Welcome to the HU General Surgery Residency Program
Founded in 1868, the College of Medicine takes pride in its long and illustrious history of training students to become competent and compassionate physicians who provide health care in medically underserved communities. The mission of the Howard University Hospital’s General Surgical Residency Training Program is to recruit candidates of high academic potential and train them to become conscientious leaders in academic surgery.
At Howard University, particular focus is on the education of disadvantaged students for careers in medicine, and preparing health care professionals to advocate for and serve the underserved. Special attention is directed to teaching and research activities that address health care disparities. We provide our residents with vigorous clinical and operative experiences; strong didactic and simulation curricula and an individualized approach to career development. As one of the oldest and most prestigious minority training programs in the country, Howard University Hospital prides itself on the success of its graduates.
"EQUANIMITY UNDER DURESS"
LaSalle D. Leffall, Jr., M.D., FACS
The Howard University College Of Medicine was Founded in 1868 in Washington, D.C.
Welcome From May Tee, MD, MPH, FACS, Program Director
Program Overview
Welcome to the Howard University’s General Surgery Residency program. We are an academic surgery program graduating 5 chief residents each year with a total of 33 clinical residents that include 8 preliminary surgery residents. Our rotations involve 8 well-established teaching hospitals:
-
Howard University Hospital (Washington, DC)
-
Children’s National Medical Center (Washington, DC)
-
University of Maryland Capital Region (Prince George’s County, MD)
-
Adventist Hospitals (Silver Spring, MD)
-
Holy Cross Hospitals (Germantown, MD)
-
Luminis Health Doctors Community Hospital (Lanham, MD)
-
Johns Hopkins University Hospital (Baltimore, MD – lodging provided)
-
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (New York City, NY – lodging provided)
The diversity of the 8 teaching hospitals and their patient populations give our residents a broad, well-rounded clinical experience. We have an incredible team consisting of two Program Administrators, Simulation Lab Director, Associate Program Director, Program Director, and dedicated faculty, who are all passionate about resident education. Surgeon leaders from our department further support the mission of the program: Dr. Andrea Hayes-Dixon (Dean, College of Medicine), Dr. Wayne Frederick (President Emeritus, Howard University), Dr. Deborah Ford (Associate Dean, College of Medicine), Dr. David Rose (Associate Dean, College of Medicine), and Dr. Terrence Fullum (Surgeon in Chief, Howard University Hospital).
Program History
The program was established in 1936 at what was then known as Freedmen’s Hospital, which served the African American community in the Washington metropolitan area since it was founded in 1862. In 1975, the program was relocated to its present location, Howard University Hospital, which is the nation’s only teaching hospital on the campus of a historically black college and university. The surgery residency program has received continuous accreditation by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) since its inception. Notable graduates and trainees include:
-
Dr. Charles R. Drew: first to organize large-scale blood banking from his work on blood plasma preservation
-
Dr. Lasalle D. Leffall Jr.: pioneer surgical oncologist and the first African American president of the American Cancer Society and American College of Surgeons
-
Dr. Asa G. Yancey Sr.: described the first modification of the Swenson Procedure to treat congenital aganglionic megacolon or Hirschspring’s disease, now known as the Yancey-Soave Procedure
-
Dr. Clive O. Callender: transplant surgeon who founded the National Minority Organ Transplant Tissue Education Program-MOTTEP
-
Dr. Deborah H. Ford: current academic dean and former program director, first African American woman to be board certified in colorectal surgery
-
Dr. Wayne A.I. Frederick: President Emeritus of Howard University
-
Dr. Terrence M. Fullum: current department of surgery Chair and Surgeon-in-Chief at Howard University Hospital
-
Dr. Carla M. Pugh: first surgeon in the US to obtain a PhD in education, current Director of Technology Enabled Clinical Improvement Center at Stanford
-
Dr. Patricia L. Turner: current Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer of the American College of Surgeons, first African American and first female to serve in this role.
Education
PGY-1 residents are assigned to general surgery (includes MIS and colorectal), trauma / acute care surgery / SICU, and subspecialty rotations (surgical oncology, plastics, ENT, urology, cardiothoracic/vascular). PGY-2 residents are assigned to SICU, general surgery, trauma and acute care surgery, and pediatric surgery. PGY-3 residents are assigned to general surgery, surgical oncology, trauma and acute care surgery, hepatobiliary and pancreas surgery, and transplant surgery. PGY-4 residents are assigned senior level responsibilities on general surgery (includes advanced robotic and laparoscopic surgery), trauma and acute care surgery, surgical oncology, and vascular surgery. They will also have the opportunity for an elective rotation of their choice in preparation for a match in that respective specialty. PGY-5 chiefs are assigned to general surgery including advanced MIS, robotic, and colorectal surgery, breast surgery, thoracic surgery, and trauma and acute care surgery. They function at the instructor level in managing the service with teaching responsibilities.
Our graduating chief residents have performed an average of over 1,100 cases. Over the past 5 years, our graduates chose and matched into fellowship programs in Minimally Invasive Surgery, Pediatric Surgery, Surgical Oncology, Trauma and Critical Care, Cardiothoracic Surgery, Vascular, Breast, Colorectal, and Plastic Surgery to top programs at Massachusetts General Hospital, MD Anderson, Baylor, UC San Francisco, Cleveland Clinic, Children’s National Medical Center, Shock Trauma, and Cornell, to name a few. Many now hold faculty positions in academic programs throughout the United States and the world.
Research
Dedicated research time is available for two years after the PGY-2 year. Several faculty members have ongoing research projects in clinical, translational, and outcomes research. We have a dedicated Outcomes Research Center named after the pioneer transplant surgeon, Dr. Clive Callender, which has access to many national registry databases that serve as a robust source of research opportunities. The Howard University Outcomes Research Center maintains formal partnerships with Harvard University and Johns Hopkins University. Over the past 10 years, the center has published over 350 manuscripts. We encourage residents to apply to the research track for those who are interested in an academic career or a competitive fellowship.
Grand Rounds
There are weekly Morbidity and Mortality conferences with Grand Rounds to follow every Monday morning. Didactic lectures occur every Friday morning with simulation lab to follow in a state-of-the art simulation center. These sessions are protected education time for all residents. We follow the SCORE curriculum with weekly quizzes from question banks in SCORE and True Learn. Residents have access to core surgical textbooks and peer-reviewed journals through Howard University’s Louis Stokes Health Sciences Library. Video-based education, clinical scenarios, mock oral exams, journal club, and a cadaver lab that focuses on index dissections and anatomic exposures relevant to general surgery, complement our hands-on simulation lab curriculum. All residents can expect to be FLS (Fundamentals of Laparoscopic Surgery) and FES (Fundamentals of Endoscopic Surgery) certified before graduation. We also have a robust Robotic Surgery program that allows residents the opportunity for robotic Console Surgeon certification.
Washington, DC
Living in the metropolitan Washington, DC area provides some of the best cultural venues such as world class museums, National Zoo, Kennedy Center, to name a few. The area also boasts Michelin-starred restaurants, world-class entertainment, and a full representation of national sporting leagues. Of course, the area is also home to our nation’s capital, and provides many opportunities for activism in politics and social justice. For outdoor enthusiasts, the Potomac River runs through DC with its many trails for biking, walking, and kayaking. The world-famous Chesapeake Bay is just a 30-minute drive away, where the US Naval Academy and Annapolis, a picturesque city by the bay is located. Skiing and hiking at the national parks and mountains are just an hour away. DC ranks in the top 10 “best places for young professionals”, according to US News.
Resident Selection
All applications received through the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS) are holistically and equitably reviewed. Our current ACGME complement includes:
-
5 general surgery categorical PGY-1 positions
-
4 surgery-preliminary PGY-1 positions.
We have a total clinical complement of 33 residents, graduating 5 chief residents per year. We have 8 surgery-preliminary residents, 4 each in the PGY-1 and PGY-2 levels. We consistently match the majority of our preliminary residents into categorical residency positions throughout the country, many of which are in categorical general surgery positions.
Residents describe our training program as diverse, collegial, and very supportive. Our former Chairs have created an inspiring culture for surgical education within this program: “Excellence in performance will transcend artificially barriers created by man” and “Equanimity under Duress”. I look forward to meeting prospective residents and training them to become future leaders in surgery.
May Tee, MD, MPH, FACS
Program Director, General Surgery Residency