Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation: Cancer Rehabilitation Fellowship
Background:
The Cancer Rehabilitation Fellowship through the University of Toronto will provide Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation trainees comprehensive exposure to cancer rehabilitation in order to gain advanced skills in the design and delivery of rehabilitation, exercise and lifestyle interventions for the cancer population. During their training, fellows will run outpatient clinics and perform inpatient consults at the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre and the world renowned Toronto Rehabilitation Institute. By the end of their training graduates will have expertise in post-treatment related pain, cognitive impairment, lymphedema management, exercise prescription/clearance, and cancer-associated fatigue. The fellow will have the skills to manage various neuromusculoskeletal impairments including shoulder impairment, hormone induced arthralgia or tendinopathy, radiation fibrosis, and brain and spinal cord impairment.
The curriculum will include:
- Multidisciplinary outpatient clinics
- Independent outpatient clinics
- Inpatient consultations (i.e., various solid and liquid malignancies, post stem cell transplant)
- Training on exercise clearance, prescription, and prehabilitation
- Procedural experience including soft tissue or joint injection
- Opportunities for additional exposure to ultrasound guided injections, electrodiagnostics, palliative care, and chronic pain management
- Weekly didactic sessions on cancer rehabilitation topics and program development
- Mentorship and protected time to complete a research project
- Opportunities for teaching medical students and physical medicine and rehabilitation residents
Accreditation and Length
The program begins in July and is non-accredited. This is a one-year clinical fellowship program.
Application Deadline
August 31 of the preceding year
Supervisors
Dr. Eugene Chang is a Physiatrist who works at Princess Margaret Cancer Centre and Toronto Rehabilitation Institute (UHN, University Health Network). He is appointed as an Assistant Professor and clinician teacher through the Department of Medicine at University of Toronto. He completed medical school at McMaster University in 2005. He completed his Residency in Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation at University of British Columbia and followed this with a Fellowship in Cancer Rehabilitation at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center. He completed a Masters of Science (Health Practitioner Teacher Education) at University of Toronto in 2018.
His main interest is management of cancer-related impairments, which includes musculoskeletal and neurologic dysfunction, fatigue, lymphedema, pain, and medical education related to Cancer Survivorship and Rehabilitation.
Dr. Emma Mauti is a recent graduate of the Cancer Rehabilitation Clinical Fellowship at the University Health Network, under the supervision of Drs. Eugene Chang and David Langelier. Dr. Mauti completed her residency in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation through the University of Toronto in 2022, with additional certification in Electrodiagnostics (EMG) from the Canadian Society of Clinical Neurophysiologists. She completed her Cancer Rehabilitation Fellowship in June 2023.
Dr. Mauti's clinical work is focused on maximizing quality of life for individuals living with and beyond cancer, through diagnosing and managing functional impairments that arise from cancer or its treatments. She has a particular interest in neuromuscular complications of cancer. Academically, Dr. Mauti has an interest in medical education and is involved in teaching medical students and residents in the field of cancer rehabilitation and electrodiagnostics.
Dr. Melissa Weidman completed her residency in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at the University of Toronto in 2023. She was subsequently fellowship trained in Cancer Rehabilitation at the University Health Network.
Dr. Weidman’s clinical interests include management of cancer and treatment related impairments, helping individuals to maximize their function through a combination of conservative, pharmacologic, and interventional strategies. She is a firm believer in exercise as medicine and preventative management strategies, and enjoys working in collaborative, interprofessional teams. In addition to outpatient clinics, Dr. Weidman also practices in general inpatient rehabilitation.
Academically, she is passionate about medical education, teaching trainees of all levels about cancer rehabilitation and the applications of image guided interventional strategies in this patient population. She is also passionate about interdisciplinary collaboration and expanding awareness of physiatry and cancer rehabilitation.
How to Apply
Applicants must hold certification in the field of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation or be Board eligible if from the United States. Please submit with your application a current Curriculum Vitae, a cover letter indicating their training, career goals and how the fellowship can help you achieve these goals, three letters of reference, a copy of medical record/transcript, and copy of TOEFL, iBT or IELT if medical school training was not conducted in English.
Applications and further directions can be found on the Clinical & Research Fellowships website.