Regional Anesthesia and Pain Management (MSH)

Sinai Health System

The Department of Anesthesia, Sinai Health System (SHS), University of Toronto will offer a one-year fellowship in Regional Anesthesia and Pain Management. The goal of the fellowship is to provide anesthesiologists with the necessary knowledge and skill to manage acute pain for complex patients, including regional anesthesia techniques and multimodal analgesia. The fellowship will start in February or August. 

Sinai Health System is a tertiary academic centre of excellence, affiliated with the University of Toronto. The fellowship is salaried and includes research and clinical work within the department.

Clinical Responsibilities

Surgical cases in the operating room consist of general surgery, orthopedics, plastics, gynecology, ophthalmology, otolaryngology, oral and maxillofacial surgery, dentistry, urology, and major oncological surgery. Responsibilities include supervision and teaching of junior and senior residents in the program and medical students. Fellows will be taking 16-hour in-house calls or 24-hour home calls, with in-house consultants available at all times, covering both the operating room emergency surgeries and Labour and Delivery. Fellows will get one protected day every other week to focus on their acute pain research projects and academic work.

Regional Anesthesia

Surgical cases in the operating room consist of general surgery, complex and routine orthopedics, plastics, gynecology, ophthalmology, otolaryngology, oral and maxillofacial surgery, dentistry, urology and major oncological surgery. Our site subspecializes in complex primary and revision joint surgery, sarcoma surgery and obstetrics (which all fellows regardless of subspecialty program cover overnight on call).

Responsibilities include supervision and teaching of junior and senior residents in the program, and medical students. Fellows will be taking 16 hour in-house calls or home calls with in-house consultants available at all times covering both the operating rooms emergency surgeries and Labour and Delivery.

Regional Anesthesia

Regional anesthesia at SHS is provided through a block room model under the supervision of experienced regional anesthesiologists. At SHS, our block room performs approximately single injection 2000 nerve blocks per year and almost 500 continuous nerve block catheters. Fellows will be exposed and gain proficiency to a variety of regional anesthesia techniques including common upper and lower limb blocks, brachial plexus blocks, truncal blocks, as well as continuous nerve block catheter insertions and thoracic epidurals. SHS has a unique orthopedic surgical oncology service that requires complex continuous blocks, as well as a high volume of arthroplasty cases with a complex patient population that require neuraxial techniques and lower extremity blocks. The successful applicant will learn to perform all peripheral nerve block techniques as well as neuraxial procedures and truncal blocks with ultrasound guidance. Moreover, fellows will develop skills in managing operative room and block room flow.

Acute Pain Service

Fellows will also support the Acute Pain Service rotation at SHS with rescue or pre-operative regional anesthesia techniques. The Acute Pain Service manages approximately 1,500 patients per year including complex patients with chronic pain and cancer pain.

Research

Regional Anesthesia and Pain Management fellows are encouraged to participate in academic, research, and educational activities. Over the course of the year, up to 40 working days may be allocated for academic activities include the design of new research projects, acute pain quality improvement projects, as well as data analysis and writing of scientific papers. Feasibility of the project and progress must be demonstrated throughout the year to receive these academic days.

Workload Distribution

Eligibility and Requirements

All applicants must satisfy fellow requirements as per the university department, https://anesthesia.utoronto.ca/applying-fellowship-program

Candidates should have a minimum of 30 months training completed in clinical anesthesia and passed all certification exam(s) required for the specialty of anesthesia in their own country. 

Applicants must be eligible for registration with Post Graduate Medical Education at the University of Toronto and for a post graduate medical education license with the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada.

American applicants should preferably have passed their ABA exams, although consideration will be given to those that are Board Eligible.  Preference will be given to applicants who are within 7 years of completing their training.

Applicants that are freshly graduated from a 3- year anesthesia training program are encouraged to complete at least a year of independent practice or complete a fellowship elsewhere. Preference will be given to applicants who fulfil this requirement. English language requirement (if medical training was not done in English.)

There are 4 positions available with 2 starts in February and 2 starts in August.

Applications should be sent in between 18-24 months before the anticipated start date of the fellowship.

The required documents and information to complete the initial application include:

1. An updated curriculum vitae
2. Letter of intent stating the applicant's goals and objectives in undertaking the fellowship.
3. Names and contact details of 3 referees

Please also refer to the University of Toronto Department of Anesthesia web page HERE for further details on general eligibility requirements for undertaking fellowship training.

Begin Your Application

Applicants can apply using the online platform:

• If you are interested in applying for August 2025, please complete this online application form HERE
• If you are interested in applying for August 2026, please complete this online application form HERE
• If you are interested in applying for August 2027, please complete this online application form HERE 

Direct Inquiries to:

Sharon Peacock
Staff Anesthesiologist
Sinai Health System
600 University Avenue | Toronto, ON M5G 1X5
P: (416) 586-4800 x5270
E: sharon.peacock@sinaihealthsystem.ca