Facial Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery Fellowship

Drs. Oakley Smith & Michael Roskies

General Description

The emphasis of the fellowship is cosmetic facial surgery, with aesthetic and reconstructive rhinoplasty (mostly open approach), being the most common procedure performed. Other procedures performed by participating faculty include Blepharoplasty, Rhytidectomy, Forehead lift (endoscopic and open approaches), Facial Liposuction, Otoplasty, scar revision, laser resurfacing, and excision of facial lesions, flaps and grafts about the face. The fellow is provided a well-rounded exposure to facial plastic surgery. Collagen treatment, neuromodulator injection and management of minor skin lesions are also performed.

Fellowship Director(s)

Drs. Oakley Smith & Michael Roskies

Participating Faculty

Additional faculty members in Toronto who would be involved include Jeremy Freeman, M.D. at Sinai Health, Richard Rival, M.D. at Unity Health Toronto - St. Michael’s Hospital, Andres Gantous M.D at St. Joseph’s Health Centre. All are associated with the University of Toronto teaching program. Daniel Schatcher, M.D (dermatology) will be involved.

Objectives

  1. To provide Royal College Fellows and American Board eligible surgeons advanced training in facial plastic and reconstructive surgery.
  2. To enhance the fellow's exposure to research through the provision of clinical material for retrospective and prospective studies. To supervise the preparation of research papers for presentation at national and international meetings. To encourage and aid presentations at hospital and departmental rounds.
  3. To stimulate the fellow's interest and provide experience in teaching medical students, residents and peers.
  4. To provide the fellow insight and experience in the management of a contemporary medical office and enhance his/her professional management skills.
  5. To provide the fellow and his/her family exposure to a different professional, social and cultural milieu and enhance his/her professional and personal growth.

Principal Locations

Michael Garron Hospital

Private Community Clinic Location

Duration of Fellowship

The length of the fellowship is 12 months, beginning July 1st of each year.

Required Prior Residency Training

The candidate must have completed a recognized residency program in Otolaryngology- Head and Neck Surgery or Plastic Surgery in the United States or Canada

Annual Stipend/Salary

The stipend for the fellow is $60,000.00 per annum in Canadian dollars. Malpractice insurance is arranged through the Canadian Medical Protective Association in Ottawa by the fellow on the basis of an educational license. This should be effected prior to arrival. This cost is covered by the Fellowship Director. Health insurance for the fellow is obtainable through the university and is paid by the Fellowship Director. Comprehensive, relatively low cost health insurance is available for dependents.

Additional Benefits (e.g. meetings, housing)

The fellow is given three weeks leave during the year, this to be arranged as closely as possible with absences of the Fellowship Director from the practice. One week is given to attend a meeting at which no presentation is being made. Further time is allowed for presentation of papers at meetings as deemed appropriate. All time away from the practice must be cleared in advance with the Fellowship Director.

On Call Responsibilities

The fellow is on-call for after-hours and weekend call, with some visits required to the office on weekends for suture removal, etc. During the Fellowship Director’s absence from the practice (this currently is about 8 weeks per year) the fellow is able to visit other cosmetic and reconstructive facial surgeons in Toronto, prepare for examinations, and work on research projects.

Case Mix

The Michael Garron Hospital is the primary academic affiliation. Approximately 200 facial plastic surgery cases are performed by the director.

Typical Weekly Timetable

Usually 2 days per week are spent in the private office. Operating time consists of two days per week of cosmetic and reconstructive procedures performed in a private, fully accredited ambulatory surgical facility and at the Michael Garron Hospital. Minor procedures are performed in the office or in the surgical centre. The fellow is responsible to assist in the office with patient care. He/she is responsible to assist in the operating rooms, obtaining increasing "hands-on" responsibilities at the hospital site as deemed appropriate for the level of skill exhibited and the specifics of the case.

Application Deadline 

The fellow for the following year is chosen in a match in early June of the preceding year. Applicants are encouraged to arrange for a visit to Toronto to become acquainted with the program prior to May 15, the year before their fellowship.

Decision Deadline

The decision regarding the July 1st fellowship is usually made by May/June of the preceding year (i.e. 12-14 months in advance).

Additional Features of the Fellowship

The fellow will be expected to acquire computer skills in Microsoft Word and PowerPoint. A full videotape library, major journals and textbooks are available in the office.

Toronto is a cosmopolitan city of 2.8 million people, the greater Toronto area 5.7 million people, situated on the north shore of Lake Ontario. It is about 500 miles from New York and Boston, 365 miles from Montreal, 100 miles from Buffalo and 250 miles from Detroit. The fellow has every opportunity to enjoy the cultural amenities of a large international city. The United Nations has recognized Toronto as the most multicultural city in the world, and it consistently ranks in the top 10 of the best cities in the world in which to live. Toronto has several professional sports teams, hundreds of art galleries and museums, and the third largest theatre scene in the world after London and New York. There are extensive park and trail networks for strolling, running and cycling. There are also many waterfront activities in Toronto for summertime activities. Beautiful lakes and wooded country are within one to two hours drive from the city, and alpine skiing in the wintertime is within two hours drive. A wide variety of accommodation is available downtown or on the subway system. The public school system is generally considered one of the best in North America. The University has many academic, cultural and social activities. The city is noted for its safety, cleanliness, public transportation and cosmopolitan nature. If you have any questions or require any further details, please do not hesitate to contact me, or my office staff. We have also enclosed a list of former fellows who would be pleased to speak with you about our program.

 As a condition of their medical education licensure, clinical fellows must register with the University’s PGME Office. An Orientation Handbook can be downloaded from the homepage of the PGME Office’s website. The Handbook contains useful information for new fellows, including a timeline for the registration process.

How to Apply

Send a letter of interest, a current CV and three references to Drs. Oakley Smith & Michael Roskies at the email addresses below. Personal interviews are strongly recommended.

Postgraduate training agreements are currently in place between the University of Toronto Faculty of Medicine and sponsoring agencies from a number of countries, including Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and UAE. Applications for fellowship training from citizens of these countries must reach the PGME Office directly from the sponsoring agency. For details, please consult the PGME Office website.

To All Applicants:
If you have also applied to the U.S match through the National Residency Matching Program (NRMP), please be advised that the University of Toronto is a participating institution and adheres to the match policy. The policy states that "Applicants who have matched to a program or have accepted a position during the Supplemental Offer and Acceptance Program (SOAP), shall not apply for, discuss, interview for, or accept a concurrent year position in another program prior to the NRMP granting the requested waiver." More information is accessible at https://www.nrmp.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/2022-MPA-Institutions-1.pdf.

Current Fellow

  • 2023-24 Dr. Waleed Mohammed Alshehri

Previous Fellows

  • 2022-23 Dr. Mohammed Abdulkader Jomah
  • 2021-22 Dr. Dianne Valenzuela
  • 2020-21 Dr. Ahmed Walaa Abousheleib
  • 2019-20 Dr. Sean Hashemi
  • 2018-19 Dr. Rosa Lipin
  • 2017-18 Dr. Ahmed Walaa Abousheleib