Education

As part of a world-class medical center and academic institution, the UR Medicine Department of Surgery is dedicated to advancing excellence in health care. In a continued effort to provide our patients and their families with the highest level of care and service, we also have an unwavering commitment to education. In addition to providing our faculty members with continuing education programs to further their careers, we train the next generation of surgeons to become the healthcare leaders of the future. Our goal is to attract top national and international talent—and to become the place to train in the country.

Residency Programs

• General Surgery Residency Program: The General Surgery Residency Program rests on the three-part foundation of practical Clinical experience, a thorough and up-to-date Curriculum, and meaningful Research. It accepts six residents per year guided by a faculty comprised of more than a dozen physicians, all of whom are experts in one or more of the general surgical disciplines.
• Plastic Surgery Residency Program: The Division of Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery offers two resident positions per year in a combined general surgery/plastic surgery program. The residency begins with three years of general surgery training, which provides comprehensive experience and education within the field. These preliminary years are tailored specifically to plastic surgery residents and include rotation on otolaryngology, dermatology, oral and maxillofacial surgery, and plastic surgery.
• Cardiothoracic Six Year Integrated Residency Program: Emphasis is placed on academic knowledge and accomplishment as well as clinical expertise in patient care. Graded responsibility under appropriate attending supervision is delegated to residents based on demonstrated capability in order to provide quality patient care.
• Vascular Surgery Residency Program: Emphasis is placed on academic knowledge and accomplishment as well as clinical expertise in patient care. Graded responsibility under appropriate attending supervision is delegated to residents based on demonstrated capability in order to provide quality patient care. The 0+5 Integrated Vascular Residency is a 5 year clinical program with focused training on vascular surgery, endovascular procedures and pathophysiology of vascular disease. It is expected that at the conclusion of the 5 clinical years, the graduating resident will meet and be exceptionally competent in all existing criteria to perform complex endovascular interventions and all open surgical procedures to treat the spectrum of vascular disease. 

Fellowships

• Bariatric and GI Surgery Fellowship: The Fellowship in Bariatric and GI Surgery is a postgraduate educational program sponsored by the Division of Bariatric and GI Surgery, Department of Surgery of the University of Rochester. The fellowship serves as a training program for surgeons seeking exposure and competency in advanced GI, minimally invasive and bariatric care. Located primarily in Highland Hospital, a clinical affiliate of the URMC, the department and fellowship are considered part of the department of Surgery. This is currently a one year clinical fellowship where scholarship and research is supported. The goal is to train qualified practitioners expected of a fellowship trained surgeon in the field. The curriculum provides educational and development resources for proficiency in the diagnosis and treatment of obesity and metabolic disease, as well as abdominal/GI pathology.
• Breast Oncology Fellowship: This is a one-year program accredited by the Society of Surgical Oncology and administered through the Division of Surgical Oncology at the University of Rochester Medical Center. The rotations are designed to provide the opportunity for fellows to learn in-depth knowledge of the diagnostic work-up, pre-operative, operative, and postoperative care for patients with breast disease. Core experiences include surgical oncology, imaging, pathology, plastic surgery, medical oncology, radiation oncology, genetics, psycho-oncology, integrative oncology, community outreach and rehabilitation. The didactic experiences of the program encompass the breadth of multidisciplinary care with the fellow actively participating in tumor board and other conferences pertinent to current issues in breast care. The fellow receives formal training in quality and patient safety, education and research, and professionalism utilizing various delivery methods to further enhance the curriculum.
• Cardiothoracic Surgery Fellowship: The two year Cardiothoracic Surgery Residency Program at the University of Rochester is a mixture of both didactic and clinical educational experiences, to ensure that the graduates are intellectually capable, and technically and emotionally mature surgeons.
• Colon & Rectal Surgery Fellowship: This ACGME accredited fellowship program prepares the resident to function as a qualified practitioner of colon and rectal surgery at the high level of performance expected of a board-certified specialist demonstrating competence in surgical skill, cognitive decision making and clinical management of the preoperative, operative, and postoperative patient with surgical disorders of the colon, rectum and anus.
• Surgical Critical Care Fellowship: The one or two year Trauma and Surgical Critical Care Fellowship is ACGME Accredited and fulfills requirements by the American Board of Surgery for Added Qualifications in Surgical Critical Care Certification after one year.
• Advanced Practice Provider Fellowship Program in Critical Care Medicine: The University of Rochester Medical Center Advanced Practice Provider (APP) Critical Care Medicine Fellowship is a twelve month post graduate NP/PA Fellowship program which involves training in all aspects of Critical Care Medicine. This is an intensive clinical program which will prepare NPs and PAs to develop the procedural skills and clinical knowledge necessary for managing critically ill and critically injured patients. The program includes exposure to critically ill and injured patients in each of the adult ICUs (Surgical, Neuromedicine, Cardiovascular, Medical, Burn/Trauma) as well as exposure to a number of specialties caring for critically ill patients. Fellows will work with Critical Care faculty and APPs with a wide variety of expertise in critical care and will be on the cutting edge of health care delivery as they train to work within the University of Rochester Medical Center and its affiliates. It is anticipated that the fellows will show clinical growth, procedural competence and a high level of proficiency in clinical reasoning by the completion of the fellowship.
• Advanced Practice Provider Fellowship Program in Surgery: The Surgical Advanced Practice Provider (APP) Fellowship Program at the University of Rochester Medicine Center is a 1-year post-graduate specialty training program for Nurse Practitioners and Physician Assistants and will provide additional skills, training, and mentorship experience in the various surgical specialties at our institution. This is an intensive clinical program which will prepare NPs and PAs to meet the needs of culturally diverse and clinically complex patients that are typical for our pre-operative, intra-operative and post operative surgical specialties. Fellows will work with surgeons and advanced practice providers with a wide variety of expertise in surgery.  Additionally, the APP fellows will be on the cutting edge of health care delivery as they train to work within the University of Rochester Medical Center and its affiliates. It is anticipated that the fellows will show clinical growth, improved clinical confidence, and increased preparedness to care for patients in all of these locations, by the completion of the fellowship.
• Advanced Practice Provider Fellowship in Cardiac Critical Care: The APP Fellowship in Cardiac Critical Care is a 1-year post-graduate specialty training program for PAs and NPs with a strong desire for Cardiac Intensive Care.  The program focuses on both Cardiac Surgery and Cardiology with the UR Cardiac Care service-line. The fellowship Program includes a core program of Cardiac Critical Care, Cardiac Surgery and Cardiac Shock. Several rotations meant to enhance the core CICU provider education include in depth, hands on training in all aspects of Mechanical Circulatory Support (VA/VV/RVAD ECMO, LVAD, RVAD, Impella, IABP), Cardiac Cath & EP Labs, Echocardiography, Advanced Heart Failure (Heart Transplant and LVAD), among others. The NP/PA Fellow will provide Cardiac Critical Care for adult and adult congenital Cardiac Surgery and Cardiology patients in the UR CICU and Cardiac Care service-line. Our NP/PA Fellows will work collaboratively with Cardiac Critical Care Intensivists, Cardiac Surgeons, Cardiologists, the PA/NP groups, as well as nursing staff.

Student Programs

Our Student Programs provide medical students with Third Year Surgery Clerkship, Fourth Year Surgery Sub-Internship, and Surgery Elective opportunities.