CHEO Research Institute and Shriners Hospitals for Children Canada Collaborate to Launch First-of-Its-Kind Joint Pediatric Metabolic and Genetic Bone Disorders Fellowship

Shriners Hospitals for Children Canada, in collaboration with Children's Hospitals of Eastern Ontario Research Institute, is pleased to announce the launch of a joint pediatric metabolic and genetic bone disorders fellowship. Fellows will work in each hospital over two years, thereby developing physicians with expertise in both endocrinology and genetics, and allowing children living with rare bone disease to see a single specialist instead of visiting clinics at multiple hospitals. The first four years of this fellowship program have been funded by Shriners Hospitals for Children Canada via Tunis Shriners of Ottawa.

The fellowship will advance pediatric bone health care and research in rare bone diseases.

The fellowship program stands out for its unique structure, and is the first of its kind in North America. Fellows will split their time between CHEO in Ottawa, Ontario, and the Shriners Hospitals for Children Canada facility in Montreal, Quebec, gaining experience in both a specialized pediatric orthopedic setting and a more general pediatric hospital environment. This allows the fellows to see a wider variety of cases and develop a broad skill set that blends both metabolic bone disease expertise, genetics and research.

The first of the two-year fellowship will take place at CHEO, where the team will see children and youth with rare bone disease under the leadership of Leanne Ward, M.D., and take part in cutting-edge research.

“Mentoring and training the next generation of leaders in pediatric bone health clinical care and research is critical to ensure our unique field of expertise continues to grow so that the kids of today and tomorrow receive the best care possible. It’s through the sharing of combined knowledge and experience across multiple disciplines that we can better train future clinician-scientists to lead the way in exemplary patient care and scientific discovery,” said Dr. Ward pediatric endocrinologist and scientific director of the Ottawa Pediatric Bone Health Research Group at the CHEO Research Institute, who holds a tier one research chair in pediatric bone disorders at the University of Ottawa.

The second year of the fellowship will take place under the leadership of Frank Rauch, M.D., at Shriners Hospitals for Children Canada, where children with genetic bone diseases are seen from across North America, and state-of-the art clinical and research laboratories focus on these conditions.

“This groundbreaking collaboration represents our commitment to advancing the field of pediatric bone disorders, with an emphasis on genetic and metabolic conditions. The fellowship will help shape the future of care for bone diseases in children by ensuring that fellows receive the most comprehensive, multidisciplinary training available, and, by extension, our patients receive the best care anywhere,” said Dr. Rauch, pediatrician and director of the clinical biomedical laboratory at Shriners Hospitals for Children Canada.

“This first-of-its-kind fellowship is the perfect example of transformative collaboration in action. Together, we are building the future of pediatric care in rare bone disorders by training the next generation of clinician-scientists,” said Jason Berman, M.D., CEO and scientific director, CHEO Research Institute, vice president of research, CHEO.

“In the true spirit of collaboration with the goal of improving pediatric orthopedic care in Canada, this will not only improve the lives of patients and their families, but will also advance research and teaching,” said Jacques Boissonneault, administrator, Shriners Hospitals for Children Canada. “This agreement is the second one we have signed this year, and there will be more to come as we work with institutions across Canada to open doors for more patients to access our world-class expertise. We are able to do so with the incredible support of the Shriners, and we are truly grateful to Tunis Shriners for believing in this exceptional fellowship.”

“The Tunis Shriners have proudly been part of the Ottawa community for nearly fifty years, fundraising to improve children’s health from the very beginning. On behalf of our members, we are delighted to support this wonderful initiative that will continue to help children and families of Ottawa and beyond,” said Eric Owen, Potentate of Tunis Shriners of Ottawa.

Meet Ella Mae, Age 4, and Her Parents, Ryan and Anu

Ella Mae was diagnosed with severe-moderate osteogenesis imperfecta (OI) Type 4 at birth. Her father, Ryan, also has OI, a genetic bone disorder. Also known as brittle bone disease, a child born with OI may have soft bones that break (fracture) easily.

Since his last fracture because of OI, Ryan has witnessed first-hand, through the care his daughter receives, the advancements in research and care for children with OI.

“My bones stopped breaking around the age of 18. In that 20-year span until we had Ella Mae, there has been so much study and advancements in the treatment of OI, it’s absolutely mind-blowing. I never had any of that as a kid. It’s like being alive for the development of the radio and then being able to see the internet happen. Seeing all the evolutions, you’re taken aback by it all, and it’s fantastic,” said Ryan.

Ella Mae, who is now a chatty 4-year-old and in her first year of school, is a strong little girl, with a high pain tolerance and strong personality. She has been followed by Dr. Ward since birth and she, like other kids, will benefit from this unique fellowship that combines the expertise of both Dr. Rauch and Dr. Ward to train the next generation.

Fellowship Details

The fellowship is designed for medical doctors who have completed their pediatric, pediatric endocrinology, or medical genetics training and wish to specialize in pediatric bone diseases. Applications will be processed through McGill University’s Postgraduate Medical Education Office for the Shriners Hospitals for Children Canada portion, and through Dr. Leanne Ward at CHEO for the Ottawa-based component.

For more information on the fellowship program and how to apply, please visit McGill PGME and contact pgcoordinator.med@mcgill.ca.