U of T MIGS alumni help lead in 5th Annual CanSAGE Fellows Bootcamp
The University of Toronto’s Division of Minimally Invasive Gynaecologic Surgery recently partnered with CanSAGE to present the CanSAGE 5th Annual Fellows Bootcamp, a two-day bootcamp hosted at Mount Sinai’s SimSinai surgical skills centre just prior to the CanSAGE conference.
Organized by course directors Dr. Alisha Olsthoorn and Dr. Jessica Papillon-Smith, the curriculum for the bootcamp featured didactic lectures, simulation, and cadaveric dissection.
“The MIGS fellows bootcamp is an amazing opportunity for the fellows to connect, network, and share ideas,” Olsthoorn says. “It involves a cadaver dissection component that allows our fellows to explore the anatomy and practice and consolidate some key MIGS skills.”
This year’s speakers included Nelly Faghani, a pelvic health physiotherapist, and Douglas Buller of the Wilson Centre, as well as many of our Department’s faculty members and alumni from our MIGS fellowship program.
“U of T MIGS alumni were instrumental in this year’s bootcamp,” Olsthoorn says. “Dr. Papillon-Smith and I are both Mount Sinai alum who were two of the co-directors that organized this year’s event. Dr. Angela Deane (North York General Hospital alum) gave an amazing QI workshop and Dr. Elizabeth Miazga (St. Michael’s alum) prepared an anatomy review lecture. Our cadaver dissection lab was facilitated by Dr. Deane, Dr. Miazga, as well as Dr. Siddhi Mathur (St. Michael’s alum), and Unity Health SJHC fellowship PDs Dr. Brian Liu and Dr. Mary Melchior.
“The Toronto MIGS team came out in full force to support this bootcamp.”
Ultimately, feedback from fellows who attended the event was overwhelmingly positive.
“I think this year’s bootcamp was a huge success,” Olsthoorn says. “That was largely due to our amazing faculty who so generously contributed their time, and to the amazing fellows who came with their enthusiasm and brilliant ideas.”
