Forensic Pathology Residency Training Program - Pathology

PGY-6 forensic pathology residency training program overview

Program Length:
- One year
Session Dates:
- July 1 – June 30
Program Structure:
- A series of rotations at the Eastern Ontario Regional Forensic Pathology Unit in Ottawa, Ontario and one rotation at the Provincial Forensic Pathology Unit in Toronto, Ontario
- Weekly academic half-days following a National Curriculum in Forensic Pathology shared by all the forensic pathology training programs in Canada
Evaluation Methods:
- Direct and indirect observation and completion of Entrustable Professional Activities (EPAs) established by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada for Forensic Pathologists
- Written and Practical Exams
- A resident-completed Logbook
Program Director:
- Dr James Macpherson ([email protected])
Accreditation:
Royal College of Physicians & Surgeons of Canada

Program structure

The residency is 13 blocks (12-months) in duration divided into stages as follows:

Two block of Transition to Discipline
Three blocks of Foundations of Discipline
Six blocks of Core of Discipline, including one funded mandatory block at the Provisional Forensic Pathology Unit in Toronto
Three blocks of Transition to Practice

The major educational components of the residency are as follows:

Performing autopsies and completing autopsy reports
Observing autopsies and courtroom testimony of staff forensic pathologists
Attending academic half-days following a National Curriculum in Forensic Pathology shared by all the forensic pathology training programs in Canada
Attending dead scenes with staff forensic pathologists and coroners
Performing focused dissections of hearts and brains in forensic pathology cases under the supervision of trained cardiac pathologists and neuropathologists
Completing a research project in forensic pathology with the supervision and assistance of a staff forensic pathologist
Attending conferences, seminars and other educational events

About the Eastern Ontario Regional Forensic Pathology Unit (EORFPU)

The Eastern Ontario Regional Forensic Pathology Unit (EORFPU) is part of the Ontario Forensic Pathology Service (OFPS). It is physically situated within the General Campus of The Ottawa Hospital and is affiliated with the University of Ottawa. The Unit conducts routine and complicated medicolegal postmortem examinations under Coroners' warrant for the Greater Ottawa Area and Eastern Ontario, and is a referral center for complicated medicolegal autopsies for Nunavut. The Unit, staffed by 5 full time Forensic Pathologists, conducts approximately 1,000 postmortem examinations per year, including pediatric cases requiring forensic expertise. The staff at the EORFPU have ready access to experts in cardiac pathology, neuropathology, pediatric pathology and all areas of surgical pathology, as well as comprehensive histology and immunohistochemistry.

Applying to the program

Applicants must be either a Canadian citizen or Permanent Resident.
Candidates must be proficient in both written and spoken English
At the time of application, applicants must be either enrolled in, or have completed:
- A residency program in, Diagnostic and Molecular Pathology (DaMP) or Diagnostic and Clinical Pathology (DaCP) within Canada or;
- A residency program in Anatomic Pathology (AP), Clinical Pathology (CP) or a combined AP/CP program in the United States
By the start date of July 1, applicants must have successfully completed their pathology residency training program and its associated Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada (RCPSC) or American Board of Pathology (ABPath) certification examination
The candidate should have a demonstrable interest in autopsy and/or forensic pathology

The formal deadline for applications is June 30 of the applicants PGY3 year. For example: June 30, 2020 to begin July 1, 2022*

Applicants must submit an Application form as well as the following documents**:

Application form for the residency year 2027-2028. (PDF, 278.64 KB)

Application form for the residency year 2029-2030. (PDF, 278.57 KB)

PGY6 Fellowship Dates
Item	Dates
PGY6 Residency Start Date	July 1, 2027
Application deadline	November 30, 2026

PGY6 Fellowship Dates
Item	Dates
PGY6 Residency Start Date	July 1, 2029
Application deadline	June 30, 2027

Cover Letter/Personal Statement
Current Curriculum Vitae
Three Reference Letters including at least one from your postgraduate training program or recent employer. These letters should be sent directly from the writer to the Pathology and Laboratory Medicine (PaLM) Department at the University of Ottawa
A Specialty Certificate from the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada in Diagnostic and Molecular Pathology or Diagnostic and Clinical Pathology or proof of certification by the American Board of Pathology.
If an applicant's expected date of completion of specialty certification is after the application deadline, please include a letter of good standing from your residency program director listing your expected completion date. This letter should be sent directly from the writer to the Pathology and Laboratory Medicine (PaLM) Department at the University of Ottawa***

* Residency position may still be available outside of the normal application deadlines. To inquire about available positions, or for more information about the program or resident elective opportunities, contact the Pathology and Laboratory Medicine (PaLM) Department or program director.

**We may request further documentation based on the individual circumstances of applicants.

***Applicants still in training will be required to submit proof of successful certification examination completion when it becomes available. Failure to do so by the program's start date will mean that the candidate may no longer be eligible.

ALL documentation is to be submitted via email to:
Forensic Pathology Residency Training Program
Pathology and Laboratory Medicine (PaLM)
Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa
4155-451 Smyth rd, Ottawa, Ontario, K1H 8M5
[email protected]