The Burns Anaesthesia Fellowship (SHSC)

Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre is fully affiliated with the University of Toronto and is one of four major teaching hospitals in the city. There are three hospital sites: Bayview Campus, Holland Centre and St. John's Rehab. Fellows will be expected to work at Bayview Campus and the Holland Centre depending on their subspecialty interest. Sunnybrook is a major tertiary referral centre for cardiac (700 cases/year), major trauma (800+/year), oncology, and burns.  A full complement of surgical specialties except for pediatrics are on site. In total the hospital carries out approximately 18,000 surgical procedures per year and provides obstetrical services for over 4,000 deliveries per year. The Department of Anaesthesia also runs a Clinical Simulation Centre, providing training for multiple medical specialties.

The Burns Anaesthesia Fellowship (BAF) is a one-year fellowship based at the University of Toronto. This fellowship focuses on gaining skills and competencies in the perioperative anaesthetic management and the ICU care of all type of patients with burn injuries, including those with acute and chronic thermal, electrical and complex wounds.  The Ross Tilley Burn Centre (RTBC) at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre is the largest burn care centre in Canada and is the first burn centre in Canada and the second outside the United States to be verified by the American Burn Association. The RTBC has large catchment population and a mature burn management system. It admits an average of 300 patients every year with complex burns and wounds. 

Program / Curriculum

The primary goal of this fellowship is to provide hands on clinical experience in all aspects of perioperative burn care, including: initial admission evaluation and stabilization, operative burn anesthesia care, and pre- and post-operative critical care and pain management.

During the fellowship, candidates will spend 50% of their clinical time in the Burn operating room (which is part of the RTBC) and in the RTBC ICU.  The fellow will learn the principles of burns resuscitation, fluid management and prevention of complications.  They will also be exposed to the fundamentals of wound care management and the complex issues of pain management in the burns population.  The fellow will also learn and be expected to help with the intensive care management of burns patients including management of the airway, ventilation, burns shock, haemodynamic instability and infection control.  This is a multidisciplinary field of patient care and the fellow will learn how the health care systems integrate for best patient outcome, by collaborating and learning from anaesthetists, surgeons, intensivists, nurses, nurse practitioners, physiotherapist and occupational health specialist amongst others.

Objectives

Academic objectives include an expectation to participate in clinical research and/or quality improvement opportunities in burn care.

With the remainder of their clinical time, the fellow will be independently providing perioperative anesthesia care in our main operating rooms in a junior attending capacity. Fellows are also expected to provide evening and weekend on-call operating room coverage. Fellows may work in the pre-assessment clinic in rotation with staff. Fellows will also participate in running the Acute Pain Service on a rotational basis.

Duration and Positions

This fellowship is 12 months. Fellowships that are shorter or longer may be pursued under certain circumstances.

There is one (1) position per year.

Licensing

Once accepted, a temporary license is issued by the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario (CPSO). This enables the fellow to practice under direct supervision in a teaching hospital. After successful completion of a 1 to 3 month assessment period, the CPSO issues an educational license and the fellow may continue the fellowship. This assessment period is mandated by the CPSO and failure of this assessment will preclude licensure and the fellowship will be immediately terminated.

Medical Malpractice insurance must be procured by the fellow.

Application Process

Please follow the application instructions and note that the application links provided will close after the application cut-off date. You may, under special circumstances, be considered for a late application. Please contact the Fellowship Director if you are applying outside the normal timeline.

The fellowship committee will review and rank all candidates and only those highest ranked will be contacted. Fluency in English is mandatory. Applicants whose first language is not English must pass the TOEFL/TSE or IETLS.

The application process is outlined below:

• Applications should be made at least 15 months in advance
• To apply please use the following links below.  Each link corresponds to a specific intake period.  Please choose only one intake period for your application (if you are flexible in your start time please make this clear in your letter of intent).
• In addition to using the links below please send a CV and letter of intent to Dr. Roland Xu (shuzhengrong.xu@sunnybrook.ca).
• The letter of intent should stipulate the fellowship position you are applying for and indicate the dates you wish to work, your educational goals, research aims (if any) and future plans.
• Reference letters need to be signed by the referee and sent independently to our office.
• Please note that when applying, electronic correspondence (i.e. email) is preferred for all documents (including reference letters).

Begin Your Application

Applicants can apply using the online platform: 

• The January 2027 application session has now closed.
• If you are interested in applying for July 2027, please complete this online application form HERE
• If you are interested in applying for January 2028, please complete this online application form HERE

General Inquiries and Reference Letters should be directed to:

Dr. Roland Xu (shuzhengrong.xu@sunnybrook.ca)
Fellowship Director, Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine
Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre
2075 Bayview Avenue, Room M3-200
Toronto, Ontario
Canada M4N 3M5