Residency Program In General Surgery

Residency education in General Surgery comprises five clinical years, with six Chief Residents finishing the program annually. An optional laboratory experience of two or three years is available leading to Master of Science or PhD degrees, if desired. The residency program in General Surgery is fully accredited by the Residency Review Committee for Surgery.

In the first and second postgraduate years, residents receive a broad experience in the essential content areas as well as in surgical specialties. Experience is gained in both inpatient and outpatient care, with appropriate emphasis on evaluation and diagnosis as well as operative therapy and perioperative care. This experience is obtained in a variety of settings including the general surgery services in community hospitals and the academic medical center, intensive care units, the Shriners Burns Hospital Cincinnati and the Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center.

During the third and fourth clinical years, the resident is given additional responsibility as a leader on surgical teams including the trauma service, cardiothoracic surgery, vascular surgery and transplantation surgery. Additional experience is also gained as senior resident in general surgery.

Two months of the third clinical year are spent at the Holzer Clinic. This modern, multi-specialty clinic is located in Gallipolis, Ohio, a rural area in the Appalachian foothills. Vast experience is obtained at the Holzer Clinic in general surgery as it is more broadly defined in a non-urban setting.

In the fifth year, Chief Residents lead the three general surgery teams at University Hospital, the general and colorectal surgery service at The Christ Hospital, and the two general surgery teams at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center (VAMC). University Hospital provides extensive experience in gastrointestinal disease, hepatobiliary disease, pancreatic disease, colorectal surgery, surgical oncology and endocrine surgery. Residents at The Christ Hospital are exposed to a wide variety of surgical pathology including an extensive colorectal surgical practice and have the opportunity to learn about the private practice of surgery. The two surgical services at the VAMC care for general surgery, vascular surgery and thoracic surgery patients.

One of the special features of the training program is The Mont Reid Surgical Handbook, recently published in its sixth edition. Named for Dr. Mont Reid, the second Christian R. Holmes Professor and Chairman of the UC Department of Surgery, this very popular pocket-size handbook intended for medical students and residents is a compilation of the practices of UC general surgery residents. Written and edited by the residents, the Handbook crosses many specialty boundaries, reflecting the philosophy of the training program. The Mont Reid Surgical Handbook has been seen in the pockets of medical students, residents, and even faculty in all corners of the United States.

Program Administration:
Timothy A. Pritts, M.D., Ph.D., Program Director
David R. Fischer, M.D., Associate Program Director
Bradley R. Davis, M.D., Associate Program Director, Director of Surgical Simulation

For more information contact:
Andrea Anderson, C-TAGME, Program Coordinator
Department of Surgery
University of Cincinnati College of Medicine
231 Albert Sabin Way (ML 0558)
Cincinnati, OH 45267-0558
513-558-5861
andersaa@ucmail.uc.edu