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Why PGME?

Top reasons to choose your Postgraduate Medical Education at the University of Ottawa

Welcome Message from Dr. Avik Nath, Vice-Dean PGME

Dr. Avik Nath
Dr. Avik Nath, MD, MSc, CCFP(EM), FCFP

Welcome to the Postgraduate Medical Education (PGME) program at the University of Ottawa.

At PGME, we’re committed to fostering growth and development of our trainees while advancing excellence in patient care. Our world-class training programs are designed to provide innovative clinical experiences, underpinned by evidence-based educational strategies. We develop well-rounded, resilient and highly competent health-care professionals who go on to become medical leaders and community experts.

We prioritize offering an exceptional learning and teaching environment for both trainees and educators. Our dedicated, world-renowned experts provide high-quality competency-based medical education that’s continually evolving. Trainees are vital members of our patient care teams, and we take immense pride in the outstanding care they provide.

The PGME program at the University of Ottawa is proud to support over 1,000 Canadian trainees and 400 international trainees. We oversee:

  • 63 Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada (RCPSC) residency programs, including a Clinician Investigator Program (CIP) and Surgical Foundations (SF)
  • 2 CFPC residency programs, including Core Family Medicine (FM) and Enhanced Skills (seven Category 1 and five Category 2 programs),
  • 9 Royal College Areas of Focused Competence (AFC) programs
  • 181 Clinical Fellowship programs

Our Postgraduate Medical Education programs offer an array of benefits, including access to innovative research tools, exceptional teaching opportunities and strong support from program directors and professors. We work closely with our affiliated hospitals and the broader community to cultivate world-class learning environments. Working alongside world renowned clinicians and researchers, our trainees gain unparalleled hands-on experience and mentorship.

Whether you’re a trainee or a professor, we welcome you to our vibrant, supportive PGME community. We hope your time with us is both professionally enriching and personally rewarding. Together, we strive to push the boundaries of medical education and patient care, in alignment with the Faculty of Medicine’s strategic vision: “Leading innovation for a healthier world.”

Why Choose Our Postgraduate Medical Education

  • Excellent training opportunities: We offer more than 75 training programs that provide innovative clinical experiences through a variety of educational strategies that guide our trainees into well-rounded clinicians. New residency and fellowship training programs are continually being implemented with our partner hospitals as we collaboratively enhance patient care.
  • Leading health care settings: Our residents and fellows complete their medical training in our affiliated academic health science centres, including The Ottawa Hospital, Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario, Hôpital Montfort, The Royal and Bruyère Continuing Care, as well as hospitals in rural communities in Eastern and Northern Ontario. Additionally, we have one of the largest medical simulation facilities in North America, the University of Ottawa Skills and Simulations Centre.
  • Training in a Francophone milieu: Training in French is offered by many programs through our partnership with L’Hôpital Montfort. Furthermore, we offer unique training opportunities with our international partner, L’Université de Lyon in France.
  • Specialties, subspecialties, and Areas of Focused Competence (AFC) programs: We offer 29 specialty and 46 subspecialty programs that lead to certification by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada and the College of Family Physicians Canada. We also offer 5 AFC programs that provide additional training post-residency. AFCs build upon a broader discipline in order to enhance scope of practice.
  • Fellowships and Clinician Investigator Program (CIP): We offer many fellowship opportunities and accept over 150 foreign trainees annually who bring a wide range of skills and cultural diversity that serve to enrich our programs and Faculty. Our CIP allows residents to complete either a Masters or PhD while conducting research and providing health care.

Our Mission 

To expand our global leadership in a dynamic environment through interdisciplinary innovation in education, research, health of populations, and patient-partnered care, in both official languages.