Education, Division of Adolescent Medicine
The Division of Adolescent Medicine is responsible for providing academic leadership in UBC educational activities related to adolescent health. The Division educates medical students, residents and others from multiple disciplines in medical and biopsychosocial issues related to adolescent health and offers an adolescent medicine subspecialty residency (fellowship) program for future adolescent medicine specialists. The Division also offers weekly Adolescent Medicine seminars, including lectures from the Division faculty and others on topics related to adolescent health.
MEDICAL STUDENT EDUCATION
Adolescent Medicine faculty direct the Adolescent Health week for the Nutrition, Growth and Development block in the second-year medical student curriculum. Adolescent Medicine faculty also participate in the Clinical Skills course for second-year medical students, training students in interviewing techniques with adolescents. The Division also offers Adolescent Medicine electives for third and fourth year medical students interested in adolescent health.
RESIDENT EDUCATION
The Division offers a four-week elective rotation for pediatric residents at BC Children's Hospital, as well as visiting residents. During this rotation, residents receive training and experience in inpatient and outpatient adolescent health consultations and eating disorders. Adolescent Medicine faculty also regularly conduct Academic Half Days for pediatric residents, training pediatric residents in specialized areas of adolescent health including eating disorders, adolescent growth and development, risk and resiliency, clinical interviewing techniques, transition to adult care, and chronic illness management.
SUBSPECIALTY EDUCATION
The Adolescent Medicine Subspecialty Residency ("Fellowship") Program at British Columbia Children's Hospital (BCCH) in Vancouver was accredited by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada in 2010, and is the only accredited Adolescent Medicine training program in Western Canada. BCCH is the only pediatric hospital in British Columbia and is the referral center for medically complex pediatric and adolescent patients for the entire province. Clinical training is conducted through outpatient consultations at the Youth Health Program, inpatient consultations at BCCH, the Provincial Specialized Eating Disorder Program in affiliation with Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, and a network of Youth Clinics in community settings in Vancouver. In addition, the Division of Adolescent Medicine participates in a developing Social Pediatrics Initiative in the lowest income area of Vancouver through which the Resident will work clinically, and contribute to program development, to address social determinants of health of marginalized youth. The Division of Adolescent Medicine works closely with the McCreary Centre Society (http://www.mcs.bc.ca/), a unique resource that conducts a periodic Adolescent Health Survey and related research on the physical and emotional health of youth in British Columbia, the largest survey of its kind in Canada.
Subspecialty residents participate in a formal weekly participatory and didactic curriculum covering critical topics of adolescent health including interviewing, assessment and counseling skills, evaluation and management of specific medical and mental health conditions, adolescent development, risk and resiliency, and public health. Residents receive formal training in Epidemiology and Biostatistics. In addition, residents take graduate-level classes at the University of British Columbia on population based research methodology, multidisciplinary perspectives on adolescent health, and youth in the child welfare and delinquency systems. Distributed through the two years are formal curricula on Medical Education and on Ethics.
Residents have protected time and mentorship to pursue a research project. The program is individualized to match the career goals and strengths of individual trainees, and ongoing feedback and mentorship is provided by Division faculty. Our program emphasizes models and principles of resilience and positive youth development. We aim to prepare graduates of this program for successful careers in Adolescent Medicine as leading clinicians, scholars, and educators in Canada and internationally.
Now is a very exciting time to get involved in Adolescent Medicine in Canada, and British Columbia in particular. The field is now entering a growth phase, with opportunities for leadership. There is tremendous interest, energy, and potential to do new and creative work, and make a real difference in the lives of youth. Vancouver and British Columbia also offers a high quality of life, with a beautiful natural setting, a mild climate, a diverse population, and a wealth of cultural and athletic opportunities.
We are currently recruiting Canadian applicants for a July 2013 start date. All Canadian applicants must submit their application through the CaRMS match (http://www.carms.ca/). The CaRMS timeline for 2013 is now available. Please see below for a list of important dates. For more details, please visit http://www.carms.ca/eng/peds_1stIteration_e.shtml
January 31, 2012: The Applicant Webstation (AWS) Opens
March 16, 2012: All Documents Due to CaRMS Office
March 27 - May 13, 2012: Interview Period
May 23, 2012: Rank Order List Deadline
June 6, 2012: Match Day
Please view our Program Description for further details. Please contact Dzung Vo, MD, Associate Director of the Adolescent Medicine Fellowship Program (dvo@cw.bc.ca), to learn more about the subspecialty residency program
Download the BCCH Adolescent Medicine Subspecialty Residency Program Description .
Division Profile / Research / Education / Clinical Care Program / Faculty and Staff
