Advanced Airway Management

(1 position per year)

Clinical Curriculum

The airway fellowship focuses on the acquisition and demonstration of expertise in airway evaluation and management, enabling the individual to serve as an essential resource in the teaching and management of difficult airways.

The fellow will be actively involved in the care of patients undergoing complex head and neck surgical procedures. Approximately 100 major head and neck procedures, 50 laryngectomies and/or pharyngectomies, several tracheal resections, retrosternal thyroidectomies, laser airway surgery, panendoscopies, awake tracheotomies, neck dissections and major reconstructions are performed each year.

Additionally, the fellow will participate in the care of patients undergoing high risk procedures in surgical oncology, vascular surgery, plastic surgery, non-cardiac procedures in patients with cardiac disease, as well as post organ transplant and potential organ transplant recipients.

The fellow will gain proficiency with a range of specific devices including a variety of supraglottic airways, bronchoscopes, video laryngoscopes and optical stylets. There is also an emphasis on identifying and managing the "difficult to extubate" airway, with various evaluation techniques, tube exchangers and supraglottic airways.

The fellow will have the opportunity to participate in the out-patient Head and Neck Clinic, assessing airways, mastering endoscopic techniques, and observing the outcome of complex reconstructions. 

An elective (maximum 2 weeks/academic year) at Mount Sinai Hospital to gain experience in complex airway management for dental surgery (including individuals with developmental delay) can also be arranged.

Call duties

Currently call duties are in house and start at 16:00. Calls are done on a rotational basis and shared amongst the advanced airway and ACP fellows.

Educational Curriculum

Weekly teaching sessions are held Tuesday’s at 17:00 covering various and TGH practice specific topics. Echocardiography lectures and case discussion rounds are done Wednesdays and Thursdays at 17:00 and attendance and participation is encouraged. Monthly professor rounds are organized on Mondays at 17:00. Departmental rounds are scheduled for Friday mornings at 07:30.

A fellow-lead journal club/topic discussion rounds focusing on relevant topics has recently been initiated, running every 4-6 weeks, normally scheduled on Mondays 17:00.

Research

Participation in research and education is expected. Research is integrated into the fellowship with academic time provided to those involved in projects, with a goal of one non-clinical day per week, depending on clinical needs to a maximum of 40 days over a 12-month fellowship period.

There will be opportunities to join existing research projects, initiate new ones and to present findings at local, national, and international meetings.

Participation and presentation in academic conferences is encouraged. Travel grants are available for research presentations at eligible North American meetings.

Active participation in the airway workshops at the Toronto Anesthesia Symposium is expected.

Application requirements and process

The fellowship is aimed at anesthesiologists in their early professional career. Interested applicants need to have successfully completed all the required anesthesia examinations, be registered with the official regulatory authorities and have at least 5 years of anesthesia training and experience at an academic centre. (1 of the 5 years may include a rotational year, also known as an internship, houseman year and medical officer year)

Experience as a staff anesthesiologist based in the operating room in an academic setting for 1-2 years is strongly advised. Your clinical anesthesia practice should be current and exposure during the preceding three years of a fellowship should have a strong operating room component.

A current and valid ACLS certification is a requirement.

If the country where you obtained your medical training does not have English as the primary language, you must demonstrate effective communication in English as it is the language of instruction and patient care. We may request language proficiency documents where appropriate, in line with the minimum scores set out in the FMRAC Model Standards for Medical Registration in Canada:

• International English Language Testing System (IELTS) academic version within the last 24 months at the time of application, and achieved a minimum score of 7.0 in each of the four components in the same sitting; or
• Occupational English Test - Medicine (OET-Medicine) within the last 24 months at the time of application, with a minimum grade of B in each of the four subsets in the same sitting; or
• Canadian English Language Proficiency Index Program-General (CELPIP-General) Test within the last 24 months at the time of application, with a minimum score of 9 in each of the four skills in the same sitting.

Fellowship start dates are normally beginning February and beginning August each year. Applicants need to apply by using the online platform under the UofT website. Applications open 24 months and close 12 months ahead of a possible fellowship start date.

Shortlisted candidates will be contacted 10-16 months before the tentative start date for reference letters and to further the application. An interview will be required. Please do not send any reference letters until requested to do so.

Successful candidates will be notified about 8-14 months ahead of a potential start date.

Begin Your Application

If you are interested in applying, please complete the online application for the respective date:

• The July 2026 application session has now closed.
• If you are interested in applying for July 2027, please complete this online application form.

Please Note: The online application form will close 12 months before the start date

Send direct inquiries to:

Dr. Adam Snyman
Coordinator, Fellowship Program
Toronto General Hospital
200 Elizabeth Street, EN3-438
Toronto, ON, Canada M5G 2C4
adam.snyman@uhn.ca