Welcome to the Vanderbilt General Surgery Website!
Thanks for your interest in our program. There are currently more than 350 ACGME approved General Surgery residency programs, and we consider ourselves one of the many excellent programs among them.
Vanderbilt General Surgery is approved by the Surgical Residency Review Committee (S-RRC) to graduate eight chief residents annually. Most (but certainly not all) of our graduates pursue fellowship training.
Our primary goal is to train surgical residents who can operate with confidence and competence. On average, our chief residents complete over 1,100 cases and exceed operative requirements in all ACGME defined categories.
Our residents rotate at Vanderbilt University Hospital, Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt, and the Nashville VA Medical Center which are all connected by a walkway. Our residents also rotate at Williamson Medical Center. We also have a S-RRC approved elective in global surgery – Vanderbilt International Surgery (VIS). This 4-week rotation is located at Kijabe Hospital in Kenya and the site director is Dr. Rich Davis.
Our residents research interests include basic science, translational, clinical outcomes, health policy, education and global surgery. Research is encouraged and most (but not all) of our residents spend time in research after completion of the 3rd post-graduate year. Ten of our 52 categorical residents are spending 2 years in research and several are pursuing additional degrees. These residents are encouraged and supported to attend and participate in local, regional and national meetings. As mentioned previously, all residents do not pursue fellowship training. We have residents who enter directly into private practice and even global surgery upon completing residency.
The number one strength of our program is our people. A collegial atmosphere exists between our attending surgeons, the departmental leadership, and the residents. We are a family – we work hard together, and we support and help one another. Another added benefit is location. We are located in Nashville, Tennessee, a fantastic place to live!
If you are interested in our residency program, please forward your application to us through ERAS. Applications are carefully screened using letters of recommendation, transcripts, activities, research, USMLE scores and awards. We generally receive applications from approximately 900 graduates of US medical schools and an equal number for international graduates. We interview approximately 80 candidates and match 9.
- We have four interview days scheduled for the Match season this year: Nov. 12 and 14, and Dec. 9 and 11. Each candidate is interviewed by two faculty members and a senior/chief resident and has a short chat with a chair and the general surgery program director. The interviews are held virtually and conclude by noon, central time.
- There is an informal, virtual gathering with the residents from 6 to 8 p.m. on the evening prior to each interview day.
- We also have virtual Grand Rounds from 7 to 8 a.m. central time on Friday, Nov. 14. All interview candidates are invited to attend.
Feel free to contact the Surgical Education Team with any questions about the program via email surgery.residency@vumc.org.
Sincerely,
Julia Shelton, MD
General Surgery Residency Program Director
Associate Professor Pediatric Surgery
The Surgical Education Team
Associate Program Director: Rondi M. Kauffmann, MD, MPH, FACS
rondi.kauffmann@vumc.org
Associate Program Director: Deepa Magge, MD
deepa.r.magge@vumc.org
Associate Program Director: Shannon Eastham, MD
shannon.c.eastham@vumc.org
Associate Program Director: Joel Bradley, MD
joel.bradley@vumc.org
Residency Program Manager: Kaitlyn Jones
kaitlyn.jones@vumc.org
Clerkship Director: Robert Muldoon, MD
roberta.muldoon@vumc.org
Site Director for Williamson Medical Center: Joseph Blankush, MD
Site Director for Kijabe, Kenya: Richard Davis, MD