Skip to content
CdnMD

Vancouver - Neuropathology

University of British ColumbiaVancouver, British ColumbiaCMG stream

At a glance

Approx. quota
1 position
Length
5 years
Applications per year
0–50
Offered interviews
51–75%

CMG stream · open to Canadian medical graduates

Interviews

1 date, 28 Jan 2027virtual

Vancouver, 6 teaching sites

Program website(opens in a new tab)CANPREPP profile(opens in a new tab)CaRMS program page(opens in a new tab)

What stands out about this program

  • Program describes its service as one of Canada's busiest neuropathology services, including forensic and nerve/muscle pathology.

    From “Program curriculum” on the CaRMS page

  • UBC Neuropathology is a 5-year residency trained primarily at Vancouver General Hospital and BC Children's Hospital.
  • Foundations include seven clinical blocks and a year of anatomical pathology, followed by two years of adult neuropathology and three months of pediatric neuropathology.
  • Residents must take part in at least one research project, and interviews are held by Zoom.

The summary is written by CdnMD from the program’s CaRMS description.

What training looks like

Setting
  • Academic / tertiary hospital
Rural exposure
Not stated on CaRMS page
Research
Required · research project

By year

PGY-1
  • block specific to neuropathologyVGHone block
PGY-5
  • Transition to practicefinal half of the PGY5 year

Other rotations

Listed by the program without a single PGY year.

  • internal medicine (Foundations (PGY1 & 2))
  • adult neurology (Foundations (PGY1 & 2) · 2 blocks)
  • pediatric neurology (Foundations (PGY1 & 2))
  • neurosurgery (Foundations (PGY1 & 2))
  • neuro-oncology (Foundations (PGY1 & 2))
  • neuroradiology (Foundations (PGY1 & 2))
  • anatomical pathology (Foundations (PGY1 & 2) · one full year)
  • adult neuropathology (Core (PGY2 – 5) · two full years · VGH)
  • pediatric neuropathology (Core (PGY2 – 5) · three months · BCCH)
  • elective blocks (Core (PGY2 – 5) · several)

✓ = the CaRMS page states it; – = not stated. From the program description and its rotation list.

Where you train

Vancouver, British Columbia: 6 teaching sites.

  • Vancouver General Hospital
  • British Columbia Children's Hospital
  • BC Cancer-Agency
  • St. Paul's Hospital
  • BC Centre for Disease Control
  • The Royal Columbian Hospital (New Westminster)

Record systems at the listed sites: MEDITECH at 1 of 6, Oracle Health (Cerner) at 3; no published record for 2.

Hospital facts

4 sites · public figures and clinical record systems where they are published

Public figures for hospitals named above, each with its source and reference period. They describe the hospital, not the program. We match names to the sources by name, so check each source before you rely on it.

How to read the figures

  • Elective surgeries completed, 2025/26. All procedure groups, for the fiscal year (1 April to 31 March). Scheduled surgery only: emergency surgery is not in the file.
  • Elective surgeries completed, 2026/27 Q1. One quarter (April to June), interim figures, all procedure groups. Scheduled surgery only.

Vancouver General Hospital

Clinical record
CST Cerner, fully electronic record since Nov 2022 As of 31 Oct 2026

Matched to Vancouver General Hospital in the province’s hospital list.

Elective surgeries completed, 2025/26
13,790
Elective surgeries completed, 2026/27 Q1
3,855

British Columbia Children's Hospital

Clinical record
CST Cerner, fully electronic record since Feb 2022 As of 31 Oct 2026

Matched to BC Children's Hospital (Vancouver) in the province’s hospital list.

Elective surgeries completed, 2025/26
7,396
Elective surgeries completed, 2026/27 Q1
1,910

St. Paul's Hospital

Clinical record
CST Cerner, fully electronic record since Nov 2019 As of 31 Oct 2026

Matched to St. Paul's Hospital (Vancouver) in the province’s hospital list.

Elective surgeries completed, 2025/26
8,691
Elective surgeries completed, 2026/27 Q1
2,240
Show facts for 1 more sites

The Royal Columbian Hospital

Clinical record
MEDITECH: Fraser Health electronic health record (Advance), fully electronic record since Sep 2024 As of 31 Oct 2026

Matched to Royal Columbian Hospital (New Westminster) in the province’s hospital list.

Elective surgeries completed, 2025/26
4,798
Elective surgeries completed, 2026/27 Q1
1,447

Fraser Health's new electronic health record is live at 4 sites (Royal Columbian Hospital, Eagle Ridge Hospital, Fraser Canyon Hospital, Mission Memorial Hospital). Its other sites are still on its current clinical information system. As of 31 Oct 2026

Verify with the official source: each source button opens the publisher’s own page.

Sources and licences

  • Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – British Columbia.

About Vancouver

  • People

    662,248residents, 2021 Census

    Municipality of Vancouver

  • Housing

    3.7%rental vacancy rate

    October 2025 survey, Vancouver, British Columbia (census metropolitan area)

  • Winter and summer

    5.3 °CJanuary mean19.0 °CJuly mean

    1991–2020 normals, Vancouver (Harbour), 5.7 km away

  • Job outlook

    Moderatefor the specialty here, 2025–2027

More about Vancouver (its page: housing, getting around, weather, things to do, and every program that names it)

Sites as the program’s CaRMS page lists them. City figures are public statistics for the place named by the location; they describe the place, not the program.

How they choose

Application file components
  • CV
  • Electives
  • Examinations
  • Extra-curricular
  • Leadership skills
  • MSPRs
  • Personal letters
  • Reference documents
  • Research/Publications
  • Transcripts
Return of service
Not stated on CaRMS page. Check the provincial return-of-service rules.

Application file components as the program describes them.

Interviews and info sessions

Interview dates (2027 match)
28 Jan 2027
Format
Virtual
  • Panel

Info sessions

None listed on the program’s CaRMS page (opens in a new tab) (read 20 Oct 2026) or on CANPREPP’s events calendar (read 24 Oct 2026). Programs add sessions through the fall.

1 Neuropathology info session at other programsAll info sessions

Pay and call

Provincial scale, last updated 2 Sep 2026 · check the current agreement(opens in a new tab). Salaries from April 2027. One provincial scale for British Columbia, set by the resident agreement, so every program there pays the same. Showing the 5 levels this program covers.

Annual salary by PGY level, British Columbia
LevelAnnual salary
PGY-1
$71,390 / year
PGY-2
$79,571 / year
PGY-3
$86,655 / year
PGY-4
$93,230 / year
PGY-5
$100,215 / year

How provincial pay and rent compare

Call

Call (provincial max)
1 in 4 in-house
Post-call rule (provincial)
Relieved within 2 hours of the call ending, or by 10:00 if earlier, when a resident on a 24-hour or longer shift could not get 6 uninterrupted hours of rest

The union agreement’s limits and rules for all residents in the province; your program’s actual call schedule may be lighter. RDBC agreement, 1 Apr 2025 to 31 Mar 2029. Read as of 1 Oct 2026.

Benefits

13 lines as listed by CaRMS in 2022–2024: Annual vacation, CMPA dues paid, Dental plan, and more
Annual vacation
4 weeks
CMPA dues paid
Yes. Mandatory
Dental plan
100% Premiums Paid
Educational leave
Yes
Extended health insurance
100% Premiums Paid
Life insurance
100% Premium Paid
Long-term disability insurance
Yes 100% Premiums Paid
Maternity leave
17 weeks, plus up to 78 weeks Parental Leave
Meal allowance
No
Provincial dues (% of salary)
1.5%
Provincial health insurance
100% Premiums Paid
Sick leave
Yes
Statutory holidays
2 x pay plus extra day with pay

Past matches

Open after round 1 in 5 of 8 years (2019–2026); still open after round 2 in 3 of 9 years.

Positions at this site, all streams. Site as CaRMS lists it: Vancouver.

Show the table, with round 2
Positions at this site, all streams, still open after round 1 and after round 2, by year. Each count above zero links to the CaRMS list page it comes from.
YearOpen after round 1Open after round 2
2018not available1 position open after round 2 in 2018, CaRMS list (opens in a new tab)
201900
202000
20211 position open after round 1 in 2021, CaRMS list (opens in a new tab)0
20221 position open after round 1 in 2022, CaRMS list (opens in a new tab)1 position open after round 2 in 2022, CaRMS list (opens in a new tab)
20231 position open after round 1 in 2023, CaRMS list (opens in a new tab)1 position open after round 2 in 2023, CaRMS list (opens in a new tab)
20241 position open after round 1 in 2024, CaRMS list (opens in a new tab)0
20251 position open after round 1 in 2025, CaRMS list (opens in a new tab)0
202600

CaRMS’s first-round list for 2018 was not found, so round 1 is counted over 8 years and round 2 over 9.

What this means

  • A position can go unfilled because of where the site is, because it is open to IMGs only or to another restricted stream, or because the quota changed late.
  • It says nothing about the quality of the training or how heavy the workload is.
  • A site’s numbers are shown when it had positions open after round 1 in at least 2 of 8 years or at least 3 in one year.

Source: CaRMS’s lists of positions open after round 1 and after round 2, as read in October 2026 (latest: 2026 round 1 (CaRMS PDF, opens in a new tab), 2026 round 2 (CaRMS PDF, opens in a new tab)).

Year by year

2027 match

The 2027 match, one row per stream (scrolls sideways on narrow screens)
StreamPositionsLengthInterviewsWhat changed
CMG stream15 years1 date, 28 Jan 2027VirtualNothing noted

2026 match

The 2026 match, one row per stream (scrolls sideways on narrow screens)
StreamPositionsLengthInterviews
CMG stream15 yearsInterviews not stated
The 2026 page of the CMG stream: our summary of its CaRMS description
  • The UBC Neuropathology Residency Training Program is a comprehensive 5-year program offering certification in Neuropathology by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada.
  • Residents are exposed to a wide variety of clinical material in one of Canada's busiest neuropathology services, with strong clinical and academic ties to neurology, neurosurgery, neuroradiology, and anatomical pathology.
Research
Residents are required to be involved in at least one research project, with faculty research interests spanning multiple neuroscience domains.
Training setting
Training takes place in multiple urban teaching hospitals in Vancouver, including Vancouver General Hospital, BC Children's Hospital, St. Paul's Hospital, and BC Cancer Agency.
Teaching approach
The program follows a Competency by Design (CBD) model with four stages: transition to discipline, foundational training, core training, and transition to practice, emphasizing progressive independence and comprehensive skill development.
Enhanced skills
Not stated on CaRMS page
What the program looked at
  • Academic record
  • Elective evaluations
  • Research portfolio
  • Letters of recommendation
  • Communication skills
  • Interpersonal skills

Positions, length and interviews as each match’s CaRMS pages stated them; what changed from our comparison of the two matches and our readings of the 2027 pages.

Contacts and links

Program director

  • Dr. Ian Mackenzie

    Faculty profile of Dr. Ian Mackenzie(opens in a new tab)

    Research Interest

    Dr. Ian Mackenzie, a neuropathologist, has extensive expertise in using brain tissue banks in the care of patients with neurological disorders. His research program centres on neuropathology and the molecular genetics of neurodegenerative disease, particularly dementias.

    Source: pathology.ubc.ca · checked Oct 2026

CaRMS lists no email for the director.

Program office

Per CaRMS. Staff change during the cycle, so check the CaRMS program page(opens in a new tab) before emailing.

Program websiteWebsiteCANPREPPCANPREPPThis program on CaRMS(opens in a new tab)

Neuropathology elsewhere

Nearest to Vancouver

  • Calgary - NeuropathologyUniversity of Calgary

    Calgary, AB · 673 km

    1 position · CMG

  • London - NeuropathologyWestern University

    London, ON · 3,258 km

    1 position · CMG

  • Toronto - NeuropathologyUniversity of Toronto

    Toronto, ON · 3,359 km

    2 positions · CMG, IMG

Source

The program’s CaRMS page (opens in a new tab) · 2027 match · last approved 28 Aug 2026 · not final until file review opens 26 November; as of 19 Oct 2026, re-checked every two weeks.

Accredited · CaRMS program ID 35377 · How these pages are made › · See the 2026 match under Year by year

The Applications per year and Offered interviews figures are 5-year averages the program reports to CaRMS: past cycles, not your odds.

Independent. Not affiliated with CaRMS or the program. Programs edit their descriptions during the match; confirm on carms.ca (opens in a new tab) before you apply. Data last updated on CdnMD 24 Oct 2026.

Did this page answer your question?