Department of Surgery

Division of Trauma and General Surgery
Residencies and Fellowships

Resident Training

The General Surgery Residency Training Program provides basic and advanced surgical experience for those seeking a career in general surgery as well as for those who plan to undertake further training in a surgical specialty. The program is designed to be flexible and meet the needs of individual surgeons, whether they are preparing for community practice or academic and research roles.

Though broad-based, the residency emphasizes in-depth training, with graded operative responsibilities for few trainees selected rather than superficial and limited training for a large number. The size of the program encourages esprit de corps and commitment to high standards in patient care.

Chairman/Directors
Chairman: Timothy R. Billiar, M.D.
George Vance Foster Professor and Chair
Department of Surgery
F1281.3 PUH
200 Lothrop St.
Pittsburgh, PA 15213
Contact: Erin Boland
412-647-1749
Program Director: Kenneth K.W. Lee, M.D.
Associate Professor of Surgery
Department of Surgery
497 Scaife Hall
3550 Terrace St.
Pittsburgh, PA 15261
Associate Program Directors: Giselle G. Hamad, M.D.
Assistant Professor of Surgery

Andrew R. Watson, M.D.
Assistant Professor of Surgery
Contact: Maggie Mrozinski
General Surgery Residency Coordinator
mrozinskim2@upmc.edu
412-647-3389
Director of Education: V. Terri Collin, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Surgery
collinvl@upmc.edu
Contact: Lorraine Johnson
Johnsonl5@upmc.edu
412.647.1355

 

Positions available
PGY 1 22.5 Total
  6 General Surgery
5 Categorical
1 Non-Designated Preliminary
  16.5 Specialty
3 Urology
4 Otolaryngology
3 Neurosurgery
2 Vascular Surgery
3 Plastic Surgery
1.5 OMFS
PGY 2 12 Total
  6 General Surgery
5 Categorical
1 Non-Designated Preliminary
  6 Specialty
3 Urology
3 Plastic Surgery
PGY 3 9 Total
  6 General Surgery
  3 Plastic Surgery
PGY 4 5 General Surgery Categorical
PGY 5 5 General Surgery Categorical
LAB 8 2007 – 2008

Training Hospitals
Location of Rotations: PGY Level:
UPMC Presbyterian 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
UPMC Shadyside 1, 2, 4
UPMC St. Margaret 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
Veterans Affairs Medical Center 2, 3, 5
Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC 1, 4
Magee-Womens Hospital of UPMC 2, 3
The Western Pennsylvania Hospital 1

PGY 1 Rotations
critical care
ED
endocrine surgery
gastrointestinal surgery
neurosurgery
night float – anesthesiology
pediatric surgery
plastic surgery
research
St. Margaret – general surgery
surgical oncology
thoracic surgery (Presby and Shadyside)
trauma surgery
urology
VAMC 1 – general surgery
VAMC 2 – vascular surgery
vascular surgery (Presby and Shadyside)
West Penn burn unit

PGY 2 Rotations
gastrointestinal surgery
surgical oncology
trauma
vascular surgery
St. Margaret – general surgery
St. Margaret – vascular and thoracic surgery
breast surgery (Magee-Womens Hospital of UPMC)
kidney transplant
thoracic surgery (VAMC)
cardiac surgery
critical care
night float
radiology / research
endoscopy

PGY 3 Rotations
liver surgery
minimally invasive surgery
St. Margaret – general surgery
St. Margaret – vascular and thoracic surgery
thoracic surgery (VAMC)
trauma
VAMC 1 – general surgery
VAMC 2 – vascular surgery

PGY 4 Rotations
St. Margaret – general surgery
St. Margaret – vascular and thoracic surgery
pediatric surgery
surgical oncology
trauma

PGY 5 Rotations
endocrine surgery
gastrointestinal surgery
trauma
VAMC 1 – general surgery
VAMC 2 – vascular surgery

Alumni

2014 Alma Mater  
Marcus Hoffman University of Pittsburgh  
Gina Howell University of Pittsburgh  
Michael Madigan Vanderbilt University  
Gary Nace, Jr. Temple University  
Ibrahim Yazji University of Florida  
     
2013 Alma Mater  
Evie Carchman Medical College of Virginia  
John Falcone University of Pittsburgh  
Matthew Neal University of Pittsburgh  
     
2012 Alma Mater  
Matthew Alef Rush Medical College  
SaeHee Ko Duke University  
Tara Loux University of Alabama  
Isam Nasr American University of Beirut (Lebanon)  
     
2010 - 2011 Alma Mater  
Jon Cardinal Georgetown University  
Steven Gribar University of Pittsburgh  
David Kaczorowski John Hopkins University  
Rajeev Dhupar UMDNJ- RW Johnson Med School  
Rebecca Edmonds Drexel University  
Roop Gill University of Southampton (England)  
Ward Richardson University of Pittsburgh  
Michael Yaakovian University of Maryland  
     
2009 Alma Mater  
Rahul Anand University of Michigan  
Geetha Jeyabalan University of Michigan  
David Juang Wright State University  
Kevin Mollen SUNY at Buffalo  
Raghuveer Vallabhaneni UMDNJ- NJ Medical School  
     
2008 Alma Mater  
Ryan Levy University of Pittsburgh  
Jose Prince Yale University  
Michael Stang University of Nebraska  
Allan Tsung SUNY at Brooklyn  
Gregory Watson University of Pittsburgh  
     
2007 Alma Mater Post-Graduation
Daniel Hall Yale University Assistant Professor of Surgery
Department of Surgery - UPMC
Rajendra Patel Temple University Vascular Surgery Fellowship - Mass General Hospital
Rohit Sahai University of Michigan Surg Onc Fellowship – Roswell Park Cancer Institute
Stig Somme University of Oslo(Norway) Pediatric Surgery Fellowship
The Hospital for Sick Children; Toronto, Ontario
John Wolen Marshall University General Surgery Private Practice – Morgantown, WV
     
2006 Alma Mater Post-Graduation
Vishal Bansal Wayne State University Trauma/Surgery Crit Care Fellowship
University of California – San Diego
Joel Barbato University of Nebraska Vascular Surgery Fellowship – Univ of Pittsburgh
Michael Coello University of Michigan Cardiothoracic Surgery Residency
Massachusetts General Hospital
Eric Marderstein University of Virginia Colorectal Surgery Fellowship – The Cleveland Clinic
Kathleen Raman Columbia University Vascular Surgery Fellowship – Washington University
Andrew Watson Columbia University Assistant Professor of Surgery
Department of Surgery - UPMC
     
2005 Alma Mater Post-Graduation
Peter Kim Cornell University Cardiothoracic Surgery Residency
Mt. Sinai School of Medicine
Carol McCloskey University of Pittsburgh Minimally Invasive Surgery Fellowship
Department of Surgery – UPMC
Kaye Reid Washington University GI/Hepatobiliary Fellowship – Mayo Clinic
Brian Zuckerbraun Northwestern University Assistant Professor of Surgery (Trauma and Gen Surg)
Department of Surgery – UPMC
     
2004 Alma Mater Post-Graduation
Joy Collins University of Maryland Minimally Invasive Surgery Fellowship
Department of Surgery – Univ of Pittsburgh
Guilherme Costa Federal Univ Minas Gerais Assistant Professor of Surgery (Transplant Surg)
Department of Surgery – UPMC
Luis Herrera University of Puerto Rico Cardiothoracic Surgery Residency
University of Texas – MD Anderson
Raja Mahidhara University of Pittsburgh Cardiothoracic Surgery Residency – UCLA
Ala Stanford Frey Penn State College of Med Pediatric Surgery Fellowship
Cincinnati Children’s Hospital
I-wen Wang Case Western University Cardiothoracic Surgery Residency
University of Michigan
     
2003 Alma Mater Post-Graduation
Christopher Baird Univ of North Carolina Cardiothoracic Surgery Residency
University of Pittsburgh
Michael Gimbel Duke University Plastic Surgery Fellowship – UCLA
Douglas Potoka Johns Hopkins University Pediatric Surgery Fellowship
Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh
Ramesh Ramanathan Madras Medical College Assistant Professor of Surgery (MIS)
Department of Surgery – Univ of Pittsburgh
     
2002 Alma Mater Post-Graduation
Ramsey Dallal Medical College of Virginia Minimally Invasive Surgery Fellowship
Dept of Surgery – Univ of Pittsburgh
Melina Kibbe University of Chicago Vascular Surgery Fellowship
Northwestern University
Matthew Schuchert John Hopkins University Thoracic Surgery Fellowship
University of Pittsburgh
Vaishali Schuchert University of Pittsburgh Critical Care Fellowship
University of Pittsburgh
     
2001 Alma Mater Post-Graduation
Louis Alarcon University of Pittsburgh Critical Care Fellowship - UPMC
Daniel Bertges University of Pittsburgh Vascular Surgery Fellowship - UPMC
J. Matthew Glascock University of Iowa Minimally Invasive Surgery Fellowship
Dept of Surgery – Univ of Pittsburgh
Paul Lee John Hopkins University Cardiothoracic Surg Residency - Cornell Univ
Brian Pettiford University of Pittsburgh Cardiothoracic Surg Residency
University of Pittsburgh
     
2000 Alma Mater Post-Graduation
Laura Garvey UCLA Vascular Surgery Fellowship
University of Pittsburgh
Alan Murdock University of Alabama Critical Care Fellowship – Boston Univ.
Nishit Shah University of Manchester Colorectal Surgery Fellowship, Cleland Clinic
Bradley Taylor Emory University Cardiothoracic Surgery Residency
University of Pittsburgh
     
1999 Alma Mater Post-Graduation
Mark Eskandari University of Michigan Vascular Surgery Fellowship
Northwestern University
Mark Johnson West Virginia University General Surgery Private Practice
Morgantown, WV
Larry Shears West Virginia University Cardiothoracic Surgery Residency
University of Pittsburgh
Edith Tzeng University of Chicago Vascular Surgery Fellowship
University of Pittsburgh
Kaye Zuckerbraun Cornell University Assistant Clinical Prof of Surgery
Yale School of Medicine
     
1998 Alma Mater Post-Graduation
Yolonda Colson Mayo Medical School Cardiothoracic Surgery Residency
Brigham & Womens Hospital
John Kane John Hopkins University Surgical Oncology Fellowship
Roswell Park Cancer Institute
Edward Kelly University of Pittsburgh  
Mahender Macha University of Michigan Cardiothoracic Surgery Residency Residency, Stanford Univ
James Wong New York University Vascular Surgery Fellowship
Wake Forest University
     
1997 Alma Mater Post-Graduation
Kareem Abu-Elmagd Mansoura University (Egypt) Professor of Surgery (Transplant)
Department of Surgery - UPMC
Percival Buenaventura UMDNJ- RW Johnson Med Sch Cardiothoracic Surgery Residency
University of Pittsburgh
Paul Freeswick UMDNJ- NJ Medical School Critical Care Fellowship
University of Pittsburgh
Rod Mateo Mt. Sinai School of Medicine Transplant Surgery Fellowship
University of Pittsburgh
Robert McLaughlin University of Pittsburgh General Surgery Private Practice
Warren, PA
Jonathan Worsey University of London (England) Colorectal Surgery Fellowship
Cleveland Clinic

 

Application Information

All applications are handled through the Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS).

Applications for our categorical training program are being accepted for the 2007-2008 academic year and are accepted only via the Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS). The general surgery residency office will not accept any paper applications.

Personal interviews are by invitation only and are required for acceptance to our program. The deadline for applying to our general surgery residency program is November 1, 2007.

Completed Application Includes:

  1. Completed application
  2. Personal statement
  3. Curriculum vitae
  4. Official transcript from your medical school
  5. Dean’s letter
  6. Three letters of recommendation
  7. USMLE Board scores

Information for International Medical Graduates:
We do not have a minimum USMLE score requirement, but all scores must be passing. There is no requirement regarding length of time since medical school graduation, and prior United States clinical experience is not required.

The preferred visa for training at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Medical Education Program is the J-1 visa sponsored through the ECFMG for residency/fellowship training.

All IMG’s must hold a current and valid ECFMG certificate in order for their application to be considered compete, including the clinical skills assessment which must also be current and valid. Each applicant must have taken and passed both Steps I and II of the USMLE, and their English qualifying examination must be current and valid.

If you have any questions regarding visas, or obtaining a graduate license for training in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, please contact the Graduate Medical Education Office at 412 647-5815. For information regarding ECFMG certification, visit the ECFMG website at http://www.ecfmg.org/.

Interviews

Interviews are granted by invitation only. Our interviews are a two-day process.

If you have any questions regarding our program, the application process, or your application status, please contact:

Noreen A. Corcoran, MPPM
General Surgery Residency Coordinator
Department of Surgery
University of Pittsburgh
200 Lothrop St., Room F675 PUH
Pittsburgh, PA 15213
Phone: 412-647-3389
or via email at SurgeryResidency@upmc.edu

Links:

Clinical Research Opportunities for Residents

PGY1 – PGY2 Pilot Program
The Department has instituted a pilot program this year to introduce PGY1 and PGY2 residents to clinical research. Interns are given a four-week period of time free of clinical responsibilities to initiate a clinical research project under the guidance of a surgeon mentor. The idea is that the intern will initiate (not finish) a clinical research project that they can then work on over the next few months to a year. The project should be designed such that the resident can contribute to significantly to the success of a project or take on the project under the guidance of the faculty mentor.

Amit Patel, MD
patelan@upmc.edu
Cardiac Surgery		 The Cardiac Stem Cell lab focuses on the identification of novel mechanisms to explain the clinical benefits of adult cell therapy for cardiovascular disease. Currently, we work with eight adult cells types to identify the optimal cell for disease specific cell therapy. Patel/Kormos
Chris Bartels, MD
bartelscj@upmc.edu
General Surgery 		 
Anita Courcoulas, MD
courcoulasap@upmc.edu
General Surgery		 Longitudinal outcomes research assessments in bariatric surgery. This includes the long-term evaluation of clinical efficacy, economic and health care utilization, the effect of various factors on quality (including the effect of provider volume on outcome), and the evaluation of new technology including endoluminal approaches to surgery.
George Eid, MD
eidgm@upmc.edu
General Surgery		 My research focuses on the clinical outcomes of minimally invasive surgery procedures and new emerging technologies such as robotic-assisted and endoluminal surgeries. In addition to the effect of bariatric surgery on different co-morbidities associated with obesity.
Raquel Forsythe, MD
forsytherm@upmc.edu
General Surgery 		 
Juan Ochoa, MD
ochoajb@upmc.edu
General Surgery 		 
Andrew Peitzman, MD
peitzmanab@upmc.edu
General Surgery 		 
Ramesh Ramanathan, MD
ramanathanrc@upmc.edu
General Surgery 		 
Matthew Rosengart, MD
rosengartmr@upmc.edu
General Surgery		 The current research interests of our laboratory emphasize translational molecular biology with a range of individual project focuses spanning from mechanistic molecular biology to clinical outcomes research. We currently are investigating the appropriateness of calcium supplementation in critical illness, which entails in vitro and vivo (murine) experimentation, retrospective longitudinal (times-series) database analyses, and the expectation of a prospective human trial incorporation the observations of prior investigations. In addition, we are conducting a study to validate a set of filters to audit prehospital trauma care that were identified through a national Delphi questionnaire of trauma system experts.
Richard Simmons, MD
simmonsrl@upmc.edu
General Surgery 		 
Mazen Zenati, PhD
zenatims@upmc.edu
General Surgery		 1) Hypovolemic shock; 2) Hypothermia in shock; 3) Obesity in trauma and surgery; 4) Recidivism in trauma; 5) Organ failure and trauma; 6) Injury prevention
Brian Zuckerbraun, MD
zuckerbraunbs@upmc.edu
General Surgery 		 
Stephen Badylak, MD, PhD
badylaks@upmc.edu
MIRM		 Primary research involves constructive remodeling of tissues/organs with the focus upon the role of naturally occurring biologic scaffold materials.
Alan Russell, PhD
russellaj@upmc.edu
MIRM 		 
Barbara Gaines, MD
Barbara.Gaines@chp.edu
Pediatric Surgery 		 
David Hackam, MD
David.Hackam@chp.edu
Pediatric Surgery		 1) A prospective trial examining the effect of hyperglycemia on outcome in critically ill surgical neonates; 2) what are the effects of mid-gestation counseling on parental expectations in the setting of a prenatally diagnosed fetal anomaly.
Fred Deleyiannis, MD
deleyiannisfw@upmc.edu
Plastic Surgery 		 
W.P. Andrew Lee, MD
leewpa@upmc.edu
Plastic Surgery		 1) Outcome studies following hand surgical procedures, such as correction of congenital deformities, fracture fixation, arthroplasty; 2) Anatomic studies in hand and upper extremity, by cadaver dissection
J. Peter Rubin, MD
rubinjp@upmc.edu
Plastic Surgery		 Study on outcomes in post-bariatric plastic surgery. This is an exciting new subspecialty within plastic surgery and the University of Pittsburgh has the leading clinical program in the country.
Sally E. Carty, MD
cartyse@upmc.edu
Surgical Oncology

Clinical Research Interests for the Section of Endocrine Surgery:

  1. Hyperparathyroidism:
    a. Techniques in minimally invasive surgery for HPTH
    b. Etiologies of primary HPTH
  2. Substernal goiter in patients with sleep apnea
  3. Treatment issues in well differentiated thyroid cancer (several topics)
T. Clark Gamblin, MD
gamblintc@upmc.edu
Surgical Oncology		 The Liver Cancer Center is focused on clinical research regarding benign and malignant hepatobiliary disease. Utilizing a database with over 3,200 patients and a unique referral pattern of hepatocellular carcinoma, current clinical projects include areas such as regional liver therapy, gene therapy and minimally invasive hepatic surgery. In addition to surgeons, our staff includes research nurses, a database analyst, a psychologist and a statistician who are available to assist residents with pilot projects.

Interested individuals should contact Dr. Gamblin directly.
Pawel Kalinski, MD, PhD
kalinskip@upmc.edu
Surgical Oncology		 The research group of Pawel Kalinski, MD, PhD aims to develop improved immunotherapeutic strategies in cancer focusing on the use of dendritic cells (DC) as carriers of cancer vaccines. In this last respect, Kalinski’s group has demonstrated that so-called type-1 polarization of DC can enhance the ability of DCs to induce desirable Th1 and CTL responses against cancer by 40 fold. The above findings led to the design of five, currently funded clinical trials that will test the therapeutic efficacy of the cytokine-induced DC1 (aDC1) and NK cell-induced DC1 (DC1NK) in 92 patients with advanced melanoma and colorectal cancer (funded by 3 current grants from NIH/NCI and the Pittsburgh Foundation). Current laboratory efforts aim at the development of additional DC1-based vaccines targeting prostate, pancreatic, and cervical cancer, and hematologic malignancies (CLL, AML, and MM)
Michael T. Lotze, MD
lotzemt@upmc.edu
Surgical Oncology		 1. Melanoma - We have developed protocols for cell therapy of patients with melanoma using direct injection of NK cells and DCs; a protocol is being developed for the application of IL-2 and oxaliplatin and temozolamide for patients with melanoma [with John Kirkwood and Charles Brown].
2. We have plans to initiate clinical trial of neoadjuvant therapy of rectal cancer with direct injection of DCs and NK and are beginning the preclinical studies in patients with pancreatic cancer and colorectal cancer to study the role of HMGB1 neutralization in cancer treatment [with Herb Zeh].
3. Established protocols in patients with Hepatitis B and C and transplantation to evaluate the tumor microenvironment associated with tumor development in patients with evolving hepatoma [with Obaid Shakil and Michael deVera].
Jennifer Ogilvie, MD
ogilviejb@upmc.edu
Surgical Oncology 		 
Matthew Schuchert, MD
schuchertmj@upmc.edu
Thoracic Surgery		 The primary focus of our lab is the study of T-cell and Dendritic cell subsets, and their roles in donor-specific transplantation tolerance and anti-tumor immunity. Active projects are evaluating how select T-cell and dendritic cell subsets can promote the engraftment of hematopoietic stem cells across wide MHC disparities, providing critical information for the use of stem cell therapy in a variety of settings. We're also studying how T-cell and Dendritic cell subsets are modulated in the setting of lung cancer, with the specific aims of understanding how immune status influences outcomes in lung cancer, and how immunomodulation can be achieved to augment host responses to tumor.
Sebastien Gilbert, MD
gilberts@upmc.edu
Thoracic Surgery		 Our bioengineering research laboratory focuses on the use of xenogeneic extracellular matrix scaffolds to repair and replace the airways and esophagus. Ongoing projects involve active participation in open surgical procedures (canine model), clinical and endoscopic assessments, histopathology, immunohistochemistry, molecular biology, and biomechanical testing systems.
James Luketich, MD
luketichjd@upmc.edu
Thoracic Surgery		 1) The detection and clinical relevance of micrometastases identified by quantitative RT-PCR in both esophageal and lung cancer. It is apparent that up to 40 percent of histologically node negative patients with either esophageal or lung cancer ultimately die of their cancer. Our lab has identified several markers in these histologically benign modes that correlate with tumor recurrence. A number of studies are ongoing to dully define this phenomenon at the basic science level and implement this into our ongoing clinical trials.

2) DNA patterns identified using microarrays appear to be a powerful tool in identifying tumors that have different biological characteristics and may allow us to predict which patients would benefit from surgical resection and those that might benefit from neoadjuvant and adjuvant strategies. Preliminary data from our lab and others indicate microarrays have the potential to direct clinical therapy but a number of basic and clinical studies are needed to better understand this and hopefully lead to clinical trials in the area of lung and esophageal cancer.

3) Stem cells may play an integral role in chemo-resistance in a number of cancers, including lung and esophageal. We have several grants to investigate the identification and clinical significance of tumor stem cells. Our current focus is on the identification and isolation of tumorigenic stem cells form primary and metastatic tumors. We hypothesize that chemotherapeutic agents miss the most critical target of therapy, the resting tumor stem cell, a cell cable of giving rise to recurrent disease and metastases. Our laboratory’s goal is to demonstrate that the cancer stem cell has preexisting resistance to a battery of commonly used therapeutic agents. If correct, these studies will explain why many cancer therapies fail, and suggest that effectively targeting the cancer stem cell will lead to cures in epithelial cancers.
Michael deVera, MD
deverame@upmc.edu
Transplant Surgery 		 
David Geller, MD
gellerda@upmc.edu
Transplant Surgery		 1. Laparoscopic liver resection techniques
2. Multimodality treatment strategies for HCC
3. Gene Therapy for liver cancer
Ronald Shapiro, MD
shapiror@upmc.edu
Transplant Surgery		 Dr. Shapiro's research interests have to do with the development and optimization of immunosuppressive protocols in kidney and pancreas transplantation, with the goal of achieving minimization/partial tolerance, and in the study and eradication of infectious complications.
Jennifer Steel, PhD
steeljl@upmc.edu
Transplant Surgery		  
Henkie Tan, MD
tanhp@upmc.edu
Transplant Surgery		 Publications resulting from data analysis (immunosuppression, survival, and rejection) of living donor kidney and liver transplantation.
Jae Cho, MD
chojs@upmc.edu
Vascular Surgery 		 
Ellen Dillavou, MD
dillavoued@upmc.edu
Vascular Surgery		 Dr. Dillavou's clinical research centers on the gender differences in aortic aneurysms and other peripheral vascular diseases. Additionally she has done work with the national Medicare databases and anticipate expanding this work to include national trends in dialysis access use, peripheral stenting and AAA procedures after endografting.
Navyash Gupta, MD
guptany@upmc.edu
Vascular Surgery		 Dr. Gupta is actively involved in clinical research with a specific interest in lower extremity limb salvage, carotid artery occlusive disease, dialysis access and venous disease. Opportunities for clinical research include prospective data collection and analysis, retrospective reviews, clinical trials and case reports.
Luke Marone, MD
maronelk@upmc.edu
Vascular Surgery 		 

 

Medical Student Electives

Medical Student Coordinator: Kathy Haupt
Phone: 412-647-5314
Fax: 412-647-4889
Email: hauptkg@upmc.edu

All requests for fourth year electives for visiting LCME applicants can be processed only through the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine website. This website explains the different electives available in the Department of Surgery and how an application can processed online.

To access an application or for further information go to: https://www.medschool.pitt.edu/somsa/

If you have difficulty with the application process, contact Ms. Joanne Colligan via email at joanne@medschool.pitt.edu of by phone at 412-648-8935.

Course descriptions and program requirements are subject to change.