General Surgery Education
At the U-M Medical School Section of General Surgery, we seek to train exceptionally talented independent practitioners of surgery in any setting.
We’re committed to educating the profession’s future surgical leaders, beginning with medical student education and extending to advanced fellowship programs.
Our General Surgery Residency Program is ranked No. 1 among public university programs. Our competitive fellowships provide advanced training across the breadth of the specialty, from surgical critical care and endocrine surgery to minimally invasive surgery, acute care surgery and surgical breast care.
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Excellence in Surgery Education
Trainees at the U-M Medical School Section of General Surgery can expect:
- Diverse cases and clinical settings: Surgery trainees gain experience with all facets of general surgery — from abdominal conditions to endocrine disorders to trauma and burn — and learn from U-M’s experts in solid organ transplantation, thoracic surgery, vascular surgery, pediatric surgery, and bariatric surgery on specialty services and elective rotations. Your training ground includes the top-ranked Michigan Medicine academic medical center, and the Ann Arbor VA Healthcare System. We serve a diverse patient population from surrounding areas in southeastern Michigan, across the state, and nationally.
- Depth of expertise: General Surgery at the University of Michigan is one of the largest and most well-funded academic surgical teams of its kind in the country in a department with over 150 faculty members across specialties in clinical care and research.
- Personalized learning opportunities: Trainees have their pick of opportunities to pursue research, leadership development, additional degrees, and other complementary learning options, in addition to their clinical training. Residents may pursue a 2-year period of formal Academic Development Time after their third year of clinical training.
Our Programs
Surgical training at U-M Medical School will prepare you to lead in the field. Whether you want to specialize in clinical care, research, education or a mix of all three, you'll find personalized opportunities to achieve your full potential here.
As a medical student, you’ll be welcomed into a department that cares deeply about educating the next leaders in our field. Learning opportunities for medical students include:
- M3 clerkships and M4 sub-internships
- SCRUBS Program for M1 and M2 students exploring career interests in surgery, with opportunities to shadow in the OR, participate in surgical simulation training, and compete in the Surgery Olympics
- Student Surgery Leadership Weekend, which prepares you to apply for and match in academic surgery, as well as providing mentoring for future surgical leaders
Our General Surgery Residency Program is ranked No. 1 by Doximity, and provides comprehensive surgical training for trainees. Fellowships provide additional opportunity to focus and specialize, with fellows serving as integral members of our interdisciplinary teams across oncology, endocrine surgery, critical care and colorectal surgery.
General surgery residents at U-M Medical School are supported by the Michigan Promise, a commitment to provide residents and faculty members in the Department of Surgery with resources and opportunities that empower each individual to achieve their professional and academic goals. Residents have created tailored programs to support trainees in building leadership skills through the Michigan Promise.
Training Verification
Contact the Office of Surgery Education to request a training verification for any physician who has participated in an accredited Department of Surgery graduate medical education program.
Our Community
Feel at home in Michigan. Explore what it’s like to live, learn and grow in Ann Arbor among a diverse and supportive network of leaders in surgery.
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