Developmental Pediatrics Residency Program
First in Canada
The University of Alberta Developmental Pediatrics Program was the first of its kind in Canada.
Diverse Interdisciplinary Learning
Community-based and hospital-based clinical learning opportunities from experienced interdisciplinary clinicians.
Glenrose Rehabilitation Hospital
The largest free-standing, comprehensive tertiary rehabilitation hospital in Canada
Interview/CaRMS Specific Information
Our program will be participating in the 2025 CaRMS match. Our interview date will beFebruary 11, 2025. All 2025 match cycle interviews will be conducted virtually via Zoom.
From 12pm-1pm MST we will have hold a virtual “Meet and Greet” where applicants will
have the opportunity to meet the members of our teaching faculty and ask questions.
We look forward to meeting you!
Contact Us
Developmental Pediatrics Residency Program
Department of Pediatrics, Division of Developmental Pediatrics,
University of Alberta
Dr. Sabrina Eliason
Program Director, Developmental Pediatrics
Medical Education Program Coordinator
Welcome to Our Program
The Developmental Pediatrics Subspecialty Residency Program at the University of Alberta is a two-year training program that is accredited by the Royal college of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada. An essential goal of our program is to support the training of developmental pediatricians who will be able to adapt to meet the diverse needs of children, youth and families, in a field impacted by evolving research,teaching innovations, clinical advancements, and continuous policy and social change.
Learners in our program will be primarily training at the Glenrose Rehabilitation Hospital, which is the largest free-standing, comprehensive tertiary rehabilitation hospital in Canada. The Glenrose has a legacy as a leader clinical care and research in rehabilitation medicine.
Our Developmental Pediatrics program also has strong relationships with other faculties and training programs at the University of Alberta. These partnerships uniquely enrich teaching, learning and research opportunities available to learners in our program.
Graduates of our program will join an international community of University of Alberta developmental pediatrician alumni who are making a positive difference in advancing healthcare for children, youth and families living with disability across the country and around the world.
A note from the Program Director
I am a developmental pediatrician at the University of Alberta. At the beginning of my career, I started out primarily as a clinician. Over time, I developed questions about how to improve quality of care, equitable access to care and better use of resources in the services we provide. These questions have led to academic projects over time.
I find a lot of joy in the work I do. Developmental pediatricians bring a unique set of skills that are foundational to understanding the health of individuals, families and society. Getting to listen to the diverse stories and perspectives of children, youth and families is the best part of my work. I’m also constantly learning new things from my colleagues and interdisciplinary team members. We constantly push each other to be better, do better and provide better care. I work on a lot of great teams with a lot of really great people at the U of A and at the Glenrose.
Developmental Pediatrics is a medical specialty with purpose and meaning that intersects so many different levels of health and society. If you’ve chosen to pursue a career in Developmental Pediatrics, our program offers a teaching faculty that is experienced, welcoming, supportive and committed to helping you reach your learning and career goals.
Dr. Sabrina Eliason
Program Director
Program Highlights
Residency at a Glance
Our accredited training is a two-year subspecialty program, divided into 26 four-week
block rotations.
A sample of the schedule/rotations for each year are as follows:
8 weeks: Introduction to Rehabilitation and Developmental / Behavior
4 weeks: Preschool-aged Developmental / Behavior
4 weeks: School-aged Developmental / Behavior
8 weeks: Rehabilitation Junior
4 weeks: Research
4 weeks: Genetics
4 weeks: Child Psychiatry
8 weeks: Core Selective
4 weeks: Elective
4 weeks: Vacation
4 weeks: Preschool-aged Developmental / Behavior
4 weeks: School-aged Developmental / Behavior
4 weeks: Rehabilitation Senior
4 weeks: Rehabilitation Senior - Brain Injury
8 weeks: Research
4 weeks: Pediatric Neurology
8 weeks: Core Selective
12 weeks: Elective
4 weeks: Vacation
Teaching Hospitals
Much of the program is centered at the Glenrose Rehabilitation Hospital, a tertiary development and rehabilitation site. All required rotational sites are located within the greater Edmonton area.
Primary Site:
Secondary Sites:
Links to Recent Works
Check out the research and projects that our members have been a part of:
- Sabrina Eliason & Nancy Lanphear on Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (The Lancet Group Podcast)
- Pediatrician says it's time to change the way fetal alcohol spectrum disorder is diagnosed (Edmonton AM on CBC)
- Stollery Science Lab Distinguished Researcher Lonnie Zwaigenbaum discusses his child health project. Zwaigenbaum's work is funded by the Stollery Children’s Hospital Foundation and its donors.
- The Alberta Infant Motor Scale as an Outcomes Measure of Gross Motor Abilities after Early Complex Cardiac Surgery
- Behaviour Concerns in Preschool Cardiac Surgery Survivors
- Pan-Canadian physician licensure will improve access to care for rural, remote and Indigenous communities across Canada
- Liveborn children with trisomy 18: A scoping review
- Pearls of wisdom: Updated skill-specific parenting strategies in the first 6 years
- Parenting principles primer
- Early Biomarkers in the Prediction of Later Functional Impairment in Preterm Children With Cerebral Palsy
- The state of wellbeing education across North American medical schools: a scoping review
- Indigenous Autism in Canada: A Scoping Review
- Voluntary self-disclosed Indigenous identity of patients in four Canadian health care settings: A multiple-site qualitative case study
- Familial Recurrence of Autism: Updates From the Baby Siblings Research Consortium
- Math Abilities Among Children with Neurodevelopmental Difficulties: Understanding Cognitive Factors and Evaluating a Pilot Intervention
Resident Experiences
We asked our residents about their experience in our program, what their highlights have been, and any advice they want to share with future applicants. Here is what a few of them had to say:
What are the highlights of the program for you: I loved working with so many passionate, enthusiastic multidisciplinary teams during my subspecialty training! We have excellent training from both the developmental/behavioural aspects and the physical medicine aspects of Developmental Peds. There is no shortage of experts who are eager to teach, and there are also many opportunities to participate in research or medical education, depending on your learning goals! There is also flexibility with electives--one of my highlights was spending 4 weeks in Melbourne, Australia as an overseas elective!
What is one piece of advice that you want to share with applicants about the interview process: Breathe, be yourself, think about why you are passionate about this subspecialty. Enjoy meeting some of your future colleagues along the way! And remember, while the program is interviewing you, you are also interviewing the program to see if it’s a good match for you and your learning goals.
What are the highlights of the program for you: Excellent clinical educators and varied training across physiatry and developmental/behavioural pediatrics. A wide variety of research opportunities with internationally recognized researchers.
What is one piece of advice that you want to share with applicants about the interview process: Dev peds programs all want you, so be clear on what YOU want from a program.
What are the highlights of the program for you: The heart of the program is at the Glenrose, where there is a strong history of developmental pediatrics, both in rehabilitation and in development. There are great clinicians in all disciplines that are accessible and enthusiastic to share their knowledge and experiences with residents in a truly multidisciplinary setting. There are many educational opportunities, with more journal clubs and rounds that you can possibly attend! The program is flexible and is tailored for the needs and interests of learners as there are so many learning opportunities. There is also a lot of learning opportunity as there are bridges with other specialties and many learning experiences for residents at U of A.
What is one piece of advice that you want to share with applicants about the interview process: Give yourself a chance to discover the different programs instead of stopping at preconceived ideas, then be yourself and aim for the best fit!
Meet our faculty
We asked our faculty members about the clinical work they do, research they are involved in, and what they think residents should know about our program, here is what some of them had to say:
What kind of clinical work do you do?
As a pediatric physiatrist, I have the privilege of assessing and treating children through various settings, including the consultation clinic (PRMcc), the EMG Lab, and as inpatients at both the Stollery and Glenrose. I work alongside multidisciplinary teams providing specialized care for children with conditions such as cerebral palsy (PMC), neuromuscular disorders (NMDC), movement disorders (PMDC), peripheral nerve injuries (ULC), and limb differences (CLDC). In my work, I manage hypertonia in the Spasticity Clinic, where I administer botulinum toxin injections. I also collaborate closely with orthopedic surgeons in the Gait Lab and through the orthopedic treatment clinic (OTC) to determine the most effective strategies for optimizing muscle function and improving gait. I truly enjoy getting to know children and their families, supporting them throughout their journey with a childhood onset illness or disability and helping children seamlessly transition as they move into adult care systems.
Do you have any other non-clinical roles or projects on the go?
I am the program director for the Pediatric Rehabilitation Medicine Program. I am the chair for the pediatric pain committee at the Glenrose where we recently were successful in obtaining child kind certification for our institution. Our committee is dedicated to advancing and prioritizing pain management for the children we care for, ensuring that their comfort and well-being are at the forefront of our treatment approach.
What are some highlights of the Dev Peds Subspecialty Residency Training Program at U of A?
Our program has formidable educators including physicians, physical therapists, occupational therapists, social workers, nurses, speech language pathologists and psychologists. We offer a diverse range of opportunities to developmental pediatrics residents with rich collaborative relationships amongst the division members and with other divisions (psychiatry, neurology, genetics, surgery). A highlight is the range of opportunities for neuromotor clinics, tone management and brain injury rehabilitation programs.
What are your favorite things to do in Edmonton?
Going for walks in the Edmonton river valley especially in the fall, visiting the Strathcona farmers market and taking the kids to the Telus World of Science.
What kind of clinical work do you do?
I do a wide variety! I am involved in pediatric FASD assessments, infant-preschool autism assessments, school-aged autism assessments, neurodevelopmental and autism management consultations and follow up, hospitalist care for in-patient pediatric rehabilitation patients, and am the medical director for the Adult FASD clinic. I do outreach to the NWT as well. Outside of the Glenrose, I work in pediatric palliative care and as a rural generalist.
Do you have any other academic projects on the go? What are they?
I have multiple projects on the go. The biggest one is a CIHR-funded multi-province study on end-of-life cancer care for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Another one is a multi-country prospective study on pain medications used for children, following their benefits and adverse effects. A third one is a multi-site study in US and Canada involving a randomized trial of stimulants to treat ADHD for children with co-morbid autism spectrum disorder. I am also involved in a few studies on the pediatric palliative care side.
What is the most important thing you want residents to know about the Dev Peds Residency Training Program at U of A?
As someone who has trained across the country, I was and am still very impressed by the strength of our pediatric physiatry programming, both from clinical and training perspectives. Our group of physicians and allied professionals are also very adaptable (and friendly!). We have unique outreach programs for patients in far flung places and capacity building for our community physician partners. We have been recognized with patient experience awards too! We have separate lunch hour teaching rounds for pediatric physiatry and for developmental pediatrics. Our educational collaborations (e.g., simulations) with Calgary's program allow for networking as well.
What are your favorite things to do in Edmonton?
- Family walks in the vast river valley trail system or through one of the many off-leash dog parks
- Attend some of the many festivals we have year round!
- Trying new restaurants, breweries, and cafes
What kind of clinical work do you do?
I work in a variety of developmental clinics, ranging from seeing infants and toddlers with complex development all the way up to teenagers with autism, ADHD, anxiety and/or learning disorders. I work both at the Glenrose and at the Misericordia Behavior Clinic. At the Misericordia, I am part of a team that runs a 10-week "Resilience and Skill Building Program" for youth and their families, aimed at improving family functioning when there are challenges with a youth's behavior and emotional regulation.
Do you have any other non-clinical roles or projects on the go?
I was the program director for the Dev Peds subspecialty program at the University of Alberta from 2018 to 2024, and I continue to be involved in supporting all levels of learners coming through our division.
What are some highlights of the Dev Peds Subspecialty Residency Training Program at U of A?
We are able to offer rich opportunities in both the behavioral and neuromotor areas of the field. We collaborate with outstanding colleagues in physiatry, psychiatry, genetics, neurology, community pediatrics, and more, as well as allied health professionals at the Glenrose and in the community. We have strived to help learners grow in both their medical expert roles as well as other areas like communication, leadership, education, and advocacy. We aim to see each subspecialty resident as an individual, to tailor their learning and schedule to work best for their abilities and career goals.
What are your favorite things to do in Edmonton?
Spend time with family and friends. Try new restaurants within the Edmonton food scene. Enjoy the sun -- yes, we have a lot of cold months, but Edmonton is often sunny even when it is cold!