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,

Ajita Prabhu, MD, FACS
Program Director, General Surgery Residency

Residency Program Leadership

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

Sofya Asfaw, MD, FACS
Associate Program Director for Wellness and Mentorship

Daniel Joyce, MBBCh
Associate Program Director for Preliminary Residents

Chelsea (Xiaoxi) Feng, MD
Associate Program Director for Simulation

Judith French, PhD
Surgical Educator

Joseph Trunzo, MD, FACS
Associate Program Director for Didactic Curricula
Site Director, Fairview Hospital, General Surgery Residency

Kalman Bencsath, MD, FACS
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 from a variety of backgrounds and experiences. Resident education and research are at the forefront of our department. Our residents rotate in a variety of clinical settings, including a leading quaternary teaching hospital, two regional Level II trauma centers, a Level I trauma and burn 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.

A DaVinci XI training robot is available for practice with 24/7 access to augment our robust simulation and on-console robotics training program.

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. Orientation to the program includes a two week skills training course designed to help all new residents get accustomed to common technical skills, clinical scenarios and our electronic health record. During the first month of training, all new residents participate in a didactic and simulation curriculum to ease the transition to residency. Chair rounds with Dr. Walsh and the PGY1s occur once a month throughout the first year providing an opportunity to discuss cases with the Chair of Surgery.

Weekly Learning Sessions

Protected educational conferences occur every Wednesday morning from 7-11 am. 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.

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

PGY-2 (4 weeks per rotation)

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

PGY-3 (5 weeks per rotation)

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

PGY-4 (5 weeks per rotation)

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

PGY-5 (5-12 weeks per rotation)

Acute Care*
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

Rotation	Team
HPB/Surgical Oncology	PGY5, PGY4, PGY2, PGY1
Endocrine	PGY4, PGY1
MIS/Hernia (Steiger)	PGY4, PGY3, PGY1
MIS/Hernia (Grundfest)	PGY5, PGY2, PGY1
MIS/Bariatrics/Surgical Endoscopy	PGY4, PGY1
Bariatric	PGY2
Acute Care Surgery-Days	PGY5, PGY3, PGY12x
Acute Care Surgery Nights	PGY4, PGY2, PGY12x
Pediatric Surgery	PGY3, 2x-PGY1
Breast	PGY3, PGY2
Liver Transplant	PGY3, PGY1
Multivisceral Transplant	PGY2

Regional Hospital Teams

Rotation	Team
Hillcrest General Surgery	PGY5, PGY3, PGY1
Hillcrest HPB and Colorectal	PGY5, PGY2, PGY1
Fairview Vascular	PGY5, PGY3, PGY2, PGY1
Fairview Colorectal	PGY4, PGY3, PGY2
Fairview General Surgery/Trauma	PGY4, PGY3, PGY2, PGY1 (2x)
Fairview Peds/Breasts/MIS/HPB	PGY5, PGY2, PGY1
Fairview SICU	PGY2
MetroHealth Level 1 Trauma / ICU	PGY4, PGY2
MetroHealth Burn / ICU	PGY2

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.

Alternative professional development activities such as Master’s in Public Health, Master’s in Education, Master’s in Business Administration and others are also available. Additionally, we offer a 2 year Surgical Education Research Fellowship that is accredited by the American College of Surgeons.

Residents routinely present their work at local, regional, national and international meetings. Release from clinical duties and travel support is provided.

Resident Research Day

Our annual resident research day showcases the impressive academic endeavors completed by General Surgery residents in both the clinical and basic sciences.

2020 Resident Research Day Program

2020 Virtual Poster Session

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. Unique opportunities exist across all surgical specialties 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 PhD program

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
Avia is studying the use of T cell engineering to construct patient-derived T cells with high affinity and reactivity against α-lactalbumin, a retired self-protein over-expressed in triple negative tumors, thereby promoting the cytotoxic killing of α-lactalbumin-expressing tumor cells in women with triple negative breast cancer.

Mentors: Dr. Claudia Diaz and Dr. Vincent Tuohy

Gillman Plitt, MD
Gilman is studying the mechanisms of thyroid carcinogenesis in patients with PTEN hamartoma tumor syndrome (PHTS). PHTS is a collection of syndromes caused by a germline PTEN mutation, associated with a predisposition to a wide range of cancers including thyroid cancer.  Gilman’s work involves investigating the genomic and transcriptomic landscapes of PHTS-associated thyroid cancer to better understand the mechanisms of thyroid cancer initiation in this population, and how these differ from that of sporadic thyroid cancer.

Mentor: Charis Eng MD, PhD

Benjamin Kramer, DO
Ben currently works with Dr. Eric Roselli and the aortic surgery research group investigating the biomechanics of the ascending aorta to help improve and inform the management and treatment of acute ascending aortopathy. His investigation centers around correlating in-vivo aortic structural behavior with ex-vivo strain analysis and determining the association of aortic failure with proteoglycan concentration.  He is currently pursuing his PhD in Clinical Translational Research through Case Western Reserve University.

Mentors: Dr. Eric Roselli and Dr. Eugene Blackstone

Graduates

Danny Orabi, MD, PhD
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

Current Residents

PGY1

Abby Gross, MD

• Medical School: Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine
• Hometown: Rosemount, Minnesota
• Career interest: Critical Care, Pediatric Surgery, Colorectal Surgery
• Bio: Born and raised in Minnesota. Attended the University of Minnesota where she studied Ecology, Evolution and Animal Behavior. Outside of the hospital, she enjoys hiking with her dogs, traveling and board game nights.

Jannell Holloway, MD

• Medical School: University of California, Los Angeles
• Hometown:Washington, DC
• Career interest: Trauma, Colorectal, MIS
• Bio: She is an alum of Harvard College where she studied chemistry. When not in the hospital, she enjoys traveling, participating in dance classes, and going to concerts.

 

Joshua Insler, MD

• Medical School: Rush Medical College of Rush University Medical Center
• Hometown: Cleveland, OH
• Career interest: Cardiothoracic Surgery; Surgical Education
• Bio: A native of Cleveland, OH, Josh earned his undergraduate degree from Tufts prior to completing his undergraduate medical education at Rush. Outside of the hospital, he enjoys staying active, spending time with friends and family, and improving his ever-evolving homemade bagel recipe.

Pavel Lenkov, MD

• Medical School: University of Oklahoma
• Hometown:Canadian, OK
• Career interest: General Surgery, Thoracic Surgery
• Bio: Trained as a Russian gymnast before moving to the US

 

Daphne Remulla, MD

• Medical School: Keck School of Medicine of USC
• Hometown: San Jose, CA
• Career interest: Surgical Education, Undecided
• Bio: Daphne was born in California, but also spent some time growing up on the East Coast in Massachusetts and New Jersey. She completed both her undergraduate education and medical school in Los Angeles at the University of Southern California. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her two rescue dogs, cooking, and watching anime.

 

Stavros Stefanopoulos, MD

• Medical School: University of Toledo
• Hometown: Dayton, Ohio
• Career interest: Bariatric surgery, robotic surgery, machine learning, nutrition research
• Bio: I was born in Cincinnati and graduated from The Ohio State University where I studied Microbiology and Modern Greek. After exploring most of Ohio's other great cities I am happy to be in Cleveland. I enjoy cooking, hiking, traveling, and reading. I have been fortunate to travel around the world with my mother who is a flight attendant. My favorite book is The Count of Monte Cristo.

 

Brian Tang, MD

• Medical School: McGovern Medical School at UTHealth
• Hometown: Plano, TX
• Bio: After growing up in Plano, attending undergrad in Austin and medical school in Houston, I've spent more years of my life chasing brisket and tacos than medicine. Moving to Cleveland is the first time living outside of Texas, but so far, I enjoy spending time with my co-residents, sister-in-law, and brother (who is also in the program). Outside of the hospital I enjoy cooking and baking!

 

Sarah Wang, MD, MPH

• Medical School: Virginia Commonwealth University
• Hometown:Toronto, Canada
• Career interest: Surgical Oncology, Endocrine, MIS
• Bio: Sarah was born and raised in China before relocating to Canada with her family. She studied at McGill University and University of Toronto prior to moving to Virginia for medical school. Her interests include international travel, cooking as much as eating, house plants, hiking, yoga, and art.

 

Chase Wehrle, MD

• Medical School: Medical College of Georgia
• Hometown: Savannah, GA
• Career interest: HPB Surgery, Surgical Oncology
• Bio: Chase grew up in Savannah, GA before completing an undergraduate degree in Chemistry at Washington University in St. Louis. He then returned close to home for medical school at the Medical College of Georgia. Chase loves watching and playing sports, especially football, basketball, baseball, and golf. He also loves snow skiing and playing pickleball. These days, he spends his time hanging out with his new dog, Cricket.

 

Kimberly Woo, MD

• Medical School: Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine
• Hometown: San Francisco, CA
• Career interest: Surgical Oncology
• Bio:Kim was born in Houston and moved to San Francisco in high school. She studied molecular and cell biology at UC Berkeley. Her hobbies include true crime, baking, indoor climbing, and long distance running.

PGY2

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.

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.

George Kereselidze, MD

• Medical School: David Tvildiani Medical University (Georgia)
• Hometown: Tbilisi, Georgia
• Career Interest: Colorectal Surgery, MIS and Surgical Education
• Bio: I was born and mostly raised in Georgia. It was always my dream to become a surgeon and be involved in education both of which have come true in Cleveland. In my free time I enjoy spending quality time with family and friends like playing board games, video games, watching sports and snowboarding.

PGY3

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!

PGY4

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.

PGY5

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

Research

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.

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.

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.

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

• Camilo Albert - Universidad Iberoamericana, Santo Domingo (Dominican Republic)
• Eulalia Amador -University Catol De Santiago De Guayaquil (Ecuador)
• Doua Elamin - University of Medical Sciences & Technology Faculty of Medicine (Sudan)
• Yasser Fouda - Mansoura University Faculty of Medicine (Egypt)
• Pei Kwok - Dalhousie University Faculty of Medicine (Nova Scotia)
• Ali Nasrallah - American University of Beirut Faculty of Medicine (Lebanon)
• Ipek Sapci - Acibadem Üniversitesi Tip Fakültesi (Turkey)
• Kartikeya Sharma - Maulana Azad Medical College (India)
• Ahmed Sorour - Lékarská Fakulta UK v Hradci Králové (Prague)

PGY2

• 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)

Alumni

2021
Dominykas Burneikis	Colorectal Surgery Fellowship	The Ohio State University
Talia Burneikis	Endocrine Surgery Fellowship	Cleveland Clinic
Mohammed Elshamy	Endocrine Surgery Fellowship	Cleveland Clinic
Monica Isabella	Surgical Critical Care Fellowship	Michigan State University
Sami Judeeba	Colorectal Surgery Fellowship	Cleveland Clinic
Olga Lavryk	Colorectal Surgery	Cleveland Clinic
Salvador Navarrete	MIS/Bariatric Surgery Staff	Cleveland Clinic
Justin Philip	MIS/Bariatric Surgery Fellowship	Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center
Andrew Strong	MIS/Bariatric Surgery Fellowship	Duke University
Valery Vilchez	Colorectal Surgery Fellowship	UC-Irvine Medical Center

2020
Paul Adenuga	Plastic Surgery Fellowship	NYU Langone
Matthew Burstein	Minimally Invasive Surgery Fellowship	SUNY Buffalo
Maryna Chumakova-Orin	Minimally Invasive Surgery Fellowship	Duke University
Jennifer Colvin	Minimally Invasive Surgery Fellowship	Ohio State University
Jennifer Colvin	Minimally Invasive Surgery Fellowship	Ohio State University
Xiaoxi (Chelsea) Feng	Minimally Invasive Surgery Fellowship	Cedars-Sinai Medical Center
Ian Glenn	Thoracic Surgery Fellowship	Cleveland Clinic
Julia Muntean	Critical Care Fellowship	Cleveland Clinic
Lisa Park	Colorectal Surgery Fellowship	Cedars-Sinai Medical Center
Kaitlin Ritter	Trauma and Critical Care Fellowship	University of Colorado

2019
Nicholas Bruns	Pediatric Surgery Fellowship - Children’s Mercy Hospital
Jessica Ardila Gatas	Minimally Invasive and Bariatric Surgery Fellowship - Stony Brook University
Colin Gause	Pediatric Surgery Fellowship - Oregon Health and Science University
Charlotte Horne	Abdominal Wall Reconstruction and MIS Fellowship - Cleveland Clinic
George Karagkounis	Surgical Oncology Fellowship - Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
Marijan Koprivanac	Cardiothoracic Surgery Fellowship - University of Pennsylvania
Maitham Moslim	Surgical Oncology Fellowship - Fox Chase Cancer Center
Ahmed Nassar	Abdominal Transplant Fellowship - Emory University
Antonios Sideris	Thoracic Surgery Fellowship - Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
Vorranadha Vacharathit	Minimally Invasive and Bariatric Surgery Fellowship - Geisinger Medical Center

2018
Mohammad Abbass	Colorectal Surgery Fellowship - Cleveland Clinic Foundation
Amelia Dorsey	Minimally Invasive and Bariatric Surgery Fellowship - Stanford University
Emil Fernando	Breast Surgical Oncology Fellowship- Northwestern University
Ramona Ilie	Minimally Invasive Surgery Fellowship - Emory University
Daniel Joyce	Surgical Oncology Fellowship - Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center
Hari Keshava	Thoracic Surgery Fellowship - Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
Yitian Liu	Breast Surgical Oncology Fellowship - Vanderbilt University Medical Center
S. Julie-Ann Lloyd	Minimally Invasive and Metabolic Surgery Fellowship - University of Pittsburgh
Hideo Takahashi	Surgical Oncology Fellowship - Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center
JingLiang Yan	Minimally Invasive Surgery Fellowship - Vanderbilt University Medical Center

2017
Anas Abdelazim	Vascular Surgery Fellowship - University Hospitals Case Medical Center
Djurabek Babadjanov	Vascular Surgery Fellowship - Eastern Virginia Medical Center
Julietta Chang	Minimally Invasive Surgery Fellowship - Massachusetts General Hospital
Matthew Davis	Minimally Invasive Surgery Fellowship - Duke University
Kathryn Fong	Vascular Surgery Fellowship - University of Pittsburgh Medical Center
Adam Mace	Thoracic Surgery Fellowship - Cleveland Clinic
Trang Nguyen	Surgical Oncology Fellowship - John Wayne Cancer Institute
June Peng	Surgical Oncology Fellowship - Roswell Park Cancer Institute
Jacob Petrosky	Minimally Invasive Surgery Fellowship - Geisinger Health System
David Reznick	Endocrine Surgery Fellowship - Cleveland Clinic

2016
Avery Capone	Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery – Harvard Plastic Surgery
Matthew Dong	Minimally Invasive Surgery – Mount Sinai Medical Center, New York
Priya Jadeja	Breast Surgery – Columbia University Medical Center
Kelsey Larson	Breast Surgical Oncology - Cleveland Clinic
Michael Liu	Colorectal Surgery – Cleveland Clinic
Jay Mittal	Surgical Critical Care – Cleveland Clinic
Jeffrey Mino	Colorectal Surgery – Cleveland Clinic
Rosebel Monteiro	Endocrine Surgery – Cleveland Clinic
Naftali Presser	Abdominal Organ Transplant – University of California, Los Angeles
Jeh Yung	Private Practice – Redlands, CA

2015
Naveen Balasundaram	Vascular Surgery – Cleveland Clinic
Osama Essa	General Surgery Staff – Private Practice
Alfredo Daniel Guerron	Minimally Invasive Surgery – Duke University
Jesse Gutnik	Endocrine Surgery – Cleveland Clinic (2015-2016) Minimally Invasive Surgery - Duke University (2016-2017)
Billy Lan	Colorectal Surgery – Cleveland Clinic
Jose Lozada	Trauma and Critical Care – Jackson Health System University of Miami
Neal Moores	Plastic Surgery – University of Utah
Mihir Shah	Minimally Invasive Surgery – Emory University
Sherief Shawki	Colorectal Surgery – Cleveland Clinic
Subash Reddy	Minimally Invasive Surgery – University of California, San Francisco Fresno

2014
Gavin Falk	Pediatric Surgery – Miami Children's Health System
Ronald Charles	Colorectal Surgery – Cleveland Clinic
Shohrat Annaberdyev	Colorectal Surgery – Florida Hospital
Samir Shah	Vascular Surgery – Brigham and Women's Hospital
Sofya Asfaw	Trauma and Critical Care – University of Pennsylvania
Robert Cornateanu	Trauma and Critical Care – Johns Hopkins School of Medicine
Joshua Nash	Trauma and Critical Care – Cook County Health and Hospital System
Amy Hiuser	Plastic Surgery – SUMMA Health System
Samilia Obeng-Gyasi	Master in Public Health – Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health (2014-2015) | Breast Surgery – Duke University (2015-2016)
Nishant Raj	General Surgery Staff – Private Practice

2013
John Rodriguez	Flexible Surgical Endoscopy – Cleveland Clinic
Neil Kundu	Plastic Surgery – Cleveland Clinic
Omer Nasir	Colorectal Surgery – University of Medicine and Dentistry New Jersey
Hue Thai	Vascular Surgery – University of Medicine and Dentistry New Jersey
Jean Pierre Martucci Melo	Minimally Invasive Surgery – University of Illinois Chicago
Isaac Motamarry	Minimally Invasive Surgery – University of Florida
Viet Phuong	Minimally Invasive Surgery – Carolinas Healthcare Sysem
Christian Cruz	General Surgery Staff – Private Practice
Samuel Ibrahim	General Surgery Staff – Cleveland Clinic

2012
Vikram Attaluri	Colorectal Surgery – Cleveland Clinic
Jessica Titus	Vascular Surgery – Cleveland Clinic
Louisa Chiu	Surgical Oncology – City of Hope Cancer Center
Sam Bae	Bariatric and Laparoscopic Surgery – University of Southern California
Kevin Shah	Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Surgery – Duke University
Nicole Sydow	Cardiothoracic Surgery – University of Arizona
Amit Sharma	Colorectal Surgery – University of Medicine and Dentistry, New Jersey
Jose Roberto Ramirez	Plastic Surgery – Vanderbilt Center of Plastic Surgery
Angel Farinas	General Surgery Staff – Private Practice

2011
Kalman Bencsath	Bariatric & Laparoscopic Surgery – Cleveland Clinic
Nakul Vakil	Cardiothoracic Surgery – Cleveland Clinic
Michael Tsinberg	Endocrine Surgery – University of California, San Francisco
George Cristescu	General Surgery Staff – Private Practice
Richy Lee	Pediatric Surgery – University of Calgary
Aaron Moore	Surgical Critical Care – University of Pittsburgh
John Bach	Surgical Critical Care – Ohio State University
Kevin El-Hayek	Surgical Endoscopy & Laparoscopy – Cleveland Clinic
Alexander Chang	Vascular Surgery – University Hospitals Case Medical Center

2010
Suzanne Brooks	Breast Surgery – Massachusetts General Hospital
William Abouhassan	Craniofacial Surgery & Plastic Surgery – Cleveland Clinic & University of Cincinnati
Christian Massier	General Surgery Staff – Cleveland Clinic
Justin Burdick	General Surgery Staff – United States Navy
Sheetal Nijhawan	Laparoscopy & Bariatric Surgery – University of California, San Diego
David Lee	Laparoscopy & Bariatric Surgery – Cleveland Clinic
George Rofaiel	Multi-Organ Transplant Surgery – University of Washington
Angelina Postoev	Surgical Critical Care – Ohio State University
Max Liebl	Vascular Surgery – Southern Illinois University

2009
Amara Malik	Breast Surgery – University of California, San Francisco
Werner Andrade Ortiz	Bariatric & Laparoscopic Surgery – University of South Florida
Travis Mason	General Surgery Staff – United States Army
Kara Schultz	General Surgery Staff – United States Air Force
Mohammed Alghoul	Plastic Surgery – Cleveland Clinic

2008
Michael Johnson	Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Surgery – Cleveland Clinic
Jason Klovning	Multi-Organ Transplant Surgery – Emory University
Poornima Rao	Surgical Oncology – Fox Chase Cancer Center
Sherif Abdel Misih	Surgical Oncology – Ohio State University

2007
Kevin Rothchild	Bariatric & Laparoscopic Surgery – University of Colorado
Lewis Diulus	General Surgery Staff – United States Navy
Matthew Kroh	Surgical Endoscopy & Laparoscopy – Cleveland Clinic
Ravi Rajani	Vascular Surgery & Surgical Critical Care – Cleveland Clinic & Emory University

2006
Ikemma Okereke	Cardiothoracic Surgery – Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
Carolyn Garner	Endocrine Surgery – Cleveland Clinic
Rich Mackey	Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Surgery – Cleveland Clinic
Peter Kreymerman	Plastic Surgery – Cleveland Clinic

Staff Surgeons

General Surgery Residency Program Leadership

• R. Matthew Walsh, MD, Chair, Department of General Surgery
• Ajita Prabhu, MD, Program Director
• Joseph Trunzo, MD, Associate Program Director for Didactic Curricula
• Chelsea (Xiaoxi) Feng, MD, Associate Program Director for Simulation
• Sofya Asfaw, MD, Associate Program Director for Resident Mentorship and Wellness
• Robert Simon, MD, Medical Student Education Director, Surgery Clerkship
• Joseph Trunzo, MD, Site Director, Fairview Hospital
• Kalman Bencsath, MD, Site Director, Hillcrest Hospital
• Daniel Joyce, MBBCh, Associate Program Director for Preliminary Residents
• Laura Brown, MD, PhD, Site Director, MetroHealth

Abdominal Wall Reconstruction and General Surgery

• Lucas Beffa, MD
• 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
• Julie Lang, MD

Fairview Hospital

• Debra Pratt, MD
• Stephanie Valente, DO

Colorectal Surgery

Main Campus

• Scott Steele, MD, Chair, Department of Colorectal Surgery
• Anuradha Bhama, MD
• I. Emre Gorgun, MD
• Stefan Holubar, MD
• Tracy Hull, MD
• Eric Johnson, MD
• Hermann Kessler, MD, PhD
• Jeremy Lipman, MD
• Amy Lightner, MD
• Joshua Sommovilla, MD
• Anna Spivak, DO
• Michael A. Valente, DO

Fairview Hospital

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

Hillcrest Hospital

• Thomas Garofalo, 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
• Choon Hyuck David Kwon, MD, PhD
• Cristiano Quintini, MD

Metabolic and Minimally Invasive Surgery

Main Campus

• Ali Aminian, MD
• Chelsea (Xiaoxi) Feng, MD
• Rickesha Wilson, 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
• Cathleen Khandelwal, MD
• David Rosen, 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

Surgical Endoscopy

Main Campus

• Matthew Allemang, 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
• Lee Kirksey, MD
• Christopher Smolock, MD
• Jarrad Rowse, MD

Fairview Hospital

• Eduardo Corso, MD
• Roy Miler, MD
• Woosup Michael Park, 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 3, 2021.
• 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 1, 2021 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 dates:

• Friday, December 3, 2021
• Wednesday, December 8, 2021
• Friday, December 10, 2021
• Wednesday, December 15, 2021
• Friday, December 17, 2021
• Friday, January 7, 2022

We will certify our rank list on Monday, January 17, 2022.

Salary and benefit information is available.

We hope you will join us the evening prior to your interview for a virtual get-together with our residents.

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 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:

• January 5, 2022
• January 12, 2022

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 Lisa Kempton ([email protected]).

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

Contact

General Surgery Residency

Lisa Paciorek Donkin
Residency Coordinator
216.444.1754
[email protected]

Lisa Kempton, MEd
Education Administrator
216.444.2009
[email protected]

Graduate Medical Education

Main Office
216.444.5690
1.800.323.9259
Fax: 216.444.6112

Cleveland Clinic Operator

216.444.2200

Scholarship for Underrepresented Students

The Cleveland Clinic Scholarship for Medical Students Underrepresented in Surgery

The Cleveland Clinic General Surgery Residency program seeks to expose students from backgrounds under-represented in surgery to the training program available here. In line with the program’s mission to develop the future clinical, academic and educational leaders in surgery, the goal of this scholarship is to further enhance the diversity of our trainees and graduates.

A $2,500 stipend and free on-campus housing will be provided to successful applicants.

Details of the Scholarship

During June 27-July 22 or July 26-August 20, 2022, scholars will rotate through a surgical service at Cleveland Clinic as an Acting Intern on either the Abdominal Wall Reconstruction, Breast, Colorectal or Hepatobiliary surgical teams.

They will be paired with a resident to guide them through their time here and provide more information about the training program.

Meetings will be arranged with the Chair of the Department of Surgery, Chair of the Department of Colorectal Surgery, Program Director of the General Surgery residency, Vice Chair of Surgery for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, Enterprise Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer and the Director of Graduate Medical Education.

Characteristics of Successful Applicants:

Full-time medical students in good academic standing at LCME or COCA accredited US medical schools with an excellent academic record.

At the time of the rotation, participants must be in their final year of medical school and planning to apply for surgical residency in the upcoming cycle.

Strong preference is given to those who identify as African-American, Black, Hispanic, Latinx, and/or Native American.

How to Apply

Please include a 300 word (or less) statement of interest, a letter of support from a surgeon with whom you have worked and your CV.

• Apply now

Rotations will occur June 27-July 22 or July 26-August 20, 2022 

For more information, please contact Lisa Kempton by email at [email protected] with any additional questions.