About the Fellowship Program

The Department of Psychiatry's Fellowship Program offers opportunities for advanced academic training in a wide range of clinical interest areas in Psychiatry.

The minimum duration of fellowship training is 6 months, although the majority of our Fellowships are offered for 1-2 years.The  majority of our fellows are involved in a combination of research and clinical activities, but the prospective training must include a clinical component. Pursuing fellowship training offers an exceptional opportunity to experience academic psychiatry, retain protected time and receive advanced supervision from world-renowned experts within a mentorship model.

Note: Candidates applying to pursue purely research-based training (no patient contact) are not eligible for a fellowship appointment with the Department of Psychiatry's Fellowship Program. Similarly, PhD (non-MD) postdoctoral fellows are not able to register as fellows with the Department of Psychiatry but may be able to register through the School of Graduate Studies (SGS) Postdoctoral Office provided their primary location of research is the University of Toronto campus. Postdoctoral fellows receiving their stipend from the University of Toronto are also eligible to register with the SGS Postdoctoral Office. If unable to register with the SGS, PhD postdoctoral fellows/MD research trainees may be able to register at the respective UofT-affiliated teaching site (e.g. hospital), provided they meet applicable institutional requirements.

Fellowship Training Eligibility Requirements

• Medical Degree & Specialty Certification: Clinical fellowship applicants must have obtained a medical degree from a recognized medical school and have received specialist designation. Applicants must provide copies of the original medical degree and specialty certificates, as well as notarized translations if the original documents are in a language other than English/French.
• Clinical fellowship applicants must also meet the minimum eligibility requirements for licensure with the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario to take up training at the University of Toronto. For more information and verification of eligibility for licensing purposes, contact the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario (CPSO).

Application Process Overview

Candidates apply for a clinical fellowship appointment with the Department of Psychiatry's Fellowship Program after securing both supervision from a Department of Psychiatry Faculty member as well as a minimum stipend of $65,000 CAD/annum, which would serve as the candidate's salary during training. 

Securing Supervision:

Fellowship training competitions are administered by the prospective supervisor/training site, with variable deadlines and associated funding availability. Some opportunities are fully-funded at or above our departmental minimums (see below), while others require the candidate to secure their own funding. Available psychiatry fellowship training opportunities are listed here. 

Securing Funding:

Per university guidelines, clinical fellows must to be remunerated at a rate at least equivalent to that of a PGY-1 trainee (as per PARO salary scale). Effective July 1, 2022, the Fellowship Program requires a minimum funding of $65,000 (CAD) per year. Fellowships can be funded through a variety of sources including scholarships, sponsorship by a candidate’s home hospital /educational institution/government, the prospective supervisor's research grants (if the fellowship will include a research component), or training site educational funds.

Note: Sponsored Applicants

Postgraduate training agreements are in place between the University of Toronto’s Temerty Faculty of Medicine and governmental sponsoring agencies from several countries. These agreements  cover the training stipend stipend and associated training costs for select candidates accepted to pursue advanced clinical training at the University of Toronto. Applicants who have obtained preliminary sponsorship must have their sponsor initiate an application on the UofT Sponsored trainee Application Registry (STAR) prior to applying for fellowship training. For more information, contact the University of Toronto's Postgraduate Medical Education Office (PGME) (pgme.international@utoronto.ca) and/or the fellowship office (psych.fellows@utoronto.ca). 

Application Submission Timelines

The Department of Psychiatry accepts applications on a rolling basis, taking into account the following timelines: 

• Applicants requiring a work permit: Complete applications must be received by the Fellowship program 6-8 months in advance of the training start date. For example, application paperwork must be received by January 1st for fellowship training that is scheduled to begin on July 1st of the same year.
• Canadian citizens / Permanent Residents: Complete applications must be received by the Fellowship program 4 months in advance of the training start date. For example, application paperwork must be received by March 1st for fellowship training that is scheduled to begin on July 1st of the same year.
• Applications that are not submitted far enough in advance (or that are incomplete) may be subject to delayed start dates.

Related Links

• Apply to the Fellowship Program