The UBC Division of Hematology is dedicated to the advancement of our field through the training and education of tomorrow’s hematologists.
We offer specialized post-graduate training in the following areas:
General Hematology Training Program
The General Hematology Residency Program utilizes the services of the Canadian Resident Matching Service (CaRMS). CaRMS provides an electronic application service and a computer match for entry into postgraduate medical training throughout Canada.
The selection process for the 2027 Fall Subspecialty Residency Match is now in progress
For more information on future match, please visit CaRMS website: FSRM (Future Matches) — Applicant Timeline
Thank you for your interest in UBC General Hematology Training Program.
General Hematology Training Program is currently accepting application for visiting electives at Vancouver General Hospital for the current academic year. Please see the application process outlined below.
How to Apply
Please contact the program to arrange an elective. Trainees wishing to do an elective are advised to provide the following information:
- Applicant’s current year, program and school.
- Desired rotation block(s) – please refer to 2026-27 rotation blocks
For information on eligibility, application procedures, and required documentation, please refer to the latest from UBC Postgraduate Medical Education.
Program Contact
Ms. May Wong, Program & Division Manager
Important Notes
Application and required documents must be received by PGME Dean’s Office a minimum of eight (8) weeks prior to the start of requested elective rotation.
It is the responsibility of the visiting resident to ensure the completed application is submitted and the elective is approved by PGME Dean’s Office, also that educational license is active on the start date of the visiting elective.
Program and preceptor(s) are requested to verify the license before the elective begins. Postgraduate visiting residents cannot begin their elective until their license has been issued by CPSBC.
Leukemia/BMT Training Program
The Leukemia/BMT Training Program is currently accepting applications for positions available in 2026 and 2027. Initially, a one-year commitment to the Program is required. Fellows in their first year may be considered for an additional year at their request. No more than six fellows will be accepted at a time.
Upon acceptance to our Training Program, the Fellowship Program Administrator will assist you with obtaining an education license from the BC College of Physicians and Surgeons and if necessary, applying for immigration.
Please note the Terry Fox Laboratory at the British Columbia Cancer Agency provides additional training in laboratory hematology research. Application for such research training should be made directly to the Terry Fox Laboratory. It may be possible to arrange a fellowship that includes training with the Leukemia/BMT Program as well as the Terry Fox Lab.
Thank you for your interest in the Leukemia/BMT Training Program.
Kevin W. Song, MD, FRCPC
Medical Director,
Leukemia/BMT Program of British Columbia
David Sanford, MD, FRCPC
Fellowship Director,
Leukemia/BMT Program of British Columbia
The Leukemia/BMT Program
The Leukemia/BMT Program provides advanced training in the management of adults with leukemia, myeloma and other malignant hematological disorders as well as all aspects of allogeneic and autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Approximately 300 to 350 transplants are performed per annum, and 150-200 newly diagnosed patients with leukemia are treated. The L/BMT Program works closes with the Terry Fox Laboratory at the British Columbia Cancer Agency.
The L/BMT Program has three primary treatment locations at Vancouver General Hospital:
- Inpatient Unit, Jim Pattison Pavilion 15th floor
- Medical Intervention Clinic (Daycare), Blackmore Pavilion 6th floor
- Outpatient Doctors Clinic, Blackmore Pavilion 6th floor
See Clinical Rotations for more information on the care provided at these units.
Medical Staff
The medical staff team is led by Dr. Kevin Song, Medical Director of Leukemia/BMT Program of British Columbia, and consists of 17 attending physicians, six (6) general practitioners in Oncology, and two (2) nurse practitioners. In addition to the Leukemia/BMT and General Hematology Fellows, a number of Residents in Internal Medicine, Medical Oncology and Radiation Oncology also rotate through the Program.
Please refer to the Faculty section of this site for a summary of the education, academic and research interests of our faculty members.
Fellowship Program Director
The Fellowship Program Director, Dr. David Sanford, oversees the recruitment, training and education of the Leukemia/BMT fellows.
Fellowship Program Administrator
The Fellowship Program Administrator performs the following functions:
- Coordinates fellowship applications, licensing and immigration
- Maintains a database of pertinent fellowship information
- Develops and maintains written evaluations from the fellows and mentoring faculty
- Maintains and distributes fellow schedules (clinical rotations, conferences, call)
Clinical Rotations
Fellows will spend approximately 10 months on service each year at our three treatment locations:
Leukemia/BMT Service (T15, VGH)
Fellows spend 6 to 8 months per year on this service. Each rotation consists of two teams, each responsible for approximately 11 beds primarily used for the management of patients receiving chemotherapy for acute leukemia, or undergoing allogeneic or autologous stem cell transplantation. Approximately 200 transplants are performed on this unit per annum.This service provides experience in the primary management of inpatients with:
- acute myelogenous leukemia
- acute lymphoblastic leukemia
- chronic myeloid leukemia
- aplastic anemia
- myelodysplastic syndromes
- multiple myeloma
- some aggressive lymphomas
Other patients with relapsed lymphomas and solid tumors are managed during their transplant course. Experience is gained in the pre-transplant evaluation of patients and their donors, as well as in the prevention and management of regimen related toxicity, graft-vs-host disease, and the infectious complications of bone marrow transplantation.
Fellows rotate first-line night and weekend call from home approximately 1 in every 5 nights/weekends, staff permitting. The Fellow is the primary caregiver and assists the senior staff with the care of Leukemia/BMT patients during night call.
Outpatient Intervention Clinic (BP6 Daycare, VGH)
Fellows spend 2 to 4 months per year on this service. This facility consists of 22 treatment rooms allowing a total of 30-40 patients to be evaluated/treated daily.This service provides experience in the treatment of patients requiring:
- out-patient chemotherapy
- antimicrobials
- immunosuppressive agents
- transfusion support
- intensive follow-up pre or post-admission to hospital
- autologous transplantation in multiple myeloma
Outpatient Doctors’ Clinics (BP6, VGH)
Fellows will have one clinic day a week assigned to them for 1-2 months and are able to follow and manage outpatients under the supervision of their faculty mentor. This facility consists of 9 exam rooms for the initial review and the post-treatment management of patients. Clinics are held Monday through Thursday; a clinic nurse assesses patients prior to them being seen by the physician.
Clinical Research
Fellows usually have 2 months of ‘off service’ time per year. All fellows are expected to utilize off service time to produce clinical research.
Fellows are encouraged to participate in the design, organization, implementation and analysis of clinical trials, in association with senior staff. Fellows are expected to play a significant role in at least 1-2 publications during the first year of fellowship, and submit abstracts to/present at one major meeting. Fellows who have submitted abstracts will be funded to attend 1 meeting per year.
Fellows who are interested in laboratory research should commit to 1-2 years of additional fellowship training. Training opportunities are available by arrangement and are dependent on prior laboratory experience, performance and availability of funds. Fellows doing laboratory research may be asked to take limited night and weekend call (no more than 1/5) and will continue to follow patients longitudinally in clinic.Additional laboratory research is available in the following areas:
- Cryogenic and Marrow Processing Laboratory, Terry Fox Laboratory: Offers experience in laboratory procedures related to processing and freezing of autologous blood or bone marrow.
- Stem Cell Assay Service, Terry Fox Laboratory: Offers experience in laboratory procedures related to clonogenic assays and long-term culture of blood and marrow progenitor cells.
- Cell Separator Unit, Vancouver Hospital: Offers experience in apheresis procedures including therapeutic plasmaphereses, therapeutic leukaphereses, peripheral blood stem cell (autologous and allogeneic) collection and buffy coat (allogeneic) collection.
- Immunology, Vancouver Hospital: Offers experience in the practical aspects of immunology related to marrow transplantation.
Teaching
Fellows will be expected to participate in several teaching conference and activities including:
- Outpatient Review Rounds
- Sign-out Rounds
- Wednesday Noon Rounds (fellow to present 1-2 times per year)
- Hematology Journal Club
- Hematology Lecture Series
Fellows will be provided access to training materials including:
- L/BMT treatment manual
- Treatment protocols database
- Publications archive
- Presentation archive
Thank you for your interest in the L/BMT Training Program. Please see the application process outlined below.
Step 1: Apply to UBC
Complete an Application for Fellowship and return to:
Candy Ferris
Fellowship Program Administrator
2775 Laurel Street, 10th floor
Vancouver, BC V5Z1M9
Duration: 2 weeks
Step 2: Apply for Licensure
In order to practice medicine in British Columbia, you must obtain an educational medical license from the College of Physicians and Surgeons of BC (CPSBC). Upon acceptance into the L/BMT Training Program, the fellowship program administrator will notify the College of your intention to undertake fellowship. The College will in turn contact you with an application package for you to complete.
Duration: 6 weeks
Credentials Certification
If you have completed your medical education outside Canada, the College requires your credentials to be certified by the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates – International Credentials Services (ECFMG®-EICS) through their online certification portal.
Duration: 4 weeks
Step 3: Apply for Immigration
All non-Canadians must apply for immigration to Canada in order to undertake fellowship. Once the BC College of Physicians & Surgeons has approved your temporary license, the fellowship program administrator will submit an application to Employment and Immigration requesting approval of immigration status on your behalf. This application will include:
- Request Letter
- UBC offer letter
- CPSBC Registration Approval letter
- CV
- Reference letters
Immigration Canada will process this application and send back a ‘Positive Labour Market Opinion’. Upon receiving this, you will need to take it to the Canadian Immigration office nearest to where you live to complete the immigration process.
Duration: 12 weeks
Medical Examination
Citizenship and Immigration Canada may require you to pass a medical examination in order to come to Canada. To pass this examination, you must not have a condition that is a danger to public health and safety or would cause excessive demand on health or social services in Canada. Instructions on how to undergo the medical examination will be sent to you after you submit your application to the visa office.
Step 4: Interview with CPSBC
Once you have obtained licensure and your immigration has been approved, the Fellowship Program Director will arrange your fellowship start date. After arriving in Vancouver, we ask that allow yourself a few days to acclimate prior to beginning your fellowship.
Prior to beginning your fellowship, you must schedule an interview with the College in Vancouver. Registration will not be granted until you complete this interview.
Step 5: Welcome to the L/BMT Training Program
During your first week, orientation will be provided by the fellowship administrator, fellowship director and nursing staff. Orientation will review fellowship duties, research opportunities, teaching activities, and information pertinent to your training.