Maternal-Fetal Medicine

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

Welcome to Maternal-Fetal Medicine at Western! Our trainees receive a well-rounded training experience over a 2-year period in all aspects of MFM. Our program is accredited by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada and upon completion of the program, candidates will be eligible to write the Royal College examination in Maternal-Fetal Medicine.

Research and scholarly opportunities are numerous and involve both basic science and clinical research projects with members of the MFM Division and their numerous collaborators. Faculty members are involved in a wide variety of scholarly activities not only in clinical and translational research, but also in medical education, continuous quality improvement, and patient safety.

Our tertiary care perinatal program has a referral-based population consisting of approximately 1.5 million people from Southwestern Ontario. There are approximately 6,000 births per year at London Health Sciences Centre (Victoria Hospital site), thus providing ample clinical opportunities for subspecialty trainees wishing to participate in the breadth of high-risk obstetric care, including both maternal and fetal complications of pregnancy. We are the tertiary referral centre for diagnosis and management of suspected fetal anomalies (Fetal Development Clinic), as well as for invasive prenatal testing (amniocentesis and chorionic villus sampling).

OUR FACULTY

Dr. Harrison Banner
Dr. Barbra de Vrijer
Dr. Genevieve Eastabrook
Dr. Robert Gratton
Dr. Janine Hutson
Dr. Jordan Schmidt

PROGRAM INFORMATION

OUR TRAINING PROGRAM

Starting in July 2022, all Royal College Accredited MFM subspecialty programs, including Western, will shift to a Competency By Design (CBD) Model. Our program informally launched the CBD program in July 2021 in order to familiarize our faculty and subspecialty residents with this training model.

Over the 2-year period, the program consists of 4 stages of training, which includes:

Transition to Discipline (8-12 weeks)

TTD MFM
TTD ultrasound

Foundations of Discipline (20-24 weeks)

Foundations of MFM
Foundations of Ultrasound
Scholarly Foundations
Genetics and Perinatal Pathology (Prenatal Genetics clinic, stillbirth and dysmorphology assessments, Fetal Risk Assessment with Maternal Exposure clinic)
Maternal Medicine (Obstetric Medicine, Endocrinology, Cardio-Obstetrics)
Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine (inpatient neonatology, outpatient clinics including Developmental Follow-up, Paediatric Cardiology, Cleft Lip and Palate,

Core of Discipline (36-48 weeks)

Core MFM
Core Ultrasound
Scholarly activity (research, QI/QA, or innovations in education)
Electives (up to 12 weeks total), locally or at other centres

Transition to Practice (8-12 weeks)

Junior consultant blocks

Academic Curriculum
Our education program includes a weekly academic half-day, with a curriculum encompassing both Medical Expert and non-medical expert roles. Our trainees also participate in the weekly OBGYN Grand Rounds, and Friday Rounds, including the MFM division-run Prenatal Diagnosis Rounds, weekly FDC Rounds, monthly Ultrasound Department Rounds, as well as our department’s Annual Paul Harding Research Day. Our training program incorporates simulation, including high-fidelity ultrasound simulation and interdisciplinary simulation. We promote and encourage a culture of patient safety and interdisciplinary care, with the involvement of non-OBGYN medical and surgical subspecialists, neonatologists, genetic counsellors, clinical nurse specialists, nurse practitioners, and midwives in our clinical, scholarly, and educational endeavors.