General Surgery residency can be the first step towards a variety of fellowship opportunities.

Fellowships are clinical- and/or research-based training programs that residents may choose to pursue after the completion of their residency program. General Surgery fellowship programs in Canada and the US can be accredited through a variety of bodies including: Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada (RCPSC), Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME), subspecialty organizations, or from post-secondary institutions.

Fellowship areas that general surgeons may choose pursue following residency include, but are not limited to:

  • Acute Care Emergency Surgery
  • Bariatric Surgery
  • Breast Surgery
  • Colorectal Surgery
  • Critical Care/ Intensive Care
  • Endocrine Surgery
  • Endoscopy (advanced and therapeutic techniques)
  • Head and Neck Surgical Oncology
  • Hepatopancreaticobiliary (HPB)
  • Minimally Invasive Surgery
  • Pediatric Surgery
  • Surgical Oncology
  • Thoracic Surgery
  • Transplant Surgery
  • Trauma Surgery
  • Vascular Surgery
  • And more…

The application process for fellowship programs can vary significantly between and within subspecialties. It is important to start looking into programs you are interested in well in advance to ensure that you are aware of the application process and timeline. Applications may be run through a match service such as the Canadian Residency Matching System (CaRMS), National Resident Matching Program (NRMP), or The Fellowship Council, or they may be submitted directly to individual programs. 

Below you will find information about fellowship training opportunities available within Canada. We have attempted to compile the most up to date information possible but realize this list is likely incomplete and information may change more frequently than this list is updated. We encourage residents to use the information below as a starting point for pursuing fellowships but not as a sole resource. It may be useful to note that many fellowships encourage residents to take an elective in their department during their training if possible. See the Electives section for details about how to arrange electives.

Fellowships by Subspecialty

The information provided below has been gathered for the use of current Canadian general surgery residents as it relates to application for fellowship training positions. The application process for international trainees may differ from what is described below.

 NOTE: Most dates listed below are taken from either the 2022 or 2023 application cycle and may vary year to year. Please check program pages regularly for up to date information. Many program applications start during PGY4 year for a start following PGY5 so take note of the application cycle year when looking at programs.

See below for trauma and acute care fellowships.

See below for Minimally Invasive Surgery fellowships.

Application: Varies by program. Some are directed to individual programs while others are through the Society of Surgical Oncology (www.surgonc.org)

School Program Length Application deadline Program Information
Western 1 year Apr 1 https://www.schulich.uwo.ca/generalsurgery/education/fellowship/breast_fellowship.html
McMaster 1 year Aug 8 Administrative Assistant:
Dr. Elyse Cornele – cornele@mcmaster.ca 
Toronto 1 year Jan 20 https://surgery.utoronto.ca/breast-surgical-oncology-fellowship-program
Ottawa 1 year   Oncoplastic and research breast surgical oncology – https://med.uottawa.ca/surgery/divisions/general-surgery/clinical-programs/breast-surgical-oncology

Application: CaRMS (www.carms.ca)

Additional information: Canadian Critical Care Society (https://canadiancriticalcare.org/Residency-Programs)

Application and additional information: American Association of Endocrine Surgeons match (www.endocrinesurgery.org)

School Program Length Application deadline Program Information
Calgary 1 year April 22 https://cumming.ucalgary.ca/sites/default/files/teams/276/general-surgery-endocrine.pdf
Toronto 1 year https://surgery.utoronto.ca/endocrine-surgery-fellowship-program

Application: Directed to individual programs in Canada.

Most advanced/therapeutic endoscopy programs are run by the department of gastroenterology, however some programs are open to both GI and general surgery residents, others require a completed GI fellowship

Additional endoscopic training courses: SEE Program (https://www.cag-acg.org/education/see-program)
*Note: Discount available for CAGS members

Application: Varies by program. Some are directed to individual programs while others are through the American Head and Neck Society match (www.ahns.info)

Note: Most H+N surgery programs are run by ENT departments but may accept applicants from general surgery programs

Application: Varies by program. Some are directed to individual programs others are through The Fellowship Council (www.fellowshipcouncil.org)

There may be some overlap between this section and the Transplant Surgery section. 

Additional information: 

Application: Varies by program. Some are directed to individual programs while others are through The Fellowship Council (www.fellowshipcouncil.org)

Note: Some programs have a bariatric focus while others are general MIS approaches to a wide variety of surgical conditions. Some programs also allow for the option to incorporate advanced endoscopic skills into fellowship training.

Additional information: Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons (www.sages.org)

School Program Length Application deadline Program Information
UBC 1 year Feb 8 Advanced MIS fellowship – https://surgery.med.ubc.ca/advanced-mis-fellowship/

Fellowship in Advanced MIS and Endoscopic Techniques – http://sls.org/sls-fellowship-programs/sls-fellowship-in-advanced-minimally-invasive-and-endoscopic-techniques-in-general-and-colorectal-surgery/

Alberta 1 year Feb 8 https://www.albertahealthservices.ca/assets/programs/ps-1009154-fellowship.pdf
Calgary 1 year Sept 1 https://cumming.ucalgary.ca/departments/surgery/education/graduate-education/fellowship-programs
Manitoba 1 year https://umanitoba.ca/medicine/department-surgery/minimally-invasive-surgery-mis-fellowship
Western 1 year Feb 8 https://www.schulich.uwo.ca/generalsurgery/education/fellowship/advanced_gi_minimally_invasive_robotic_and_bariatric_surgery.html
McMaster 1 year Feb 8 CMAS Fellowship – https://www.cmas.ca/education/fellowships
Toronto 1-2 years Feb 8 https://surgery.utoronto.ca/minimally-invasive-surgery-program 
Queen’s 1 year Feb 8 Bariatrics focus, some UGI – https://surgery.queensu.ca/postgraduate/fellowship-opportunities
Ottawa 1 years Feb 8 Bariatrics focus, some UGI – https://med.uottawa.ca/surgery/divisions/general-surgery/clinical-programs/foregut-bariatric-unit
McGill 1 year Feb 8 Separate MIS and Bariatric streams. 

MIS Fellowship – https://www.mcgill.ca/generalsurgery/education/fellowships/minimally-invasive-surgery-fellowship

MIS Bariatric Fellowship – https://www.mcgill.ca/generalsurgery/education/fellowships/minimally-invasive-bariatric-surgery-fellowship

Montreal 1-2 years   https://chirurgie.umontreal.ca/etudes/d-e-s/d-e-s-en-chirurgie-bariatrique-laparoscopique-et-robotique/
Laval 1-2 years Feb 8 https://www.fmed.ulaval.ca/programmes-detudes/etudes-en-medecine/fellowships-formations-complementaires/fellowship-en-chirurgie-bariatrique-et-metabolique/presentation/
Dalhousie 1 year Feb 8 Endoscopy focus, with MIS and UGI – https://www.fellowshipcouncil.org/directory-of-fellowships/display-listing/?match=1&pid=1263

Applications: National Residency Matching Program (NMRP) match (https://www.nrmp.org/)

Additional information: Society of Surgical Oncology match (www.surgonc.org)

Applications: Directed to individual programs.

Additional information:

Application: Varies by program. Some are directed to individual programs while others are through the SF Match (https://www.sfmatch.org/) or the Fellowship Council (www.fellowshipcouncil.org).

Programs may offer training in single or multi-organ transplant. These programs are delivered under various surgical departments including the department of general surgery (multi-organ), thoracic surgery (lung), or urology (kidney). There may be some overlap between this section and the HPB Surgery section. 

Additional information:

School Program Length Application deadline Program Information
Alberta 2 years Jan 1 Liver and Hepatopancreatobiliary transplant – https://www.cst-transplant.ca/Fellowships.html#Surgical-Alberta

Kidney transplant – https://www.ualberta.ca/surgery/divisions/urology/fellowship-programs/transplant.html#:~:text=The%20University%20of%20Alberta%20surgical,available%20to%20the%20suitable%20candidate

Western 1-2 years Jan 1 Liver, and Hepatopancreatobiliary transplant – https://www.lhsc.on.ca/multi-organ-transplant-program/abdominal-organ-transplant-hepatopancreaticobiliary-surgery
Toronto 2 years Jan 1 Kidney, Liver, and Pancreas transplant – https://www.torontoaotransplantfellowship.com/
Ottawa 1-2 years June 1 Kidney transplant – https://www.cst-transplant.ca/Fellowships.html#Surgical-Ottawa
McGill 2 years Feb 8 HPB transplant – https://www.mcgill.ca/generalsurgery/education/fellowships/transplantation-hepatobiliary-pancreatic-surgery-fellowship

Application:  Directed to individual programs in Canada.

Additional information: https://canucs.ca/fellowships/

Application: Directed to individual programs in Canada or through the NRMP in the US. (www.nrmp.org).

Note: Many programs are moving away from offering vascular surgery 5+2 fellowships in favour of 0+5 direct entry programs. The programs listed in the table below do offer 5+2 training programs. 

  • The following programs do not offer 5+2 training programs: Calgary, Western, and McMaster.
  • For all other schools, please reach out to the programs for additional information on the training pathways they offer. 

Additional information: 

School Program Length Application deadline Program Information
Calgary 2 years https://chirurgie.umontreal.ca/etudes/d-e-s/d-e-s-en-traumatologie-et-soins-aigus/
Ottawa 2 years April 15 https://med.uottawa.ca/surgery/divisions/vascular-surgery/education 
McGill 2 years https://www.mcgill.ca/vascularsurgery/residency-information

Requires inquiring directly to Program Director as number of positions vary annually

Montreal 2 years   https://medpostdoc.umontreal.ca/programmes/chirurgie-vasculaire/
School Topic Program information
Queen’s Clinical Research Fellowship in Population Health and

Colorectal/Gastrointestinal Cancer Outcomes

https://surgery.queensu.ca/sites/surgery/files/inline-files/Advert%20for%20Clinical%20Research%20Fellow_0.pdf