using state-of-the-art equipment and facilities. The GI staff were not only excellent teachers and role-models but mentors as well.

Dr. Shawn Wasilenko

Degrees: BSc (Biochemistry); PhD (Virology); MD
Year of grad from GI - 2017
Current Employment: Royal Alexandra Hospital, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

The University of Alberta Gastroenterology Training program offers access to a group of outstanding physicians with expertise in all GI-related subspecialties as well as community-based GI physicians. The two-year program is organized in such a way as to ensure core GI elements are experienced with enough leeway to tailor one's learning to include personal interests. As a trainee, I felt as though multiple staff members had a clear interest in my success inclusive of my future goals and employment for which their collegial intellectualism and mentorship were key. Overall, the program prepared me for independent practice.