Canadian Fellowship Programs
MIGS Fellowship Program of the Month - January 2019
University of Saskatchewan
Established 2006
Faculty
John Thiel - Director
Huse Kamencic
Darrien Rattray
Martha Briggs
Laura Weins
Jennifer Duda
Current Fellow
Tina Ngan
Incoming Fellows
Justin Mui (University of British Columbia)
Deanna Buitenhuis (University of Ottawa)
Office Support Staff
Brenda Corey
Kelly Phillips
Tara Campbell
Mandy Ebel
Melissa Porter
Seeing this list of outstanding young surgeons who have trained in our program in Regina never fails to bring a smile to my face. Our program is a one-year surgical mentorship, with the fellows usually spending three to four days a week in the operating room working with the teaching surgeons. Our surgical practice is made up primarily of cases related to endometriosis, fibroids and abnormal uterine bleeding. With the surgical volume available, our fellows enter their career as MIS surgeon with a polished skill set and the confidence that comes with being in the weeds over and over and over.
Our fellows also have the opportunity to work in the Women’s Health Clinic, an ambulatory gynecology clinic that allows them to acquire a wide range of ambulatory procedural skills. They also spend a minimum of one half day in the office seeing new referrals and ongoing reviews. Our program has expanded to Saskatoon as well, and the faculty there offer a similar but different approach to office management and surgical approaches. We feel that experiencing a variety of practice models and procedure environments is important in preparing our fellows to adapt to most situations when they leave our fellowship for their permanent position. There are opportunities for our fellows to take obstetrics and gynaecology calls, affording them occasional independent practice, which also helps provide some preparation for independent practice.
As they approach the last months of the fellowship, each fellow starts to self identify their perceived areas for improvement, sometimes with the helpful suggestions of the faculty. We are then able to organize an appropriate case mix to provide the appropriate experience required. These months are often the time that the less common cases are booked, procedures such as niche repair, laparoscopic cerclage and tubal re-anastomosis are quickly acquired as the fellows apply their skill set to new techniques.
We are approaching the graduation of our 14th fellow this year, which is remarkable given how young all of the faculty members are. It is very rewarding to see our fellows becoming opinion leaders and educators in the development of MIS in Canada. We are excited about our two new fellows and as always look forward to watching them struggle and emerge as confident consultants and teachers.
Previous Fellows
Huse Kamencic - Regina
Ciaran Goojha - Vancouver
Karine Lortie - Ottawa
Berenice Goorah - Montreal
Martha Briggs - Regina
Fariba Mohtashami - Vancouver
Jackie Madar - Montreal
Anet Maksymowicz - Winnipeg
Darrien Rattray - Regina
Laura Weins - Saskatoon
Liz Randle - Halifax
Marielos Rivas Pineda - Milton
Cornel Smith - Vancouver