Duration: one year
Number of positions: 1 / year
Eligibility:
Fellowship position requires applicants to have successfully passed their licencing examination in their origin country, able to obtain an educational licence in the College of Physicians and Surgeons of BC, and obtain a training visa in Canada. It is open to both Canadian and non-Canadian neurosurgeons.
Accreditation:
The fellowship is not accredited, given lack of accreditation body/process in Canada for Neurosurgical Skull Base training fellowships.
Objective:
The University of British Columbia Neurosurgical Skull Base fellowship, is an one year clinical fellowship, providing comprehensive neurosurgical care for patients presenting with complex skull base pathologies in the adult population. From time to time, skull base expertise is also provided at BC Children’s hospital when required.
Active supervision and teaching of neurosurgical residents and medical students will be expected. Working with the resident house staff, Fellows will be expected to manage ward, emergency coverage and inpatient consults directed to the staff neurosurgeon (RA). Ward coverage of patients of other members of skull base staff (SM, PG) will be expected when involved in their cases. The fellow is expected to help run the staff skull base neurosurgery clinic (RA).
The impact on resident training is expected to be positive by creating an enhanced teaching/learning environment and by respecting the priority of the UBC Neurosurgery training program to train Residents to become competent general neurosurgeons. In general, this means the Chief resident get priority for appropriate cases and surgical steps mandated by their training requirements.
Research:
The fellow is expected to be involved in clinical research. Two full time clinical research assistants in the division of neurosurgery who can help with ethics submissions and gathering data are available. There are access to statisticians. There is a neurosurgery morbidity database and electronic medical record clinic notes of staff clinics are available. The fellow would be expected to produce research that can be presented at major North American meetings and publication.
Full funding for meetings will be provided when presenting papers. Usual meetings attended include the NASB, CNS and AANS, Canadian Neurological sciences Federation. (usually at least 2 of these).
Dissection Lab:
Cadaveric dissection is available at https://bcsimulation.ca/sim-programs/vghsim/
Formal skull base dissection course have been offered previously, and it is expected that courses will be started again post COVID, pending approval by the hospital. Regardless, it is the intention of the fellowship director to provide cadaveric specimen for skull base dissection for the fellow.
Typical Weekly Structure
Monday: Clinic
Tuesday: Operation Room
Wednesday: Clinic, stereotactic conference/variable
Thursday: Academic day (teaching rounds)/research
Friday: Tumor conference/variable
Interdisciplinary Approach:
The fellowship enjoys collaboration with Neuro otology/Radiation Oncology/Head & Neck/Ophthalmology (orbital surgery)/Neurophysiology (intraoperative monitoring)/Neurology/Medical Neuro oncology.
Case Volumes (average per year for the last 5 years)
Total Skull Base: 135/year
Transsphenoidal 70/year
Retrosigmoid 34/year
Translab 4/year
Craniofacial resection 4/year
Partial labyrinthine petrous apicectomy 4/year
Orbital/orbitozygomatic 17/year
Fellows are paid a salary to help cover expenses while they live in Vancouver for the year, and benefits such as health/dental insurance for the fellow and their immediate family (partner/children).
If you are interested, please contact
Dr. Ryojo Akagami