General Surgery Residency Program

About Us

The first year of residency is devoted to the principles of patient care as they apply to general surgery. Residents rotate on the major surgical subspecialties (general surgery, surgical critical care, Trauma) with emphasis on preoperative and postoperative management and the development of differential diagnosis.

The second year of residency include a subspecialty rotation in transplantation surgery at The Cleveland Clinic Foundation. Rotations in surgical critical care, trauma and general surgery round out the academic year.

The third year of residency is divided among pediatric surgery and burns, surgical critical care and thoracic/vascular surgery. The two-month pediatric surgery/burn rotation is done at Akron Children’s Hospital.

The final two years of residency are devoted to general surgery where the resident functions at the chief resident level.

Throughout the entire five years we offer broad exposure in trauma, acute care surgery and surgical critical care. Our residents receive extensive laparoscopic experience during their residency. We are one of the regions Level I Trauma Centers as verified by the American College of Surgeons (ACS).

Our conferences and teaching rounds stress the application of basic science as it applies clinically. Our curriculum integrates anatomy, physiology and clinical pathology.

CPC/Morbidity and Mortality Conference is held weekly. Our Monday morning conference schedule includes Textbook Review, Surgery Grand Rounds, Vascular CPC, Breast Conference, along with a quarterly Journal Club, monthly Mock Oral Exams, and monthly Trauma Grand Rounds. Weekly research meetings are held with the Residents along with the Surgical Research Directors and Research Health Scientist.

Cleveland Clinic Akron General residents, medical students and faculty have the opportunity to practice the fundamentals of minimally invasive surgery in our Surgery Skills Lab. Our program offers a robust curriculum that integrates the FLS and FES programs. All of our residents and faculty have 24/7 access to our Surgery Skills Lab. Our Surgery Skills Lab also houses a Sonosite ultrasound machine and a CentraLine Man system to practice placement of central lines.

In 2018, a GI Mentor was purchased for our Surgery Skills Lab. Hands-on learning and instruction provide an ideal opportunity for our surgical residents. In 2023, the SonoSim Ultrasound Training Solution was purchased for all of the residents.

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Welcome

A Welcome Note from the Chair of Surgery

Welcome to the General Surgery Residency Program at Cleveland Clinic Akron General. Our Surgery Residency program has been accredited since 1942 and it has driven us to seek continual innovation and improvement over our 80+ year history. We understand how crucial it is to choose the right program for your education, and we are honored that you are exploring the possibilities with us.

Our five-year residency training program prepares you for careers across the spectrum of Surgery. Throughout residency training, you will develop the skill sets and confidence levels needed to outperform as a surgeon and as a leader in your practice. Our faculty surgeons are highly trained in many subspecialties and are dedicated to resident education. Our hospital is a busy tertiary referral center and a Level 1 Trauma Center. You will be part of a global health system that consistently ranks among the top hospitals in the world. We focus on clinical excellence, safety and patient outcomes, all supported by research, medical education, technology and teamwork. 

Our mission is caring for life, researching for health and educating those who serve. Our department vision is to be the best place to practice and receive care. Our values, Cleveland Clinic values, are quality and safety, empathy, teamwork, integrity, inclusion, and innovation to drive small and large changes to transform healthcare.

Our residency program combines the very best of a busy community hospital with strong academic affiliations. In addition to General Surgery, our hospital supports 10 other Graduate Medical Education Residency and Fellowship programs, and we are fully committed to their ongoing support and growth. We serve as primary medical student teaching sites for Northeastern Ohio Medical University and Ohio University Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine. Graduates from our residency program have gone on to various clinical fellowships to become leaders in the field of surgery.

In addition to General Surgery, our teaching Faculty includes many surgical sub-specialties: Bariatrics, Breast, Cardiac, Endocrine, Endoscopic, Hepatobiliary, Laparoscopy and Robotics, Pancreatic, Cardiothoracic, Vascular Surgery and an ever-growing Acute Care Surgery including Emergency General Surgery, Trauma and Critical Care.

On behalf of the Faculty and Staff of the Department of Surgery, we sincerely appreciate your interest in our program.

Sincerely,

Ali Mallat, MD, FACS
Chairman, Department of Surgery

Dear Candidate,

On behalf of the faculty of the Department of Surgery at Cleveland Clinic Akron General, thank you for your interest in our General Surgery Residency program. We offer a wide breadth of exposure to common and complex surgical disease processes. The emergency general surgery service gives our residents exposure to a wide variety of complex, high acuity patients. Patients get transferred in to this service from the surrounding area and smaller local hospitals. This is an ideal service for our senior residents to learn how to manage multiple complex sick patients both in and outside of the operating room.

Akron General is an American College of Surgeons verified Level 1 trauma center. The volumes on this service have been steadily increasing, further exposing our residents in the management of these patients.

The elective surgery service is also growing with our expanding oncologic services, hepatobiliary services and foregut services to name a few. We always work on bringing new technology into the care of our patients.

This accumulates to afford our residents an optimal experience in managing and operating on a multitude of patients and disease processes. Residents get into the operating room early and are able to graduate with around 1200 cases. This sets them up for their future success either in practice or in their fellowship.

Our residents are involved in clinical research projects. There are ample opportunities to participate in clinical research. We encourage our residents to get involved in research early on in their career.

We also have a mentorship program that starts your intern year. This helps guide our trainees towards their professional goals.

An important aspect of our program is the camaraderie and the collegiality amongst our residents and staff. We get to know our residents more than just as “surgical resident.” We are deeply invested in the training and well-being of our residents and of their successes. We take great pride in our graduates and feel that they are well trained and capable surgeons upon graduation from our program.

Sincerely,

William C. Papouras, MD, FACS
Program Director, General Surgery
Vice Chair, Department of Surgery

Loren Masterson, MD
Associate Program Director

Kim Martter, MA ED, RHIA
Program Manager, General Surgery
330.344.6741
selfmak@ccf.org

Clinical Rotations

13, 4 Week Blocks

PGY-1

• 5 blocks General Surgery at Akron General
• 2 blocks Vascular/Thoracic Surgery at Akron General
• 1 block Anesthesia at Akron General
• 3 blocks SICU at Akron General
• 2 blocks General Surgery/Trauma at Akron General

PGY-2

• 8 blocks General Surgery at Akron General
• 2 blocks General Surgery/Trauma at Akron General
• 1 block SICU at Akron General
• 1 block Transplant Surgery at Cleveland Clinic Foundation
• 1 block Vascular/Thoracic Surgery at Akron General

PGY-3

• 3 blocks General Surgery at Akron General
• 2 blocks Pediatric Surgery/Burn at Children's Hospital Medical Center of Akron
• 2 blocks Vascular/Thoracic Surgery at Akron General
• 2 blocks SICU at Akron General
• 2 blocks Endoscopy at Akron General
• 1 block Breast Surgery at Akron General
• 1 block General Surgery/Trauma at Akron General

PGY-4

• 7 blocks General Surgery at Akron General
• 4 blocks Vascular/Thoracic Surgery at Akron General
• 2 blocks General Surgery/Trauma at Akron General

PGY-5

• 13 blocks General Surgery at Akron General

Teaching Faculty

General Surgery

• Scott Awender, MD, FACS
• Marita Bauman, MD
• Stephen Brandstetter, MD, FACS
• Andrew Fenton, MD, FACS
• Ileana Horattas, MD
• Mark C. Horattas, MD, FACS
• Sophia Horattas, MD
• Amy Jarvis, MD, FACS
• William Leukhardt, MD, FACS
• Ali F. Mallat, MD, FACS  
• Robert A. Marley, MD, FACS  
• Amanda Mendiola, MD, FACS
• Sara Monfared, MD
• Farid Muakkassa, MD, FACS
• Mary K. Murray, MD, FACS
• William C. Papouras, MD, FACS
• Kathryn Stackhouse, MD
• Daniel Vazquez, MD, FACS
• Anthony Visioni, MD, FACS
• Christopher Wolff, MD

Cardiothoracic & Vascular Surgery

• Cassandra Beck, DO
• James Brockett, MD
• Joseph Lahorra, MD, FACS
• Loren Masterson, MD, FACS
• Marc Seligson, MD
• Patrick Stocker, MD, FACS
• Jill Zink, MD, FACS

Application

We appreciate your interest in Akron General and hope that we've provided you with the information you need to choose the right residency program.

Cleveland Clinic Akron General is able to offer an exceptional medical education experience because of our knowledgeable and hard-working staff. Cleveland Clinic Akron General is recognized regionally and within Ohio for its expertise and care.

Candidates for admission to Akron General’s residency programs should have the following qualifications to be eligible for appointment:

A complete application includes the following:

• Complete Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS) application.
• Transcript from medical school.
• Curriculum vitae.
• Dean’s letter/MSPE.
• USMLE and COMLEX Board Scores for Step I and Step II CK.
• Three letters of recommendation.

Minimum Board Score Requirements:

• USMLE 1&2: Minimum 1st pass rate or Satisfactory Scores.
• IMG's requiring H-1B visa sponsorship: USMLE III: Minimum 1st pass rate or Satisfactory Scores.
• COMLEX 1&2: Minimum 1st pass rate or Satisfactory Scores.

All applications for all programs are processed through ERAS. Paper applications are not accepted.

• General Surgery Expected Program Length: 5 years.
• Application Deadline: October 14, 2024.
• Interview Dates: TBD.
• Residency applications must be submitted through the Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS).
• View Eligibility Requirements.

For more information, please contact:

Kim Martter, Program Manager, General Surgery at selfmak@ccf.org.

Current Residents

PGY-1

Vania Arboleda, DO

• Hometown: Orlando, FL
• Undergraduate: Barry University, Miami, FL
• Medical School: Nova Southeastern University Dr. Kiran C Patel College of Osteopathic Medicine, Orlando, FL

Taylor Calicchia, DO

• Hometown: Richmond, VA
• Undergraduate: Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA
• Medical School: Kansas City University College of Osteopathic Medicine, Kansas City, MO

Martin Gerig, MD

• Hometown: Mishawaka, IN
• Undergraduate: Goshen College, Goshen, IN
• Medical School: Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN

Thomas Gezella, MD

• Hometown: Louis, MO
• Undergraduate: University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH; University of Buffalo SUNY, PhD, Buffalo, NY
• Medical School: Northeast Ohio Medical University, Rootstown, OH

PGY-2

Nathan Christian, DO

• Hometown: Cleveland, OH
• Undergraduate: The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH
• Medical School: Ohio University Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine, Athens, OH
• Interests: Sports fan, hiking, spending time with family

Kaley Coffey, MD

• Hometown: Barnstable, MA
• Undergraduate: Western Kentucky University, Bowling Green, KY
• Medical School: American University of Antigua College of Medicine
• Interests: Playing acoustic guitar, drawing and painting, basketball and soccer

Benjamin Hochstetler, DO

• Hometown: Goshen, Indiana
• Undergraduate: Goshen College, Goshen, Indiana
• Medical School: Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine of Midwestern University, Downers Grove, IL
• Interests: Gardening, Cooking, woodworking, spending time with family

Arin Leuchtag, DO

• Hometown: Medina, OH
• Undergraduate: The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH
• Medical School: Ohio University Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine, Dublin, OH
• Interests: Spending time outdoors, walking my dog, gardening, spending time with family, baking

Keshav Seetharaman, DO

• Hometown: Sterling Heights, MI
• Undergraduate: St. Bonaventure University, Olean, NY
• Medical School: Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine, Erie, PA
• Interests: Weight lifting, spending time with family

PGY-3

Summer Aldabbeh, MD

• Hometown: Milwaukee, WI
• Undergraduate: University of Wisconsin, Kenosha, WI
• Medical School: The Ohio State University College of Medicine, Columbus, OH
• Interests: Event planning, interior design, running, hiking, traveling, cooking & baking

Lukman Faniyi, MD

• Hometown: Richton, Park, IL
• Undergraduate: University of Illinois, Chicago, IL
• Medical School: University of Illinois College of Medicine-Peoria, Peoria, IL
• Interests: Playing & watching soccer, cooking, hiking

Cassidy Gawlik, DO

• Hometown: Strongsville, OH
• Undergraduate: The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH
• Medical School: Ohio University College of Osteopathic Medicine, Cleveland, OH
• Interests: Exercising, beach volleyball, cooking, exploring local coffee shops

Alison Richardson, DO

• Hometown: Phoenix, AZ
• Undergraduate: University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ
• Medical School: Burrell College of Osteopathic Medicine at New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, NM
• Interests: Powerlifting & heavy weight training, marathon running, photography

PGY-4

 
Julia Maxey, DO

• Hometown, Cleveland, OH
• Undergraduate: The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH
• Medical School: Ohio University Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine, Columbus, OH
• Interests: Traveling, distance running, hiking, boating/jet skiing, skiing

Bryan Miles, MD

• Hometown: Wausau, WI
• Undergraduate: Gustavus Adolphus College, St. Peter, MN
• Medical School: Medical College of Wisconsin, Wauwatosa, WI
• Interests: Reading and writing, tennis, soccer, time with family and friends

Hamidullah Wardak, MD

• Hometown: Chicago, IL
• Undergraduate: University of Illinois/Rush University, Chicago, IL
• Medical School: Chicago Medical School at Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine & Science, Chicago, IL
• Interests: Rock climbing, mountain biking and time with family

PGY-5

Alexander Bertke, DO

• Hometown: Dayton, Ohio
• Undergraduate: University of Dayton, Dayton, Ohio
• Medical School: Ohio University Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine, Cleveland, Ohio
• Interests/Hobbies: Snowboarding, soccer and sand volleyball

Micah Brainerd, MD

• Hometown: Marlette, MI
• Undergraduate: Saginaw Valley State University, University Center, MI
• Medical School: Michigan State University College of Human Medicine, Flint, MI
• Interests/Hobbies: Cooking, baking, theater, reading, kayaking, home improvement projects, computer coding

Timothy Demshar, DO

• Hometown: Chardon, Ohio
• Undergraduate: Roanoke College, Roanoke, Virginia
• Medical School: Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine, Auburn, Virginia
• Interests/Hobbies: Running, hiking, traveling, baseball, Medwars races and martial arts

Louis Nelson, DO

• Hometown: Bloomington, Minnesota
• Undergraduate: University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa
• Medical School: Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences College of Osteopathic Medicine, Kansas City, Missouri
• Interests/Hobbies: Playing soccer, tennis, running, cycling, snowboarding and painting

Alumni

2024 Graduates

• Alexander Chang, DO: Cardiothoracic Fellowship, University of Florida-Miami, FL
• Blake Westling, DO: Vascular Fellowship, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Cleveland, OH

2023 Graduates

• Nicholas Gastaldo, DO — Bariatric/MIS Fellowship, Innova Health System, Falls Church, VA
• Ileana Horattas, MD — Surgical Critical Care Fellowship, CCAG, Akron, OH
• Yasaman Kazerooni, MD — Trauma/Critical Care Fellowship, Christiana Care, Newark, DE

2022 Graduates

• Abigail Christiansen, MD — Private Practice, Cleveland Clinic Mercy Hospital, Canton, OH
• Benjamin Crisp, MD — MIS/Bariatric Fellowship, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA
• Teodora Fatchikova, MD — Private Practice, Cleveland Clinic Mercy Hospital, Canton, OH

2021 Graduates

• Ryan Fitzgerald, MD — Naval Officer, 2nd Medical Battalion, Camp Lejeune, NC
• Andrew Guzowski, MD — Critical Care Fellowship, University of Michigan, Stockbridge, MI
• Sophia Horattas, MD — Private Practice, Cleveland Clinic Akron General, Akron, OH

2020 Graduates

• Nathan Hieb, MD — Critical Care/Trauma Fellowship, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN
• Jimmy Ibrahim, MD — Private Practice, Cleveland Clinic Mercy Hospital, Canton, OH
• David Yanoschik, MD — Private Practice, Cleveland Clinic Mercy Hospital, Canton, OH

Research & Innovations

Akron General offers surgical services for a wide range of needs, both inpatient and outpatient. Through research, advances in technology and improvement in techniques allow our surgeons to offer more types of treatments with increasing precision, less blood loss, less pain and a shorter recovery time.

• View selected Surgery Publications

For more information about resident research in the Department of Surgery, please contact:

William C. Papouras, MD
Program Director, General Surgery
Phone: 330.344.7200

Anthony Visioni, MD
Co-Director, Research
Phone: 330.344.5487
Email: VisionA@ccf.org

Jill Zink, MD
Co-Director, Research
Phone: 330.344.1400
Email: ZinkJ@ccf.org

Marita Bauman, MD
Co-Director, Surgery Skills Lab
Phone: 330.344.4751
Email: baumanm4@ccf.org

Sara Monfared, MD
Co-Director, Surgery Skills Lab
Phone: 330.344.4751
Email: monfars@ccf.org

Adina Brett-Morris, PhD
Health Scientist
Phone: 330.217.0609
Email: Bretta2@ccf.org