General Surgery Residency

Overview

Thank you for your interest in Cleveland Clinic’s General Surgery residency program. The training offered here provides an unmatched exposure to the entire spectrum of surgical diseases and procedures with abundant opportunities for research and professional development in a supportive environment. Trainees in our program are in the operating room from the beginning of intern year and finish with around 1000 cases. As a high volume international referral center, our residents operate on and care for some of the most challenging and complex patients. However, they also perform a substantial number of operations commonly seen by General Surgeons in community practice. The result is a robust toolbox of skills that prepares our graduates to take on any surgical problem.

Residents have the option to pursue 1-3 years of supplemental professional development time after the 2nd year of clinical training. This is an optional, flexible experience designed to meet the individual goals of the trainee. The Cleveland Clinic Lerner Research Institute has nearly 200 basic science laboratories with whom our residents can train. An accelerated program is available for physicians who wish to obtain a PhD in Molecular Medicine making it possible to complete during these years. A large number of ongoing clinical trials are also available for those interested in clinical research. Mentoring in outcomes, quality and education research is also offered. The available experience outside the clinical training years augments the multitude of opportunities for scholarship that can be pursued during clinical training. Department funding is available.

One of the most important elements of our program is the collegiality and camaraderie between the residents and faculty. Our structured advising program is supplemented by access to mentors who guide trainees towards their chosen fields. While most of our graduates pursue fellowship training after residency, around 15% go directly into academic or community practice.

On this website you will find more details of our program. If you believe our program fits your personal and professional goals, we invite you to apply for one of our 10 categorical positions through ERAS. If you have further questions, though, please feel free to contact us. We believe it will become clear why Cleveland Clinic’s General Surgery residency program is one of the best.

Sincerely,

Jeremy Lipman, MD, MHPE, FACS, FASCRS
Program Director, General Surgery Residency
Associate Professor of Surgery
Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine of Case Western Reserve University

Residency Program Leadership

Conor Delaney, MD, PhD
Chair, Digestive Disease and Surgery Institute

R. Matthew Walsh, MD
Chair, Department of General Surgery

Vikram Krishnamurthy, MD
Associate Program Director for Didactic Curricula

Ajita Prabhu, MD, FACS
Associate Program Director for Simulation

John Rodriguez, MD, FACS
Associate Program Director for Resident Development

Sofya Asfaw, MD
Associate Program Director for Wellness and Mentorship

Judith French, PhD
Surgical Educator

Joseph Trunzo, MD
Site Director, Fairview Hospital, General Surgery Residency

Kalman Bencsath, MD
Site Director, Hillcrest Hospital, General Surgery Residency

Clinical Training & Conferences

Our residency program is unique because of its diversity, case volume and variety of teaching settings. We are proud to have faculty and residents within our ranks that come from a variety of backgrounds and experiences. Resident education and research are at the forefront of our department. Our residents have rotate in a variety of clinical settings, including a leading quaternary teaching hospital, two regional Level II trauma centers, a Level I trauma center county hospital as well as ambulatory surgery centers. Trainees care for a large volume of patients with extremely complicated and straightforward surgical diseases. All residents are guaranteed to be exposed to a large number of cases across all aspects of general surgery.

Experience

Our training philosophy is to involve the entire team, especially residents, in patient care at all times – pre-operative decision making in the clinic or in consultation, in the operating room, and during post-operative care. Experience is gained by operating on skill appropriate cases at our high volume quaternary care hospital, regional hospitals, and ambulatory surgery centers. Leadership is developed by conferring a high level of responsibility early in the training program with progressive autonomy and responsibility. The most senior resident on a service is charged with assigning operative cases to residents and fellows, ensuring an optimal experience that is tailored to each resident.

Surgery Simulation

The Cleveland Clinic Simulation and Advanced Skills Center is an American College of Surgeons Accredited Education Institute equipped with laparoscopy, flexible endoscopy, robotic surgery, and endovascular surgery simulators. The center is a Fundamentals of Laparoscopic Surgery (FLS) and Fundamentals of Endoscopic Surgery (FES) training and testing site. Residents have 24-hour access to the sim-lab where they can practice skills. A robust skills curriculum using simulation is integrated into the teaching program with sessions occurring around once per month.

Night Float/Call Format

The main campus has a night float system, consisting of a team of PGY-1, PGY-2, and PGY-4 residents. This format allows all team members to operate in level-appropriate cases, provide longitudinal care of patients, and dedicate time to research projects, leadership positions, and knowledge development. When not on the night float rotation, junior residents typically take call two weekends per month and senior residents take call about once a month. We adhere to all ACGME work hour regulations, including the 80-hour work week and an average of one day off per week averaged over the month. Regional hospitals have a rotating call schedule with residents taking in house call around 1-2 times per week.

Morbidity and Mortality Conference

M&M conference is held weekly. Our PhD Education Scientist helps select cases for presentation to assure a diverse curriculum of reviewed patients throughout the year. The conference is designed to foster inter-disciplinary learning and collegial discussions between trainees and faculty.

Grand Rounds

Quarterly Grand Rounds by both local experts and internationally recognized Visiting Professors promote surgical learning for faculty and residents. In addition to lecture style seminars, residents have the unique opportunity to interact with these leaders over case presentations and informal lunch discussions. Residents also benefit by meeting with these surgeons in an informal setting to ask questions about research, career trajectory, and general life advice. Topics cover a broad range including modern advances, historical perspectives, world health, and the environmental impact of healthcare to name a few.

Cleveland Clinic Conferences

Our residents may attend high-level, multidisciplinary conferences taught by our world-renowned faculty aimed at practicing digestive, vascular, oncologic and endocrine disease specialists. These combine clinical management updates by thought leaders, hands-on skills development, and quality and patient safety developments.

Who makes up the PGY-1 surgery class?

Our PGY-1 class is made up of 10 categorical and 9 non-designated preliminary General Surgery residents. Additionally, designated interns from multiple specialties rotate on our general surgery services facilitating exposure to relevant general surgery cases for our subspecialty colleagues, and creating rapport between residents across departments. Interns from our Integrated Vascular, Cardiovascular, Thoracic, Plastics, Urology, Orthopedic, and Otolaryngology work closely with our general surgery residents.

PGY-1 Fundamentals of Surgery Seminar Series

Residents arrive as PGY-1’s with a range of knowledge and clinical experience. All General Surgery, Urology, Orthopedic Surgery, Otolaryngology, Integrated Vascular, Cardiothoracic and Plastic Surgery residents have a year-long curriculum with weekly reading topics and didactic seminars. Chairman’s rounds with Dr. Walsh and the interns occur once a month.

Weekly Learning Sessions

Protected educational conferences occur every Wednesday after M&M from 8:30-11am. All residents are excused from their clinical responsibilities during this time. The format varies week-to-week, ranging from lecture based content from leading Cleveland Clinic faculty, research work-shops, simulation activities, and game-based ABSITE review. The curriculum for this conference follows a two-year revolving schedule based on the SCORE curriculum, and is supplemented by access to Scientific American’s Decker online question bank and content. Interns participate in “Chair Rounds” with Dr. Walsh once per month.

Service Specific Conferences

Each service holds its own conference (weekly) and journal clubs (monthly). Journal clubs are usually held at restaurants.

Advising and Mentorship Programs

Each trainee, upon entrance to our program, is assigned a faculty and resident advisor. The staff-member helps facilitate the trainee’s integration into Cleveland Clinic and assist them throughout their time here. Trainees meet with their faculty advisors at least twice a year to go over their milestones, evaluations, progress and accomplishments.

New trainees are also aligned with a senior resident to help them navigate issues with which residents would be more familiar than staff.

Our program believes that mentorship is an organic relationship that cannot be assigned. All of our faculty participate as mentors to our trainees. Throughout their time here, most residents identify several mentors in a variety of areas such as career, family, work-life integration, research and leadership.

Administrative Experience

Residents have the opportunity to participate in administrative roles very early on their path through the program. Two administrative Chiefs Residents are selected by the residents and program administration to assist in the day-to-day oversight, including rotation schedules, call schedules, education improvements and new initiatives. In addition, residents have the opportunity to hold membership in the department’s education committee, residency recruitment committee, research committee, intern orientation and quality improvement committees, serve as the medical student liaison and help organize social events. Faculty also serve as champions to assist trainees in attaining membership and leadership roles in national organizations.

Opportunities for electives both inside and outside Cleveland Clinic

All PGY-3s, 4s and 5s have a designated block of elective time each year. This time may be used for additional exposure to one of the core rotations at the main campus or regional hospitals. Alternatively, this time may be used to pursue other interests including rotation at other institutions if desired.

Global health

Opportunities for international rotations are available to those who are interested with funding available. In the past, residents have rotated at St. Vincent’s Hospital in Dublin, Ireland where they learned how surgical training is provided in a nationally centralized system in addition to working on a busy trauma and oncology service. Residents have also rotated at the Rwanda Military Hospital in Kigali, Rwanda, learning about surgical care and training in an under-resourced setting.

Rotations & Teams

PGY-1 (4 weeks per rotation)

Acute Care Surgery
Acute Care Surgery Night Float
Colorectal Surgery
Bariatrics/Surgical Endoscopy
Endocrine Surgery
Fairview Orange (Peds/Breast/MIS/HPB)
Fairview Colorectal
Fairview General Surgery/Trauma
Fairview Vascular Surgery
Hillcrest General Surgery
HPB/Surgical Oncology
Liver Transplant
MIS/Hernia/General Surgery
Pediatric Surgery
Thoracic Surgery
Vascular Surgery

PGY-2 (4 weeks per rotation)

Acute Care Surgery Night Float
Bariatric surgery
Breast Surgery
Fairview Peds/Breast/MIS/HP
Fairview ICU
Fairview General Surgery/Trauma
Fairview Vascular
Hillcrest General Surgery
Hillcrest HPB/Colorectal
HPB/Surgical Oncology
Intestinal Transplant
Metro Trauma/ICU
MIS/Hernia/General Surgery
Plastic Surgery

PGY-3 (5 weeks per rotation)

Acute Care Surgery
Breast Surgery*
Fairview General Surgery/Trauma
Fairview Colorectal
Fairview Vascular Surgery
Hillcrest General Surgery
Pediatric Surgery*
Liver Transplant*
Minimally Invasive/Bariatric Surgery/Surgical Endoscopy*
Elective

PGY-4 (5 weeks per rotation)

Acute Care Surgery Night Float*
MIS/Hernia/General Surgery*
Elective
Endocrine Surgery*
Fairview Colorectal*
Fairview General Surgery/Trauma
HPB/Surgical Oncology
Metro Health Trauma*
Thoracic Surgery
Vascular Surgery*

PGY-5 (minimum 5 weeks per rotation, maximum 12 weeks per rotation)

Acute Care Surgery*
Colorectal - Acting Fellow*
Fairview Peds/Breast/MIS/HPB*
Fairview Vascular*
Hillcrest General Surgery*
Hillcrest HPB/Colorectal*
HPB/Surgical Oncology*
MIS/Hernia/General Surgery*
Elective
*Chief

Surgical Teams

Main Campus

Regional Hospital Teams

Research

Resident Research

A successful career in surgery, both in an academic and a community setting, requires an understanding of research and the ability to critically appraise medical literature. All residents in our program participate in a comprehensive academic curriculum with year-round lectures, individualized mentorship and extensive resources to encourage resident participation in research.

Those who are interested may arrange for additional years of professional development time during residency, typically after the second clinical year. Departmental and other funding sources are available. This time can be used to obtain an advanced degree, participate in basic science research, or become involved in one of many prospective clinical studies conducted at Cleveland Clinic.

Residents are encouraged to submit their work to local, regional, national and international meetings. Release from clinical duties and travel support is offered by the department in accordance with the travel guidelines.

Research Opportunities

Research is one of the main pillars of Cleveland Clinic, as is reflected by the vast resources offered by the institution to continuously innovate and improve patient care. Fueled by the unique case volume and complexity, the surgical divisions and departments are pioneers in clinical and basic science research with multiple ongoing prospective trials and large historical databases readily available. In practically every surgical field, including cardiac, colorectal, bariatric/MIS, endocrine, plastic, vascular and hernia surgery, there are unique opportunities for residents interested in academics to work within established groups and excel. In addition, those interested in laboratory research benefit from access to the more than 200 principal investigators at the Cleveland Clinic’s Lerner Research Institute.

PhD in Molecular Medicine

Residents have the option to attain a PhD in Molecular Medicine through the Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine of Case Western Reserve University. Residents receive academic credit for their medical degree making it possible to complete the program during these years.

Current General Surgery residents in the program:

Danny Orabi, MD
Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a growing cause of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). The lipase alpha beta hydrolase domain 6 (ABHD6) has been shown to be critical in the development of metabolic syndrome, as well as playing a role in cancer progression. Using a variety transgenic techniques and de novo and xenograft models of HCC, we are studying the role of ABHD6 in NAFLD HCC development and progression. Large platform metabolomics, a large biorepository of human plasma and tumor tissue samples, microsurgical techniques, and CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing are among the exciting tools being used in our investigation thanks to the resources available at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation and the Lerner Research Institute.

Mentors: Mark Brown, PhD; Justin Lathia, PhD

Caleb Seavey, MD
Caleb is conducting research on epithelioid hemangioendothelioma in the lab of Dr. Brian Rubin MD PhD, chairman of the Pathology and Laboratory Medicine Institute at the Cleveland Clinic. Epithelioid Hemangioendothelioma is a rare vascular sarcoma that Dr. Rubin previously identified the defining gene fusion associated with the disease. Caleb’s work involves understanding the mechanisms by which this gene fusion (Taz-Camta1) leads to tumorigenesis, modeling of this disease in vivo and in vitro, and understanding the larger implications of Taz-mediated tumorigenesis in other cancer types.

Mentor: Brian Rubin MD PhD

Avia Wilkerson, MD
Vaccine therapy for breast cancer targeting the lactalbumin protein

Mentors: Dr. Claudia Diaz and Dr. Vincent Tuohy

Current Residents

PGY1

Raha Almarzooqi, MD

• Medical School: United Arab Emirates University - College of Medicine and Health Sciences
• Hometown: Al Ain, United Arab Emirates
• Career Interest: Abdominal Organ Transplantation, Surgical Oncology
• Bio: Originally from Iran, born in Oregon, raised in United Arab Emirates, I am now lucky to consider Cleveland as my new home. Outside of the OR, I enjoy watching hockey, reading, cooking, and traveling.

Ryan Azarrafiy, MD, MPH

• Medical School: University of Miami Miller School of Medicine
• Hometown: Yorba Linda, California
• Career Interest: Cardiothoracic Surgery
• Bio: Ryan was born and raised in Southern California after which he moved to study public and international affairs at Princeton University in addition to certificates in Global Health and German Language. Following undergrad, he moved to Miami, FL for medical school. In his free time, he enjoys traveling to new places, playing tennis, running, and watching basketball.

John Barron, MD

• Medical School: Saint Louis University School of Medicine
• Hometown: St. Louis, MO
• Career Interest: Transplant/HPB surgery, Colorectal surgery
• Bio: Born in North Carolina but raised in St. Louis, John is the oldest of five. He’s an avid soccer fan and has played most of his life. Recently, he’s picked up tennis and is looking forward to eventually beating someone in a match.

 Nicole Brooks, MD

• Medical School: Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine
• Hometown: Albany, Ohio
• Career Interest: Colorectal Surgery, Surgical Education, Global Surgery
• Bio: I was born and raised in Ohio and have lived here my whole life! Outside of the hospital, I enjoy playing and cuddling with my French bulldog Nike, traveling, watching the Cavs and Browns, or trying out a new restaurant or brewery with friends.

Jenny H. Chang, MD

• Medical school: Loma Linda University School of Medicine
• Hometown: Los Angeles, California
• Career Interest: Surgical oncology, Breast surgery, Surgical outcomes and public health
• Bio: Worked in community health and engagement in South LA and Uganda prior to medical school.  Enjoys 20th century American literature and modern art, nature TV shows about fish and the Office, traveling and hiking.

Ryan Ellis, MD

• Medical School: McGovern Medical School
• Hometown: Fort Worth, Texas
• Bio: Ryan was born in Tokyo, Japan and moved all over the U.S. with his family before settling in Texas. He is an alumni of the University of Texas where he studied neuroscience. When not in the hospital, Ryan enjoys many hobbies including fly fishing, rock climbing, cycling, and playing music. He also maintains his private pilot's license and enjoys all aspects of aviation.

Oscar Hernandez Dominguez, MD MBA

• Medical School: University of California, Irvine School of Medicine
• Hometown: San Diego, CA
• Career Interest: Colorectal Surgery, Pediatric Surgery
• Bio: Since I first kicked a soccer ball at the age of 8, one of my favorite places to be is on the soccer field. I am a huge fan of Arsenal and the Mexican national team. I like to run off the soccer field, too, and I don't count myself as having visited a city until I've gone for a run there. When in doubt, you can find me working my way to the front of a concert, watching a movie, or trying to make my friends laugh.

Sara Maskal, MD

• Medical School: Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine
• Hometown: Puyallup, WA
• Career Interest: Undecided
• Bio: In her free time, she loves to dance, play tennis, travel, cook, play video games, and spend time with friends.

Megan Obi, MD

• Medical School: Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine
• Hometown: Atlanta, GA
• Career Interest: Surgical Oncology, Breast Surgery, General Surgery
• Bio: Megan was born in Chicago, IL and later relocated with her family to Georgia. She earned her undergraduate degree at Columbia University before moving to Ohio for medical school and settling in for the long haul. Megan loves spending her free time baking and trying out new recipes, enjoying a new Broadway show at Playhouse, and, most importantly, performing as an aerialist with the rest of her Cleveland circus family.

Sadia Tasnim, MD

• Medical School: University of Texas Medical Branch
• Hometown: Dhaka, Bangladesh
• Career Interest: Undecided
• Bio: Sadia was born and raised in Dhaka, then moved to Texas for undergraduate and medical education. In her free time, she enjoys painting, watching movies, exploring coffee shops, cooking, and baking.

PGY2

Alexis Harvey, MD, MSPH

• Medical School: Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine
• Hometown: Aransas Pass, TX
• Career Interest: General Surgery, Critical Care
• Bio: Born and raised in the South but quickly adopting Cleveland as my new home. Previously worked for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, GA, focusing on blood transfusion safety. Enjoy spending time with my family and my dogs, Honey Bear and Blue.

Mir Shanaz Hossain, MD

• Medical School: University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine
• Hometown: Baltimore, MD
• Bio: Shanaz grew up in Baltimore, MD and stayed for undergrad at the Johns Hopkins University where she double majored in Neuroscience and Molecular & Cellular Biology. She moved to Pittsburgh for medical school and during her time there, established her food Instagram as she explored new restaurants and tried different cuisines. In her free time, Shanaz enjoys playing piano, cooking & baking, and visiting new places.

Benjamin Kramer, DO, MS

• Medical School: New York Institute of Technology College of Medicine
• Hometown: Northport, NY
• Career Interest: Cardiothoracic Surgery, Surgical Education
• Bio: Born on the North Shore of Long Island, NY, Ben knows the worlds best pizza and bagels. He attended Villanova University and majored in physics and chemistry. Ben earned a masters degree focusing on academic medicine and education from New York Institute of Technology where he completed his medical school education. In his free time, Ben enjoys hiking and backpacking and is an avid singer.

Vyacheslav Lenkov, MD

• Medical School: University of Oklahoma College of Medicine
• Hometown: Canadian, Oklahoma
• Career Interest: General Surgery, Cardiothoracic Surgery
• Bio: Vyacheslav was born in Russia and moved to a small town in Oklahoma at the age of 13. He enjoys spending time with his family, friends, and 3 pets. His interests also include traveling, cooking, gardening, projects around the house, and watching sports.

Mujtaba Mubashir, MD

• Medical School: Aga Khan University (Pakistan)
• Hometown: Abu Dhabi, UAE
• Career Interest: Cardiothoracic Surgery
• Bio: Born in Pakistan and raised in Abu Dhabi, I studied medicine at the Aga Khan University, where I was incredibly fortunate to receive the Medical College’s Best Graduate Award as well as the 9th Gold Medal. Am truly delighted to be pursuing general surgery residency at the Cleveland Clinic amongst fantastic staff and peers. Enjoy all racquet sports especially tennis and squash, and love cycling, skating, playing the piano and traveling.

Camila Ortega, MD

• Medical School: Escuela de Medicina - Universidad del Azuay (Ecuador)
• Hometown: Cuenca, Ecuador
• Career Interest: MIS, Global surgery, Endocrine surgery
• Bio: Camila was born and raised in The Andes. She likes to spend her free time riding her bicycle, doing Origami and reading novels. She also loves visiting mountains for hiking, skiing or just to enjoy the view.

Gilman Plitt, MD

• Medical School: Creighton University School of Medicine
• Hometown: St. Louis, Missouri
• Career Interest: Cardiac, Colorectal, MIS, Surgical Education
• Bio: Gil was born and raised in St. Louis until moving to Fort Collins, Colorado for undergraduate education. Outside of work, he enjoys playing tennis, practicing the piano, and spending time with friends.

Lorena Rincon-Cruz, MD

• Medical School: University of Colorado School of Medicine
• Hometown: Colorado Springs, CO
• Career Interest: Surgical Oncology, Pediatric Surgery
• Bio: Lorena was originally born in Mexico and moved to the US when she was still a child. She attended Stanford University where she studied Biology and Studio Art. Outside the hospital, she enjoys field sports, trivia nights, cooking, and wine. She spends most of her free time either outdoors with her miniature schnauzer, Bosco, or snuggled up to watch a good movie.

Corey Timmerman, MD

• Medical School: UT Southwest Medical School
• Hometown: Westlake, TX
• Career Interest: Endocrine Surgery, Breast Surgery, Pediatric Surgery, Global Health
• Bio: Grew up in Texas and love being in the great outdoors. I am currently a frustrated apartment gardener and long for a real vegetable and flower garden - watching seeds grow is one of my favorite things! I enjoy running and cycling, and ran a marathon in med school. My next goal now that I've come to a place with real winters is learning how to cross country ski.

Noah Weingarten, MD, MA

• Medical School: Northwestern University
• Hometown: Milburn, NJ
• Career Interest: Pediatric and Cardiothoracic Surgery; Device Innovation and Global Surgery
• Bio: Born and raised in New Jersey. Have since lived in Southern California, Annapolis, Chicago, and now Cleveland. Enjoy hiking, biking, cooking, comedy, reading, snowboarding, learning new skills, and hanging with friends.

PGY3

Alicia Adams, MD

• Medical School: University of California, San Francisco
• Hometown: Roseville, California
• Career interest: Colorectal Surgery
• Bio: Alicia is a born and raised California girl who fell in love with the Cleveland Clinic at first sight. Outside of work she loves to eat, drink, and be merry with her husband and their pets, R2D2, and Tulip.

Tim Beck, MD, PhD

• Medical School: Drexel University College of Medicine
• Hometown: Bielefeld, Germany
• Career interest: Endocrine Surgery/General Surgery
• Bio: Tim moved from Germany to New Jersey at age 13 and has since also lived in New York City, Washington D.C. and Philadelphia. Tim enjoys reading, football (the European kind), traveling, and science (particularly cellular and molecular cancer biology and cancer genetics).

Aldo Fafaj, MD

• Medical School: Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine
• Hometown: Philadelphia, PA
• Career interest: Undecided
• Bio: I grew up in Tirana, Albania and came to US a junior in high school. My hobbies include photography and painting.

Alexandra Ferre, MD

• Medical School: Universidad Central De Venezuela
• Hometown: Caracas, Venezuela
• Career interest: Trauma Surgery
• Bio: Born and raised in Caracas, Venezuela, Alex came to the United States after medical school to finish her training and be close to family. She lived in Miami, Florida before coming to Ohio. In her free time, she enjoys spending time at the beach, training for triathlons, and traveling.

Alexander Gibbons, MD

• Medical School: Case Western Reserve University
• Hometown: Baltimore, Maryland
• Career interest: Pediatric Surgery
• Bio: Alex is a Baltimore native who came to Cleveland for medical school and liked it enough to stick around. He is the oldest of five children, and recently had one of his own: a daughter named Penelope. He enjoys reading, trivia, board games, video games, and running, but his favorite activity is spending time with his wife Erin and their baby daughter.

Paul A Karam, MD

• Medical School: Université Saint-Esprit de Kaslik
• Career Interest: Undecided
• Bio: Although he initially wanted to get into physics, Paul went to medical school in Lebanon. He ended up getting a research position in Cleveland following graduation which eventually landed him a residency position at CCF.

Michael Klingler, MD

• Medical School: Michigan State University
• Hometown: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
• Career interest: Surgical Endoscopy, Minimally invasive, foregut, and bariatric surgery
• Bio: Mike grew up in a family of four in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He lived in California and Michigan before moving to Ohio, and in his free time he enjoys snowboarding, cycling, and watching the Pittsburgh Penguins win Stanley Cups.

Robert Naples, DO

• Medical School: Ohio University
• Hometown: Hamden, Connecticut
• Career interest: Endocrine Surgery
• Bio: Rob, a triplet, and former collegiate football player, is a sports enthusiast, particularly football and basketball. His hobbies include cooking with his wife, hiking with their dog, and reading.

Thomas Shin, MD, PhD

• Medical School: Boston University School of Medicine
• Hometown: Boston, MA
• Career interest: Minimally Invasive Surgery, Surgical Oncology
• Bio: After living in over 10 cities across East Asia and the United States, Tom was most recently in Boston where he completed his medical degree before arriving at Cleveland for surgical residency. He also completed his PhD in Molecular and Translational Medicine, studying the role of inflammation in cancer microenvironments. When not in the hospital, Tom can be found scoping out new running trails or cooking feasts and delicious treats for his family of three.

Samuel Zolin, MD

• Medical School: University of Pittsburgh
• Hometown: York, Pennsylvania
• Career interest: General Surgery, Abdominal Core Health
• Bio: Sam grew up in Pennsylvania and completed his undergraduate and medical degrees in Pittsburgh before moving to Cleveland for residency. In his free time, he enjoys barbequing, tabletop games, and spending time with his wife and their two cats.

PGY4

Kevin Brown, MD

• Medical School: American University of Antigua
• Hometown: Plainsboro, NJ
• Career interest: General Surgery, Minimally Invasive Surgery, Bariatrics
• Bio: Originally from Jersey, but lived in Maryland/DC the past decade. Love to camp, run, endurance cycle, play the piano, and eat pizza.

Sarah Choi, MD, MS

• Medical School: Wayne State University School of Medicine
• Hometown: Los Angeles, California
• Career interest: Colorectal surgery
• Bio: Adventurous at heart, Sarah spends her time exploring the various cities she's lived in (including Los Angeles, San Francisco, Washington D.C., Detroit, Cleveland) and has traveled to over 15 countries. When indoors, however, she enjoys playing the piano, baking, and completing her DIY projects.

Bess Connors, MD

• Medical School: University of Michigan
• Hometown: Grand Rapids, Michigan
• Career interest: Undecided
• Bio: Bess is interested in improvement science and plans to practice in breast surgical oncology and general surgery. She lives in Tremont with her wife and son. She is a candy connoisseur and is happiest when singing or enjoying a Lake Michigan beach with family.

Amanjit Gill, MD

• Medical School: Saba University (Netherland)
• Hometown: St. John’s, Newfoundland, Canada
• Career Interest: Hepatobiliary Surgery
• Bio: I was born and raised in Newfoundland where I developed an interest in biological sciences. I joined the military after and served as a medic which guided me to pursue surgery. I enjoy cooking and traveling in my free time.

Nadeem N. Haddad, MD

• Medical School: University of Jordan (Jordan)
• Hometown: Amman, Jordan
• Career interest: Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
• Bio: I enjoy traveling, watching Lakers basketball, and playing video games.

Joshua Landreneau, MD

• Medical School: University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine
• Career interest: Surgical Endoscopy / Minimally Invasive Surgery

Shashank Sharma, MD

• Medical School: Medical College of Virginia
• Hometown: Richmond, Virginia
• Career interest: Cardiothoracic and Vascular Surgery; Global Surgery; Medical device development
• Bio: Born in India and raised in Virginia, Shashank built and developed an orphanage in Kenya prior to attending medical school. His hobbies include cooking, finance, politics, playing tennis, travelling, going to art museums, and gardening.

Kathyrn Stackhouse, MD, MS

• Medical School: Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine
• Hometown: Thurmont, MD
• Career Interest: Hepatobiliary Surgery
• Bio: When not in the hospital, Katie enjoys working out, exploring the food scene of Cleveland, and spending time outdoors.

Andrew Tang, MD

• Medical School: Texas Tech University Health Science Center School of Medicine
• Hometown: Plano, Texas
• Career interest: Thoracic Surgery
• Bio: Born in Texas, I will take brisket and beer over steak any day. I enjoy spending time with my coresidents and traveling with my wife, who is a peds resident. Also I like to eat, a lot

Yaning Zhang, MD

• Medical School: Shantou University Medical College (China)
• Hometown: China
• Career Interest: Trauma, Surgical Oncology, General Surgery
• Bio: Born and raised in China, I came to the US after graduation from medical school, in pursuit of high quality training in General Surgery

PGY5

Dominykas Burneikis, MD

• Medical School: University of Colorado School of Medicine
• Hometown: Denver, CO
• Career interest: General / Colorectal Surgery
• Bio: Dom was born in Vilnius, Lithuania before relocating to Colorado with his family at the age of 10. He moved to Baltimore to complete his undergraduate studies at Johns Hopkins University where he received a bachelor’s degree in Public Health. Dom returned to University of Colorado School of Medicine where he met his wife, Talia, prior to a successful couples match in Cleveland.

Talia Burneikis, MD

• Medical School: University of Colorado School of Medicine
• Hometown: Denver, CO
• Career interest: General/Rural Surgery, Endocrine/Breast Surgery
• Bio: She spends her free time baking, running with her dogs, and taking in the outdoors. She loves skiing and snowshoeing in Colorado as well as biking, hiking and foraging for mushrooms with her husband.

Mohammed Elshamy, MD

• Medical School: Ain Shams University Faculty of Medicine (Egypt)
• Hometown: Port Said, Egypt
• Career interest: Surgical Oncology
• Bio: Mohammed was born in New Jersey, and moved to Egypt as a child, where he grew up in Port Said on the coast of the Mediterranean before moving to Cairo for medical school. After graduating, he returned to the United States for a research fellowship in Hepatobiliary Surgery at the Cleveland Clinic. When not at work, he enjoys soccer, cooking, and spending time with his wife and baby daughter.

Monica Isabella, MD

• Medical School: Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine
• Hometown: Cleveland, OH
• Career Interest: General Surgery, Critical Care/Trauma
• Bio: A true Clevelander - born and raised. Enjoys cooking, baking, photography, and spending time with the family.

Sami Judeeba, MD

• Medical School: King Abdul Aziz University (Saudi Arabia)
• Hometown: Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
• Career interest: My commitment is to improve myself to a high level of clinical, academic, and surgical proficiency.
• Bio: After medical school, I had the chance to conduct translational research in the field of gastroenterology, with a focus on colonic disease in animal and human specimens. Now, I have joined the Cleveland Clinic with the goal of becoming a truly excellent surgeon.

Olga Lavryk, MD, PhD

• Medical School: National O. O. Bohomolets Medical University (Kiev, Ukraine)
• Hometown: Ukraine
• Career interest: Abdominal and vascular surgery
• Bio: Originally from Ukraine, Olga previously conducted research at the Cleveland Clinic. Her interests include skiing, tennis, piano, and literature.

Salvador Navarrete, MD

• Medical School: Universidad Central de Venezuela Escuela Luis Razetti (Venezuela)
• Hometown: Caracas, Venezuela
• Career interest: Minimally Invasive Surgery, Foregut surgery
• Bio: Sal previously trained in Venezuela “a long time ago”, where he met his wife. A father of two beautiful kids, Sal is a patient futbol fan and player.

Justin Philip, MD

• Medical School: Thomas Jefferson University
• Hometown: Montreal, QC, Canada
• Career interest: Minimally Invasive Surgery, Foregut Surgery, Wound Healing/Tissue Engineering.
• Bio: I enjoy watching and playing sports (especially hockey, soccer, snowboarding and running around Cleveland Hts). I also love to cook, hike and travel whenever I can.

Andrew Strong, MD

• Medical School: Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine
• Hometown: Dallas, Texas
• Career interest: Flexible Endoscopy / Advanced Laparoscopic Surgery
• Bio: Andrew previously completed two years of clinical research work with the Advanced Laparoscopic Surgery/Surgical Endoscopy group at the Cleveland Clinic. When not at work, he might be found on a local hiking or running trail, sipping java or a brew at a local purveyor, or any of the summer street festivals.

Valery Vilchez, MD

• Medical School: Universidad del Zulia (Venezuela)
• Hometown: Maracaibo, Venezuela
• Career interest: Colorectal Surgery, Global Surgery
• Bio: Born and raised in Venezuela, values family as a top priority. Coffee and travel lover. When not in the hospital, I am looking for a good book to read, a new city/town to know or a good trail to run.

Research

Jordan Apfeld, MD

• Medical School: Stanford University School of Medicine
• Hometown: Signal Mountain, TN
• Career interest: Pediatric Surgery
• Research interest and institution: Health Outcomes Fellow, Nationwide Children’s Hospital
• Bio: Jordan has roots in the midwest, was raised in the South, brainwashed in the Northeast, is newly engaged out West, and Cleveland proud. His hobbies include starting new hobbies, running, disc golf, and all things music.

Reece DeHaan, MD

• Medical School: Medical College of Wisconsin
• Hometown: Kenosha, WI
• Career interest: Colorectal or Minimally Invasive surgery
• Research interest and institution: Inflammatory bowel disease, colorectal cancer, organoid models of colonic pathology and next generation sequencing
• Bio: Reece has spent the majority of his life living in Wisconsin and Illinois but is excited for the opportunity to explore northeast Ohio. In his free time, he enjoys trying new restaurants as well as playing and watching sports (especially the Packers and Brewers).

Maysoon Gamaleldin, MD

• Medical School: Dubai Medical College
• Hometown: Dubai, United Arab Emirates
• Career interest: Colorectal Surgery
• Research interest and institution: Quality and Operations - Cleveland Clinic
• Bio: Born in Egypt, raised in Dubai, I finished my general surgery training in AbuDhabi and came here to pursue a career in colorectal surgery. I am also a proud makeup-aholic and love to spend time spoiling my kitty, Boloz!

Amy Han, MD

• Medical School: Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine
• Hometown: Cleveland, OH
• Career interest: General Surgery, Endocrine Surgery
• Research interest and institution: Surgical Education, Cleveland Clinic
• Bio: Amy has been in Cleveland for most of her life and loves the lush summer months in the 'land. She enjoys running, exploring new restaurants, baking, drinking coffee, and catching up with friends.

Vivek Karun, MD

• Medical School: Baylor College of Medicine
• Hometown: Houston, TX
• Career interest: Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Global Surgery
• Research interest and institution: Research interest and institution: MPH - Harvard School of Public Health; Surgical capacity building in low resource settings
• Bio: Born in India and raised in Houston for most of my life, I grew up loving the piano and all things Houston sports. I'm an adventurer at heart, so I enjoy traveling, discovering new places, and most other outdoor activities. But more than anything, I value my time with family and friends.

Katherine Montelione, MD

• Medical School: Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine
• Hometown: Highland Park, NJ
• Career interest: Abdominal wall reconstruction
• Research interest and institution: Abdominal wall hernias and reconstruction - Comprehensive Hernia Center, Cleveland Clinic
• Bio: Katie grew up in a small town in New Jersey and graduated from Columbia University with a BA in Biochemistry and from Weill Cornell Medicine with a Masters in Immunology and Microbial Pathogenesis. She moved to Cleveland for medical school and is now the proud owner of a 100+ year old townhouse in Ohio City where she lives with her fiancé, dog, and kitten. She loves cooking at home, eating out, and gardening.

Danny Orabi, MD

• Medical School: Wayne State University School of Medicine
• Hometown: Detroit, Michigan
• Career interest: Hepatobiliary, Transplant
• Research interest and institution:Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC); Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease; Cancer stem cells; Immunomodulation in HCC; Metabolomics; Microsurgery – Lerner Research Institute
• Bio: Like to have fun and relax with family and friends. Interests include soccer, international law, and politics.

Breanna Perlmutter, MD

• Medical School: Case Western Reserve University, School of Medicine
• Hometown: Los Angeles, CA
• Career interest: Trauma Surgery, Colorectal Surgery, advancing surgical care in developing countries.
• Research interest and institution: Hepatobiliary surgery and abdominal wall reconstruction - Cleveland Clinic
• Bio: Born and raised in Los Angeles, Breanna loves spending her free time outdoors, whether at the beach or hiking in the mountains. She is also an avid cook and loves searching for great food. When time allows, she also greatly enjoys traveling abroad.

Jesse M. P. Rappaport, MD

• Medical School: Emory University School of Medicine
• Hometown: Chester, NJ
• Career interest: General Surgery, Thoracic Surgery, Global Surgery
• Research interest and institution: Thoracic Surgery – Cleveland Clinic
• Bio: I grew up in small town NJ with two older siblings. I received my undergraduate education in Fine Arts (drawing, painting, sculpting) and try to indulge my artistic side whenever possible.

Nitin Sajankila, MD

• Medical School: Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine
• Hometown: Dayton, NJ
• Career interest: Pediatric Surgery
• Research interest and institution: Pediatric Surgery - Nationwide Children's Hospital
• Bio: Born and raised in Jersey, but now a Clevelander at heart. I like to spend my free time hiking the outdoors, cooking & eating all day, and ruminating on politics.

Caleb Seavey, MD

• Medical School: George Washington University School of Medicine
• Hometown: Washington, DC
• Career interest: Surgical Oncology
• Research interest and institution: Basic science sarcoma research - Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine
• Bio: Caleb is the youngest child of an English Professor and a Documentary Filmmaker. He is originally from Washington, DC and went to George Washington University for both undergrad and medical school. He is currently pursuing a PhD in Molecular Medicine at the Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine in Brian Rubin’s lab. In his spare time, his hobbies include woodworking and he is an avid jazz enthusiast.

Avia Wilkerson, MD

• Medical School: Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine
• Hometown: Dallas, Texas
• Career interest: Surgical Oncology, Elimination of Health Disparities
• Research interest and institution: T-cell engineering and immunotherapeutic strategies for triple negative breast cancer - Lerner Research Institute
• Bio: I grew up wanting to be a professional modern dancer until my sights turned toward a career in surgery. You may find me trying and cooking new foods or at a local Vinyasa yoga studio. I am currently embarking on a PhD in Molecular Medicine at Cleveland Clinic Lerner Research Institute, focusing on immunology and immunotherapy in the labs of Drs. Vincent Tuohy and Marcela Diaz.

Preliminary Residents

We are approved for 9 PGY-1 non-designated preliminary residents and 4 PGY-2 non-designated preliminary residents. We have a diverse group of preliminary residents including both US graduates and International Medical Graduates. Most of our non-designated preliminary residents continue onwards to complete an ACGME accredited program on a variety of specialties, including: General Surgery, Anesthesiology, Radiology, PM&R, etc.

PGY1

• Ahmad Abugharbieh - American University of Antigua (Carribean)
• Ahmed Eldeib - Alfaisal University College of Medicine (Saudi Arabia)
• Emidio Germano - University Estado do Rio Grande (Brazil)
• George Kereselidze - David Tvildiani Medical University (Georgia)
• Moustafa Moussally - American University of Beirut (Lebanon)
• Andres Narvaez - University San Francisco de Quito (Ecuador)
• Carlos Ordenana - University Catolica de Santiago (Ecuador)
• Alejandro Rodarte - Monterrey Institute of Technology (Mexico)
• Olga Smirnova - Lomonosov Moscow State University (Russia)

PGY2

• Hemasat Alkhatib - Hashemite University Faculty of Medicine (Jordan)
• Clara Lai - University College London Medical School (England)
• Raja Rajamanickam - Madras Medical College (India)
• Mitchell Saludes - Saba University School of Medicine (Carribean)

Alumni

Staff Surgeons

Residency Program Leadership

• R. Matthew Walsh, MD, Chair, Department of General Surgery
• Jeremy Lipman, MD, Program Director, General Surgery Residency
• Ajita Prabhu, MD, Associate Program Director, General Surgery Residency
• John Rodriguez, MD, Associate Program Director, General Surgery Residency
• Vikram Krishnamurthy, MD, Associate Program Director, General Surgery Residency
• Steven Rosenblatt, MD, Medical Student Education Director, Surgery Clerkship
• Sofya Asfaw, MD, Resident Mentorship and Wellness, General Surgery Residency
  Joseph Trunzo, MD, Site Director, Fairview Hospital, General Surgery Residency
• Kalman Bencsath, MD, Site Director, Hillcrest Hospital, General Surgery Residency
• Laura Brown, MD, PhD, Site Director, MetroHealth, General Surgery Residency

Abdominal Wall Reconstruction and General Surgery

• Sharon Grundfest-Broniatowski, MD
• David Krpata, MD
• Clayton Petro, MD
• Ajita Prabhu, MD
• Michael Rosen, MD
• Steven Rosenblatt, MD

Breast Surgery

Main Campus

• Zahraa AlHilli, MD
• Alicia Fanning, MD
• Diane Radford, MD
• Stephanie Valente, DO

Fairview Hospital

• Debra Pratt, MD

Colorectal Surgery

Main Campus

• Conor Delaney, MD, PhD, Institute Chair
• Scott Steele, MD, Chair, Department of Colorectal Surgery
• James Church, MD
• I. Emre Gorgun, MD
• Stefan Holubar, MD
• Emina Huang, MD
• Tracy Hull, MD
• Matthew Kalady, MD
• Hermann Kessler, MD, PhD
• Jeremy Lipman, MD
• Amy Lightner, MD
• Bradford Sklow, MD 
• Michael A. Valente, DO
• Sarah Vogler, MD

Fairview Hospital

• Bradley Champagne, MD
• David Rosen, MD
• Joseph Trunzo, MD

Hillcrest Hospital

• Thomas Garofalo, MD
• Eric Johnson, MD

Endocrine Surgery

• Allan Siperstein, MD, Chair, Department of Endocrine Surgery
• Eren Berber, MD
• Judy Jin, MD
• Vikram Krishnamurthy, MD
• Joyce Shin, MD
• Katherine Heiden, MD

Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Surgery and Surgical Oncology

Main Campus

• R. Matthew Walsh, MD, Chair, Department of General Surgery
• Robert Simon, MD
• Daniel Joyce, MD

Fairview Hospital

• Toms Augustin, MD

Hillcrest Hospital

• Christopher Siegel, MD

Liver and Multivisceral Transplant Surgery

• Kareem Abu-Elmagd, MD, PhD, Director, Intestinal Transplant Program
• Charles Miller, MD, Director, Liver Transplant Program
• Federico Aucejo, MD
• Teresa Diago-Uso, MD
• Bijan Eghtesad, MD
• Masato Fujiki, MD
• Koji Hashimoto, MD, PhD
• Sasaki Kazunari, MD
• Choon Hyuck David Kwon, MD, PhD
• Cristiano Quintini, MD

Metabolic and Minimally Invasive Surgery

Main Campus

• Ali Aminian, MD
• Alisan Fathalizadeh, MD
• Jeffrey Ponsky, MD
• John Rodriguez, MD

Fairview Hospital

• Toms Augustin, MD

Hillcrest Hospital

• Walter Cha, MD
• Kalman Bencsath, MD

Minimally Invasive and General Surgery

Main Campus

• Sharon Grundfest-Broniatowski, MD
• Steven Rosenblatt, MD

Fairview Hospital

• Toms Augustin, MD
• Diya Alaedeen, MD
• Timothy Barnett, MD
• Cathleen Khandelwal, MD
• Andrew Smith, MD

Hillcrest Hospital

• Kalman Bencsath, MD
• Walter Cha, MD
• James Malgieri, MD
• William O’Brien, MD

Surgical Critical Care

• Sofya Asfaw, MD
• Tony Capizzani, MD
• Brett Elo, MD
• Jia Liu, MD
• John Medrick, DO
• Rachael Sullivan, MD
• Michael Taylor, MD

Surgical Endoscopy

Main Campus

• Jeffrey Ponsky, MD Director, Surgical Endoscopy
• Matthew Allemang, MD
• Alisan Fathalizadeh, MD 
• John Rodriguez, MD
• R. Matthew Walsh, MD

Fairview Hospital

• Diya Alaedeen, MD

Pediatric Surgery

• David Magnuson, MD, Chair, Department of Pediatric Surgery
• Darrell Cass, MD, Director, Fetal Surgery
• Anthony DeRoss, MD
• John DiFiore, MD
• Jason Robertson, MD

Thoracic Surgery

Main Campus

• Sudish Murthy, MD, PhD, Section Head, General Thoracic Surgery
• Siva Raja, MD, PhD
• Usman Ahmad, MD
• Alejandro Bribriesco, MD
• Daniel Raymond, MD
• Monisha Sudarshan, MD

Vascular Surgery

Main Campus

• Sean Lyden, MD, Chair, Department of Vascular Surgery
• Francis Caputo, MD
• Linda Graham, MD
• David Hardy, MD
• Lee Kirksey, MD
• Christopher Smolock, MD
• Jarrad Rowse, MD

Fairview Hospital

• Barath Badrinathan, MD
• Eduardo Corso, MD
• Basem Droubi, MD
• Daniel McLaughlin, MD
• Roy Miler, MD

Trauma Surgery

MetroHealth

• Laura Brown, MD, PhD
• Jeffrey Claridge, MD
• John Como, MD, MPH
• Joseph Golob, MD
• Vanessa Ho, MD
• Chad Katona, MD
• Anjay Khandelwal, MD
• Laura Kreiner, MD
• Nimitt Patel, MD
• Esther Tseng, MD
• Charles Yowler, MD
• Peter Zmijewski, MD

Locations

Physicians at all locations are part of the Cleveland Clinic General Surgery, Vascular Surgery, or Colorectal Surgery Departments except for the MetroHealth Medical Center where the Level I trauma rotations are done.

Cleveland Clinic Main Campus

• Founded in 1921 by George Crile Sr., a general and endocrine surgeon; Frank Bunts, a neurosurgeon; William Lower, an urologist; and John Phillips, an internist.
• 44 buildings, over 85 operating rooms, more than 1,400 beds.
• Quaternary care center with an international referral base.
• 202,190 Surgical Cases in 2013.

• Program site director: Jeremy Lipman, MD.

Fairview Hospital

• Fairview Hospital is a busy community hospital and Level 2 Trauma Center on Cleveland’s west side. General Surgery Residents operate on all General, Colorectal, Breast, Endovascular, and Vascular Surgery cases and run the SICU and Trauma team.
• 488 beds.
• $83 million dollar expansion of emergency department and ICU in 2013.

• Site director: Joseph Trunzo, MD.

Hillcrest Hospital

• Hillcrest Hospital is a busy community hospital and Level 2 Trauma Center on Cleveland’s east side.
• 496 beds.
• $163 million dollar expansion and renovation in 2010.

• Site director: Kalman Bencsath, MD.

Metro Health Medical Center

• MetroHealth Medical Center is an academic health system, the regional Level 1 Trauma and Burn Center, and the regional safety net hospital on Cleveland’s south side.
• MetroHealth Medical Center’s staff surgeons are all professors at Case Western Reserve University Medical School.
• The Trauma Service has two teams, one run by a Cleveland Clinic General Surgery PGY-4 resident and the other run by a University Hospitals Case Medical Center General Surgery PGY-4 resident. The Trauma ICU is run by one PGY-2 resident from the Cleveland Clinic and one PGY-2 from University Hospitals Case Medical Center.

Beachwood, Strongsville, Twinsburg Family Health and Surgery Centers

• Beachwood, Strongsville, Twinsburg Family Health and Surgery Centers are ambulatory surgery centers staffed by Cleveland Clinic main campus, Hillcrest and Fairview surgeons. Residents perform endoscopy and operate on General and Breast Surgery cases in a fast track surgery environment.

Applications & FAQs

Residency Applications (Categorical Program)

The General Surgery residency at Cleveland Clinic is approved for 10 categorical residents per year for five clinical years. A varying number of our categorical residents take advantage of optional research and professional development years, typically after PGY-2. We are also approved for 9 PGY-1 and 4 PGY-2 non-designated preliminary residents.

We seek trainees interested in a program with high clinical volume, scientifically-advanced care and robust opportunities for innovation. Our graduates become leaders as clinicians, researchers and educators. We recruit those whose diverse backgrounds will further enhance the incredible culture of collaboration and camaraderie that exists in our program.

Applications are only accepted through ERAS.

NRMP program code:
Categorical General Surgery 1968440C0

Application process:

• No applications will be reviewed if submitted after Sunday, October 25, 2020.
• We do not require a minimum score on any USMLE exam, but will not review applicants who have failed any portion.
• We do not require USMLE Step 2 for your application to be reviewed
• We require 3 letters of recommendation.
• We do not require a Chair letter
• Institutionally, Cleveland Clinic has minimum requirements for all residents
• Our program sponsors J1 and H1B visas for international graduates

Interviews

Invitations for interviews will be sent on or before Monday, November 16, 2020 to allow thorough review of the MSPE. Those not selected for interview will be notified if they qualify for our wait list or not. We do not invite more candidates than we have interview spots available.

Interviews will be held on-line only on the following Wednesdays:

• December 2
• December 9
• December 16
• January 6
• January 13
• January 20

We hope you will join us Tuesday evening for a virtual get-together with our residents

Salary and benefit information is available.

Visiting Students

We welcome students from other institutions to do an elective on one of our clinical teams. Please find details on how to apply here.

Preliminary Program

The General Surgery residency at Cleveland Clinic is approved for 9 undesignated preliminary PGY 1 residents per year.

We seek trainees from around the world looking to gain additional experience prior to transitioning to a categorical residency. We also welcome those who have matched into an advanced training program and are looking for a robust General Surgery experience before beginning their specialty training.

Residents in the Preliminary program are fully integrated with residents in the Categorical program. They complete the same rotations, participate in all learning and social activities and function in the same role as Categorical residents.

A designated Associate Program Director for Preliminary Residents (a former preliminary resident themselves) works to assure the best possible chance of attaining a Categorical position. However, all Categorical positions in our program are filled through the Match with no reserved spots for our Preliminary residents.

Applications are only accepted through ERAS and otherwise is the same as for the Categorical program (see above).

NRMP program code:
Non-Designated Preliminary Surgery 1968440P0

Interviews

We do not invite more candidates than we have interview spots available. Interviews for the Preliminary program will be held on-line only on the following Fridays:

• December 4, 2020
• December 11, 2020

FAQs

Where do the residents live?
Fortunately, Cleveland is very affordable on a resident’s salary. About half of the residents own a house or condo. Most live on the East side, in nearby neighborhoods such as Cleveland Heights, University Heights, Shaker Heights, or Beachwood. The downtown area is also popular for apartment living. There are also beautiful and affordable neighborhoods on the West side, such as Westlake, Ohio City and Tremont. Please visit the GME website for more information about living in Cleveland.

How is life outside of work in Cleveland?
Cleveland has wonderful food, sports, arts and culture. Learn more about the city. If you’re looking for something to do during a visit, check out ThisIsCleveland for some ideas. The program and institution also sponsor a number of social activities throughout the year. These include our welcome picnic, holiday party and graduation. The House Staff Association and House Staff Spouse Association organize several events throughout the year to promote well-being and camaraderie among residents of different specialties.

What is the operative volume for residents?
By the end of their first year, most residents have logged around 100 operations. Our Chiefs graduate with an average of 1,000-1,200 cases and around 120 upper and lower endoscopies. There are no areas of clinical deficiency.

Are residents able to do elective rotations?
Yes. All residents have 1 elective block in the PGY 3, 4 and 5 years to do a rotation that interests them. Additionally, PGY 1 residents have a 1 week elective that can either be used for a supplementary operative experience, or to work in another discipline such as radiology, pathology or with the emergency response team

Visiting Resident Application

For those residents interested in rotating with the Department of Surgery at Cleveland Clinic, all applications must be submitted by April 15 to assure placement in the coming academic year. Please complete the following form to apply for a spot as a visiting resident:

• The Department of Surgery Application

Unfortunately, we will not be able to accommodate all requests. Final rotation dates will only be provided by our office. Please direct any questions to Janine Keough (keoughj@ccf.org)..

For additional GME information, please visit our Graduate Medical Information website.

Contact

General Surgery Residency

Janine Keough
Administrator
216.444.2009
Fax: 216.445.7653
keoughj@ccf.org

Lisa Paciorek Donkin
Residency Coordinator
216.444.1754
paciorl@ccf.org

Jennifer Mocsiran
Residency Coordinator
Medical Student Surgical Education Coordinator
216.636.9297
mocsirj@ccf.org

Graduate Medical Education

Main Office
216.444.5690
1.800.323.9259
Fax: 216.444.6112

Cleveland Clinic Operator

216.444.2200