Medical & Surgical Otology/Neurotology

Dr. John Rutka

Fellowship Type (Clinical %, Research %)

Primarily clinical
Opportunities for clinical based research

Participating Faculty

  • Dr. Ambrose Lee
  • Dr. Adrian James
  • Dr. Sharon Cushing

Objectives

Clinical Exposure

Advanced otologic and neurotologic training is provided in both the ambulatory and operating room settings of the UHN.  The internationally recognized Hertz Multidisciplinary Neurotology  Program in conjunction with the UHN Center for Advanced Center for Hearing and Balance Testing provides unparalleled exposure in the management of the dizzy patient.

Fellows are to appreciate that clinical exposure to routine surgical cases must not be at the expense of the residents in the University of Toronto Department of Otolaryngology residency program.

Fellows will be allowed to participate at a level commensurate with their skills in complex middle ear/mastoid surgery (Drs. Rutka and Pothier), endoscopic ear surgery (Dr. Pothier), specialized neurotologic (ie. lateral skull base resections (Drs. Rutka and Pothier), acoustic neuroma surgery etc.) surgery and advanced otologic (ie canal occlusion surgery, facial nerve transposition etc.) procedures not part of the residency training program.                                                              

Research

The fellow is expected to take part in clinical research projects that will lead to peer review publications. A reasonable goal would be 2-4 publications during their fellowship time. Dr. David Pothier is the overall research co-ordinator for the fellowship program.

Clinical research may take place within the resources listed above or with agreement could also include projects with basic research. Existing data bases for clinical research projects include:

  • The WSIB Head Injury database
  • Gentamicin Ototoxicity database
  • Multidisciplinary Sjogren’s database
  • Mastoidectomy database
  • Multidisciplinary Neurotology database

Academic Enrichment and Continuing Medical Education

Attendance is mandatory at the UHN Department of ENT Rounds (Wed 07:15-08:00 hrs) and University of Toronto Otolaryngology - Head & Neck Surgery Grand Rounds (Friday 07:30-08:30 hrs).  Special multidisciplinary neurotology rounds are held monthly at UHN which the fellow is expected to organize.

Fellows are strongly encouraged to attend departmental Journal Club, special lectures and educational events within the Department of Otolaryngology - Head & Neck Surgery at the University of Toronto.  Educational experiences may also include attending temporal bone and endoscopic ear surgical courses.

The fellow is encouraged to attend at least one major meeting outside Toronto during the fellowship.  Funding could be made available through Dr. Rutka.


Unique clinical experiences during the fellowship include:

  • Underserviced Areas Program Work in the Northern Ontario communities of Sioux Lookout and Dryden.
  • Monthly visits to Niagara Falls to attend a special neurotology outreach clinic.
  • Travel to Thailand to take part in mobile ear surgical camps in conjunction with the Thai Rural ENT Foundation and Chulalongkorn University.
  • Elective exposure to pediatric and cochlear implant surgery at the Hospital for Sick Children
  • Rotations to Markham Stoufville Hospital to work with Dr. Jerry Halik. Dr. Halik (Canada’s premier stapedotomist) performing between 150-200 stapedotomies and an equal number of other middle ear procedures/year.
  • Training in advanced neurotological/vestibular testing at the UHN Center for Advanced Hearing and Balance Testing.
  • Exposure to the archival collection of University of Toronto Ear Pathology Research Laboratory.

Principal Locations

University Health Network
Hospital for Sick Children
Markham Stouffville Hospital

Required Prior Residency Training

Canadian trained Otolaryngologists with their FRCSC in Otolaryngology - Head & Neck Surgery

Foreign Graduate Eligibility Requirements

All foreign trained fellows require to have their training formally evaluated by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, receive licensure from the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario (CPSO) and comply with the registration process through the University of Toronto Post MD Education Office if they wish clinical exposure involving patient contact.

Detailed information about basic application requirements for clinical fellows is accessible through the Post MD Education Office website at: http://pg.postmd.utoronto.ca/

Annual Stipend/Salary

At the University of Toronto, compensation for clinical fellows is equal to or greater than the salary of a PGY3 resident.

On Call Responsibilities

Fellows will be asked to take 2nd call along with seniour resident(s) and UHN Head & Neck Fellows.  Call can be taken from home.  A pager will be provided.  Fellows are expected to have living accommodations within 20-30 mins of the hospital by car or public transportation.

Application Deadline 

Fellowships are typically awarded one year in advance

Additional Features of the Fellowship

The fellowship is flexible to meet the specific need of the fellow. An Orientation Handbook can be downloaded from the homepage of the Post MD Education Office’s website at http://pg.postmd.utoronto.ca/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/OrientationBooklet_WEB.pdf
The handbook contains useful information for new fellows, including a timeline for the registration process.

How to Apply

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 Post MD Education Office directly from the sponsoring agency. For details, please consult the Post MD Office website at http://pg.postmd.utoronto.ca/

Interested fellows may also contact Dr. John Rutka at john.rutka@utoronto.ca

Prospective candidates will require to send their updated CV, three letters of reference and a letter stating why they would like to do the fellowship and how it would help their future career.

A prerequisite for interested candidates would be to spend elective time (typically 1-2 weeks) with Dr. Rutka prior. This is requested in order to partially assess an individual’s training and to determine primarily if the fellowship meets with the candidate’s expectations. Fellowship acceptances are given one year in advance.

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.

Contact Information for Applicants

Dr. John Rutka - See above

Current Fellow

  • 2024-25 Drs. Abdullah Arafat and Eunice Dawn Kwa

Previous Fellows

  • 2023-24 Drs. David Dick and Tiarnan Magos
  • 2022-23 Drs. Fatemeh Hassan Nia, Tiarnan Magos, Robert William John Mcleod
  • 2021-22 Dr. Gabriela Vergara, Sasan Dabiri, Fatemeh Hassan
  • 2020-21 Drs. Priyanka Misale, Gabriela Vergara, Fatemeh Hassan Nia (Research), Sasan Dabiri, Tom Brandstaetter (Research)
  • 2019-20 Drs. Khalid Alzaabi, Rana Barake, Michael Bergin, Fatemeh Hassan Nia (Research), Priyanka Misale
  • 2018-19 Drs. Paul Douglas-Jones, Jennifer Lee, Fatemeh Hassan Nia (Research), Khalid Alzaabi, Rana Barake
  • 2017-18 Drs. Simon Carr,  Reuven Ishai, Gordon Tsang, Olga Tsirogianni, Khalid Alzaabi, Fatemeh Hassan Nia (Research)
  • 2016-17 Drs. Thomas Mawby, Meirav Sokolov
  • 2015-2016-Drs. Ophir Ilan, Cathy Smythe
  • 2014-2015- Dr. Jihad Nasser
  • 2014-2016-Dr. Ophir Ilan
  • 2014 Dr. Iqbal Syed
  • 2013-14 Dr. Pranay Singh
  • 2013-14 Dr. Bradley Hubbard
  • 2013-14 Dr. Carolina Wuesthoff
  • 2012-13 Dr. Cristian Daszenies
  • 2012-13 Dr. Panninee Charusripan
  • 2012-13 Dr. Annabelle Leung
  • 2012-13 Dr. Mohammad-Reza Golrokhian-Sani
  • 2011 Dr. Nazia Munir
  • 2011-12 Dr. Yuvatya Plodplai
  • 2011-12 Dr. Seng-Guan Khoo
  • 2011-12 Dr. Gundula Thiel
  • 2010-11 Dr. Philip Lai
  • 2010-11 Dr. Chris Coulson
  • 2008-10 Dr. Saisuree Nivitwongs
  • 2009-10 Dr. Prodip Das
  • 2009-10 Dr. David Pothier
  • 2009 Dr. Sanjay Verma
  • 2007-08 Dr. Sarun Praikarunthong
  • 2007-09 Dr. Ali Safar
  • 2006 Dr. Sunil Dutt
  • 2006-07 Dr. Vitaly Kisilevsky
  • 2006-07 Dr. Latif Kadhim
  • 2006-07 Dr. Neil Bailie
  • 2006-07 Dr. Khin Khin Phyu
  • 2005 Dr. Masour Zarandy
  • 2005 Dr. Daniel Hajioff
  • 2005-06 Dr. Soh Ping Eng
  • 2004-05 Dr. Michael Taplin
  • 2004-05 Dr. Richard Anthony
  • 2003-04 Dr. Ahmad Al Amadi
  • 2002-03 Dr. Vitaly Kisilevsky
  • 2002-03 Dr. Prepageran Narayanan
  • 2003 Dr. Andrew Scott
  • 2001-02 Dr. Vivek Raut
  • 2000-01 Dr. Dan Kaplan
  • 2000-01 Dr. Ravi Hehar
  • 1999-00 Dr. Zaid Shebah
  • 1999-00 Dr. Marc Thorp
  • 1998-99 Dr. Rory Walsh
  • 1998-99 Dr. Andrew Bath
  • 1997 Dr. Mordechai Krause
  • 1998 Dr. Teruhiro Ogawa
  • 1997 Dr. Joe Marais
  • 1996 Dr. Judith Heaton
  • 1995 Dr. Mark Yardley
  • 1994-95 Dr. Yoshiro Naito
  • 1994-95 Dr. Saowaros Asawavichianginda
  • 1993 Dr. Jim Cullen
  • 1994 Dr. Masaki Fujimoto
  • 1991 Dr. Kathyrn Evans
  • 1991 Dr. Pace-Balzan
  • 1989-90 Dr. Wayne Redmond
  • 1987-88 Dr. Takuya Ohmichi
  • 1986 Dr. David Kirkpatrick