General Surgery Residency

Thank you for virtually visiting Columbia Surgery. Columbia has a long and hallowed history as one of the nation’s best programs to train in General Surgery. Since its beginnings, Columbia Surgery has been at the forefront of surgical innovation and excellence. John Jones was the first professor of surgery in the Americas, Allen O. Whipple performed the first pancreaticoduodenectomy here in 1935, and more recently, surgeons at Columbia performed the first Robot-Assisted Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery and are performing robotic kidney transplants. Columbia remains committed to providing the highest level of training to our residents, as well as, to providing world-class care to our patients.

The Columbia General Surgery Residency is known to fully prepare our residents for whatever career path they choose to pursue. Residents have gone on to practice and fellowships in diverse fields such as transplantation, cardiovascular surgery, trauma, surgical oncology and colorectal surgery, to name just a few. There are several aspects that make our program unique and attractive, including a diverse and collegial learning environment known for its camaraderie between residents and faculty, an operative caseload well above the national average, a significant degree of senior resident independence and autonomy both in and out of the OR, a flexible approach to elective and research time,  a wide variety of clinical and basic science opportunities, and a location in one of the country's most exciting and safest big cities.

New York is the most culturally diverse and densely populated city in the nation, and truly is a city that never sleeps, allowing you to immerse yourself immediately in the vibrant and varied experiences that NYC has to offer. By having this opportunity at your fingertips you can maximizing your free time, purse interests outside of medicine, and engage in social and recreational activities that will keep you energized and motivated throughout residency. Add a top-notch academic medical center with worldwide leaders in an array of medical and surgical fields and you can see why we think Columbia is an unparalleled program.

Please take the time to explore our site and learn more about the Columbia General Surgery Program and its residents. Feel free to contact us with any questions or concerns you may have about the program, living in NYC, or surgery in general.

Sincerely,

Erin Duggan and Courtney Pokrzywa
Administrative Chief Residents

Cary Aarons, MD
Program Director