Oncology (Grad. Dip.) (30 credits)
Offered by: Gerald Bronfman Dept Oncology (Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences)
Degree: D-ONCO
Program credit weight: 30
Program Description
The Graduate Diploma in Oncology provides exposure to the entire spectrum of principles and practice in all fields of oncology as well as its research domains while allowing exploration in more detail of a specific area of focus through courses and a practicum. The areas of focus are: population and global cancer control, psychosocial oncology/palliative care, clinical cancer research, or cancer care services and quality.
Note: For information about Fall 2025 and Winter 2026 course offerings, please refer to Visual Schedule Builder. A technical issue is causing the "Terms offered" field to incorrectly report "this course is not currently offered" for many courses in the Course Catalogue.
Required Courses (12 Credits)
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| ONCO 610D1 | Fundamentals of Oncology and Cancer Research. | 3 |
Fundamentals of Oncology and Cancer Research. Terms offered: Fall 2025 A multidisciplinary approach to the entire spectrum of principles and practice in all fields of oncology, as well as to its research domains, from basic science to clinical and population health sciences. Content areas will include mechanisms of carcinogenesis, tumour pathology, cancer epidemiology, prevention, screening, diagnosis, treatment, psychosocial support, palliative care, global cancer control, and quality of cancer care services. The multidisciplinary nature of cancer research and clinical care and how research findings inform clinical practice and policymaking in cancer control will be illustrated. | ||
| ONCO 610D2 | Fundamentals of Oncology and Cancer Research. | 3 |
Fundamentals of Oncology and Cancer Research. Terms offered: Winter 2026 For description see ONCO 610D1. | ||
| ONCO 620 | Best Practices in Biomedical Research. | 3 |
Best Practices in Biomedical Research. Terms offered: Winter 2026 Overview of research ethics as well as best practices and guiding principles in planning, conducting and publishing a research investigation. Topics include (i) ethics in biomedical research, (ii) reading and reviewing papers, (iii)research integrity and (iv) scholarly publishing. Examples will be taken from the field of cancer research. The importance of interdisciplinary collaboration in enhancing the value of biomedical research will be illustrated. | ||
| ONCO 630 | Oncology Practicum. | 3 |
Oncology Practicum. Terms offered: Winter 2026 Involvement in a real-world research or quality improvement project with relevance to the students’ chosen area of focus. | ||
Complementary Courses (12 Credits)
6 credits from:
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| EPIB 671 | Cancer Epidemiology and Prevention. | 3 |
Cancer Epidemiology and Prevention. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. This course will explore the common epidemiologic approaches to studying etiologic relations in carcinogenesis and for assessing the efficacy of cancer prevention interventions. Emphasis will be given on both molecular and social epidemiology domains with examples of different study designs and data analysis methods and of the impact of measurement error and other biases. | ||
| PPHS 612 | Principles of Public Health Practice. | 3 |
Principles of Public Health Practice. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Principles and methods in public health practice. Topics will include investigation in public health, public health intervention, program evaluation, public health and the health care system, society and public health. | ||
OR
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| NUR2 783 | Psychosocial Oncology Research. | 3 |
Psychosocial Oncology Research. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. This seminar focuses on evidence-based research developments in psychosocial oncology. Students will explore state-of-the-art theory, research methods, findings, and intervention programs from a variety of disciplines including nursing, psychology, medicine, health services management and social work that have contributed to the emergent field of psychosocial oncology. | ||
| ONCO 635 | Qualitative and Psychosocial Health Research. | 3 |
Qualitative and Psychosocial Health Research. Terms offered: Fall 2025 An overview of the theoretical, methodological and analytical skillsets required to design, conduct and analyze qualitative health research studies, with emphasis on psychosocial oncology and palliative care research. | ||
OR
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| EXMD 617 | Workshop in Clinical Trials 1. | 1 |
Workshop in Clinical Trials 1. Terms offered: Winter 2026 Intensive day-long workshop discussing Industrial/Academic/Governmental interactions in the design, testing and approval of drugs. | ||
| EXMD 618 | Workshop in Clinical Trials 2. | 1 |
Workshop in Clinical Trials 2. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Intensive day-long workshop discussing the role of the physician in drug testing. | ||
| EXMD 619 | Workshop in Clinical Trials 3. | 1 |
Workshop in Clinical Trials 3. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Intensive day-long workshop discussing the pharmacoeconomics of drug design and testing. | ||
| ONCO 615 | Principles and Practice of Clinical Trials. | 3 |
Principles and Practice of Clinical Trials. Terms offered: Fall 2025 An overview of the design, conduct and analysis of clinical trials. Topics include types of clinical trials, study designs, practical considerations when setting up a clinical trial, ethics, regulatory requirements, trial monitoring, data management, investigator responsibilities and statistical analysis. | ||
OR
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| ONCO 625 | Quality Improvement Principles and Methods. | 3 |
Quality Improvement Principles and Methods. Terms offered: Fall 2025 Principles and methodology of quality improvement in the delivery of health services with a focus on clinical care in oncology. Topics include developing and conducting quality improvement initiatives, data collection, data analysis and implementation of change in clinical practice. | ||
| PPHS 528 | Economic Evaluation of Health Programs. | 3 |
Economic Evaluation of Health Programs. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Concepts and methods used to carry out economic evaluations of health programs and interventions, including public health interventions, pharmaceuticals, and other health care interventions. Includes topics such as calculation of unit costs, measurement of quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) and assessment of uncertainty in cost-effectiveness analysis. | ||
If a course in the course grouping is not available in a given year, a suitable replacement will be chosen by the Graduate Program Director in consultation with the Program Committee.
3 credits from:
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| DENT 505 | Epidemiology and Data Analysis in Primary Care 1. | 3 |
Epidemiology and Data Analysis in Primary Care 1. Terms offered: Fall 2025 An introduction of epidemiological concepts, data analysis, and methods applicable to primary care research. | ||
| EPIB 507 | Biostats for Health Sciences. | 3 |
Biostats for Health Sciences. Terms offered: Summer 2025 Basic principles of statistical inference applicable to clinical, epidemiologic, and other health research. Topics include: methods of describing data, statistical inference for means, statistical inference for proportions, non-parametric statistics, correlation and introduction to linear regression. | ||
| EPIB 521 | Regression Analysis for Health Sciences. | 3 |
Regression Analysis for Health Sciences. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. The aim of this course is to provide students with basic principles of regression analyses applicable to the health sciences so that they can understand and use appropriate statistical regression techniques for continuous and discrete data. The course will cover: Linear regression: Regression for two or more explanatory variables, Polynomial regression, Dummy variables, Inference for regression parameters, Confounding and collinearity, Effect modification, Model-checking, Model selection, Prediction. Logistic and Poisson regression: Logistic regression for one or more variables, Interpreting odds ratios, Inference for logistic and Poisson regression parameters, Confounding and interactions in logistic regression, Model selection, Prediction. A very brief overview of survival analysis. | ||
| EXMD 634 | Quantitative Research Methods. | 3 |
Quantitative Research Methods. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Topics covered include: 1) An overview of common research designs based on examples from research currently undertaken in the Division of Experimental Medicine; 2) Types of data arising from these designs; 3) Basic methods for data analysis; and 4) Application of these methods to student research projects. | ||
| FMED 505 | Epidemiology and Data Analysis in Primary Care 1. | 3 |
Epidemiology and Data Analysis in Primary Care 1. Terms offered: Fall 2025 An introduction of epidemiological concepts, data analysis, and methods applicable to primary care research. | ||
OR
3 credits of a research design or statistics course at the 500 level or higher chosen in consultation with the student's mentor and approved by the Program Committee and the Graduate Program Director. Students who already have a very strong background in statistics may be exempt from taking a statistics course and would choose another 3-credit course. This must be approved by the Program Committee and the Graduate Program Director.
3 credits from:
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| EPIB 671 | Cancer Epidemiology and Prevention. | 3 |
Cancer Epidemiology and Prevention. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. This course will explore the common epidemiologic approaches to studying etiologic relations in carcinogenesis and for assessing the efficacy of cancer prevention interventions. Emphasis will be given on both molecular and social epidemiology domains with examples of different study designs and data analysis methods and of the impact of measurement error and other biases. | ||
| EXMD 614 | Environmental Carcinogenesis. | 3 |
Environmental Carcinogenesis. Terms offered: Winter 2026 Methods for identification of carcinogens, including epidemiological studies, animal modelling and molecular biomarkers, and characteristics of known environmental carcinogens (viruses, chemical and physical agents and diet). Environmental factors will be placed in the context of overall cancer risk, which involves interaction of genetics, host and environment. | ||
| EXMD 620 | Clinical Trials and Research 1. | 1 |
Clinical Trials and Research 1. Terms offered: Winter 2026 Intensive day-long workshop discussing a topical subject or recent advance relevant to clinical research and the conduct of clinical trials. | ||
| EXMD 625 | Clinical Trials and Research 2. | 1 |
Clinical Trials and Research 2. Terms offered: Winter 2026 Intensive day-long workshop discussing a topical subject or recent advance relevant to clinical research and the conduct of clinical trials. | ||
| EXMD 626 | Clinical Trials and Research 3. | 1 |
Clinical Trials and Research 3. Terms offered: Winter 2026 Intensive day-long workshop discussing a topical subject or recent advance relevant to clinical research and the conduct of clinical trials. | ||
| EXMD 640 | Experimental Medicine Topic 1. | 3 |
Experimental Medicine Topic 1. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Study, through guided reading, visits, practicals, assignments, of an elected and approved topic of importance in medical science. | ||
| EXSU 505 | Trends in Precision Oncology. | 3 |
Trends in Precision Oncology. Terms offered: Fall 2025 Introduction to the emerging paradigms in cancer detection, management and treatment. | ||
| FMED 619 | Program Management in Global Health and Primary Health Care. | 3 |
Program Management in Global Health and Primary Health Care. Terms offered: Winter 2026 Program management design, theory, methods and practical applications in both domestic and global health settings, with a focus on primary health care in order to achieve rapid scale-up of effective health interventions towards universal coverage while strengthening health systems for sustained impact. | ||
| ONCO 611 | Proteomics for Precision Medicine. | 3 |
Proteomics for Precision Medicine. Terms offered: Winter 2026 Proteomic applications in medicine, including an introduction to mass spectrometry and related state-of-the-art proteomics techniques, and how these techniques can be used to answer important medical questions using clinical samples. The determination of levels and post-translational modifications of diagnostic/prognostic protein markers, the concentration of protein therapeutics in plasma, the simultaneous imaging of multiple proteins on tissue slices by MALDI-MS, and global proteome and phosphoproteome analyses to study signaling pathways. Additionally, strategies for data analysis and data interpretation using modern bioinformatic tools. | ||
| ONCO 615 | Principles and Practice of Clinical Trials. | 3 |
Principles and Practice of Clinical Trials. Terms offered: Fall 2025 An overview of the design, conduct and analysis of clinical trials. Topics include types of clinical trials, study designs, practical considerations when setting up a clinical trial, ethics, regulatory requirements, trial monitoring, data management, investigator responsibilities and statistical analysis. | ||
| ONCO 625 | Quality Improvement Principles and Methods. | 3 |
Quality Improvement Principles and Methods. Terms offered: Fall 2025 Principles and methodology of quality improvement in the delivery of health services with a focus on clinical care in oncology. Topics include developing and conducting quality improvement initiatives, data collection, data analysis and implementation of change in clinical practice. | ||
| ONCO 635 | Qualitative and Psychosocial Health Research. | 3 |
Qualitative and Psychosocial Health Research. Terms offered: Fall 2025 An overview of the theoretical, methodological and analytical skillsets required to design, conduct and analyze qualitative health research studies, with emphasis on psychosocial oncology and palliative care research. | ||
| ONCO 645 | Seminars in Global Oncology. | 3 |
Seminars in Global Oncology. Terms offered: Winter 2026 Identification of the challenges and strategies for addressing cancer prevention, diagnosis and care, as well as cancer research and education from an international perspective. | ||
| POTH 637 | Cancer Rehabilitation. | 3 |
Cancer Rehabilitation. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Cancer pathology, risk stratification, the treatment process and rehabilitation needs throughout the disease trajectory. | ||
| PPHS 528 | Economic Evaluation of Health Programs. | 3 |
Economic Evaluation of Health Programs. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Concepts and methods used to carry out economic evaluations of health programs and interventions, including public health interventions, pharmaceuticals, and other health care interventions. Includes topics such as calculation of unit costs, measurement of quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) and assessment of uncertainty in cost-effectiveness analysis. | ||
| PSYC 507 | Emotions, Stress, and Illness. | 3 |
Emotions, Stress, and Illness. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Emotional effects on peripheral physiology and the development, course, and outcome of physical disorders such as high blood pressure, coronary artery disease, ulcers, asthma, and cancer. | ||
| SWRK 668 | Living with Illness, Loss and Bereavement. | 3 |
Living with Illness, Loss and Bereavement. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. This seminar addresses the psycho-social concerns of patients and family members living with illness and/or non-bereavement loss. An interdisciplinary theoretical perspective is combined with clinical practice interventions. Special attention will be given to the role of the social worker. | ||
The course will be chosen in consultation with the student's mentor and must be approved by the Program Committee and the Graduate Program Director.
Elective Courses (6 credits)
6 credits at the 500 level or higher can be chosen from the course list above or from other courses. The courses do no necessarily have to include cancer-related content, but must have relevance to the field. The courses will be chosen in consultation with the student's mentor and must be approved by the Program Committee and the Graduate Program Director.