As one of the largest academic laboratories in the world, our team is committed to attracting, teaching and mentoring the best people so that we can create new knowledge and innovation within the world of lab medicine.
Our Laboratory Medicine Program (LMP) is engaged in collaborative teaching, learning, and education innovation, especially in harnessing virtual formats and strategies to build capacity and enrich learning experience.
Education Task Force
LMP engages an Education Task Force to ensure a multi-disciplinary and interprofessional strategic guidance of entry-to-practice training, continuing education, observerships, and education administration and innovation.
Learning Opportunities (Clinically-Affiliated Training Programs)
The LMP Team is affiliated with a number of recognized academic programs, with primary partnerships with the
University of Toronto and the
Michener Institute of Education at UHN. LMP periodically supports learners in other related programs in these disciplines.
Through our partnerships, we support:
- Undergraduate and post-graduate medical learners
- Graduate and post-doctoral scientific and research education
- Medical Laboratory Technologists & Medical Laboratory Assistants
- Cytology and genetics training programs
Second-Entry Diploma/Collegial Programs
LMP hosts students from a number of first and second-entry affiliated programs for medical laboratory technologists (MLTs), assistants (MLAs), genetics technologists (molecular genetics and cytogenetics), and pathobiology specialists, professionals positioned at both the bench and the point-of-care across our laboratory disciplines.
Medical Laboratory Technologists (MLTs)
LMP provides clinical placement in all laboratory disciplines for general MLT students from the Michener Institute, including Biochemistry, Hematology, Microbiology, Transfusion Medicine and Histology.
LMP supports specialized MLT placements for the Genetics Technology program at the Michener Institute. Genetics Technologists use a range of techniques, instrumentation and analytical software – from microscopes to the latest genomic analyzers. Specifically, genetic testing involves the study of chromosomes (Cytogenetics) as well as the analysis of DNA and RNA (Molecular Genetics).
LMP provides clinical placement for MLA students from affiliated colleges, namely Centennial College and St. Lawrence College. MLAs, also known as medical laboratory technicians, undertake a shorter course of study than medical laboratory technologists to equip them to serve an essential role in supporting the work of other professionals. Work includes sorting and preparing laboratory samples and operating complex laboratory equipment.
Graduate & Post-Graduate Programs
Through affiliations with related programs at the University of Toronto, LMP is a key partner in the new Pathologist Assistant graduate program (Masters level) as well as clinical microbiology and clinical chemistry post-doctorate diplomas and a medical geneticist scientist program.
Our postgraduates have unparalleled access to a broad spectrum of case material, expert faculty, world-leading training sites and research. The flexibility of our Clinical Microbiology program will allow you to develop the necessary skills to become a manager and consultant while continuing to foster your passion for clinically relevant research.
This program has a series of hospital-based rotations as well as didactic curriculum. As part of a department with a wide spectrum of research, you will have the unique opportunity to pursue your particular area of interest.
The
Postdoctoral Training Program in Clinical Chemistry is one of several clinical laboratory training programs offered by the Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology (LMP), Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto.
Clinical chemistry fellows in the University of Toronto post-doctoral training program spend six months (January-June) at UHN's Division of Biochemistry to complete their first year of training. This rotation covers all the areas in the Biochemistry Laboratory and includes weekly three-hour teaching sessions by clinical chemists on selected topics and bi-weekly clinical teaching sessions by physicians at UHN. One-hour discussions with biochemists are scheduled to review the previous week's work, completion of spectrophotometry project, completion of a number of practical projects (usually at least one analytical and one clinical) and the fellows are the biochemist on-call during this rotation (test request approvals, consultations (both laboratory and clinical), trouble-shooting/investigations, and test interpretation (including IFE) for 5 months).
Rotations in the Clinical Genomics Laboratory involve interpreting the genetic findings within tumors and for inherited conditions. The rotation features interactions with our MLTs, variant annotation specialists and scientists. The rotation includes practical cases across multiple tumor sites and direct exposure to genomic data for analysis and clinical interpretation. Participants will become familiar with the testing methods used in Clinical Genomics Laboratories and be able to apply best practices when reviewing genomic data and reporting the results for clinical use.
The University of Toronto Pathologists' Assistant Program is a two-year, full-time professional Master of Health Science Degree program. The program provides students with the skills necessary to gross (macroscopically examine, describe and sample) surgical specimens and perform autopsies as pathologists' assistants. The program encompasses a full year of graduate-level coursework, followed by a year of clinical placements in surgical pathology, medical autopsy, and forensic autopsy. Students in the Pathologists' Assistant Program are also required to complete a capstone research project.
Physician Training Programs
LMP is an affiliated clinical partner for the
University of Toronto Laboratory Medicine Program Residency Programs, hosting a series of mandatory and elective rotations as well as three hours/week didactic sessions, seminars and an organized teaching program to supplement residency training, while reviewing a wide spectrum of clinical material.
The 5-year program has a series of mandatory and elective rotations as well as three hours/week didactic sessions Seminars and an organized teaching program supplement residency training. Centralized and hospital-based seminars and rounds are held regularly, as well as graduate and joint interdepartmental seminars which residents are encouraged to attend. An academic half-day each week is an integral part of the program. The residency program has a large volume and a wide spectrum of clinical material; there are opportunities for interprovincial and international electives while training in our program. Residents have access to electronic medical resources through the hospital and U of T library system. In addition, research is especially emphasized during training. Residents may undertake research projects while on core, mandatory or elective rotations or opt for dedicated research electives of three to 12 months duration. Residents are expected to give presentations of their projects at the annual Departmental Postgraduate Trainee Research Day.
The program has a series of mandatory and elective rotations as well as weekly didactic sessions. This program offers a wide spectrum of clinical material from routine to very rare cases. Multiple training sites within the program allow residents to see different practice patterns, site, and staff that have particular expertise in subsections of hematologic pathology. Ability to train across all disciplines of hematologic pathology on site, which a high faculty to resident ratio. There are opportunities for interprovincial and international electives. Research opportunities offer a wide variety of clinical activity and relationships with multiple research institutions associated with the University and Hospital Research Centres. Weekly Academic Half Days are offered. Inclusion of Hematologic Pathology residents in the U of T Clinical Hematology Academic Half Days and other Hematology teaching rounds.
Residents will be integrated into all aspects of the cytopathology practice in the laboratory including FNA on-site assessment for image-guided and endoscopic sampling, performance of FNA at the cytopathology-led clinic, triage and preparation of cytology specimens in the laboratory, immunophenotyping methods including flow cytometry, reporting of routine and referred-in cases including application of the latest biomarkers for oncological cases. Instruction and guidance is provided by five full-time cytopathologists who work in close cooperation with the experienced technical staff of our lab. Our faculty strives to use contemporary methods of education including the competence by design model of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada.
At the end of their rotation, residents will have a obtained a foundational understanding of cytopathology as a subspecialty and will be able to independently practice cytopathology. Residents will be well-prepared for in-training and final exams, and be able to respond appropriately when confronted with diagnostically challenging cytopathology cases.
The program has a series of mandatory and elective rotations as well as weekly didactic sessions. The program has a large and wide spectrum of clinical material; there are opportunities for interprovincial and international electives while training. The ratio of resident to faculty is 1 to 7. Residents have access to electronic medical resources through the hospital and the University of Toronto library system. Research is especially emphasized during training. Residents are expected to give presentations of their projects at the annual Departmental Research Day.
As one of the most highly regarded departments of its kind, LMP offers unique opportunities to develop careers in laboratory medicine. We provide subspecialty training in pathology and laboratory medicine and the opportunity to advance clinical skills and research in a fertile environment. Our postgraduates have unparalleled access to a broad spectrum of case material, expert faculty, world-leading training sites, and research.
Training takes place in clinical and/or research environment(s) within teaching hospital settings. In addition to subspecialty training, trainees will participate in applied laboratory research projects and/or basic research.
Fellowship opportunities include Anatomic Pathology, Hematopathology, Cytopathology.
The HLA lab rotation for clinical fellows is aimed at meeting a set of learning objectives relating to the testing algorithms, information required for and obtained through testing, and interfering and limiting factors in the use of HLA testing for as part of a transplant program. The rotation involves a variety of teaching modalities including didactic sessions with the directors and technologists, direct observation of testing and clinical case reviews with the directors.
Key Conferences & Symposiums
Benchmarks Conference
Benchmarks is an annual symposium, hosted in collaboration with the Michener Institute, for MLTs, Assistants, Administrators, students, and other Medical Laboratory Science professionals to build skills and showcase works-in-progress, innovations in practice, and completed research. Medical laboratory professionals from all specialities are invited to participate in a dynamic opportunity for knowledge sharing and building professional networks.
Benchmarks features: a pre-symposium educational workshop, keynote speakers from eminent Medical Laboratory Sciences leaders, oral and poster presentations showcasing recent practice innovations, quality improvement projects and research by colleagues in the Medical Laboratory Sciences Community.
Annual William Anderson Research Day
The William Anderson Memorial lectureship began in 2001, initially with the help of Medical Diagnostics Services (MDS), and later with the help of the U of T's Department of Laboratory Medicine Pathobiology. It was a day created to commemorate William Anderson's tremendous skills as a surgical pathologist, as a great teacher, a great mentor and as one of those few who believed that the private and public sectors of Laboratory Medicine could co-exist.
LMP Staff are invited to attend a series of educational talks for both staff and learners about multifaceted, unique cases that the clinicians have come across in their careers. These sessions are extremely important as they create an opportunity to pass on knowledge to those attending. They also speak to how pathology is evolving over the years. Often times these lecturers are from different parts of the world, which diversifies this experience, as the attendees may never have the opportunity to learn about such cases.
Online Pathologist Assistant Conference
Created in 2020, following the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic, the
Online PA Conference aims to gather and unite the international pathology community through an accessible virtual format. The inaugural event raised over $15,000 for charities combating COVID-19, and gained the attention of hundreds of viewers from 16 different countries.
Contacts
Education Coordinator: Ms. Niveda Illandiraiayan |
niveda.illandiraiyan@uhn.ca
