St. Joe’s Renal Transplant Program receives prestigious accreditation from the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada
St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton is now one of two hospitals in Canada to receive a prominent accreditation from the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada for training physicians and surgeons in kidney transplantation.
“Accreditation from the Royal College places St. Joe’s as a national leader in the education of future surgeons and physicians,” says Dr. Azim Gangji, Renal Transplant Fellowship Program Director, St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton. “Our fellows learn under a very specialized and unique curriculum that allows them to practice transplantations at the top of their field.”
St. Joe’s Renal Transplant Program is unique in Canada as it is one of the few complex transplant programs in the country that can do all forms of kidney transplantation including high-risk kidney transplantation. The educational program provides fellows with a highly formalized and dedicated teaching structure that offers excellent clinical exposure in a collaborative and innovative environment. The program also conducts leading-edge research to improve the lives of the one million Canadians who live with moderate to severe kidney disease.
“To maintain accreditation, the Renal Transplant program will continually develop and innovate to ensure we not only meet, but surpass criteria set by the Royal College,” says Dr. Gangji. “Our curriculum is different from other programs out there as it is has a strong emphasis on education and the delivery of patient-centred care. Kidney failure patients have a very difficult life and as a kidney doctor you need to be able to provide care and support from a social, emotional and medical perspective. We don’t just focus on the kidneys, but the entire person – that’s who we care for.”
The Renal Transplant Program is the first Area of Focused Competence (AFC) accredited program at St. Joe’s. An accredited AFC program meets national standards in its ability to enhance the scope of practice of post-residency training.
“We have tremendous support from the hospital that enables us to deliver this high quality education program. “It is an accomplishment that is truly due to team work, a strong collaboration between the physicians and St. Joe’s administration and clinical and laboratory staff.”
Caption: Dr. Azim Gangji, left, Nephrologist at St. Joseph’s Healthcare, with transplant recipient Cassy St. Pierre, right.
Dr. Gangji is the Nephrology Training Program Director, Renal Transplant Fellowship Program Director and Internal Medicine Nephrology Site Director at St. Joe’s. He was recently featured in the Hamilton Spectator.