Juan A. Sanchez, MD, FACS Chairman and Program Director, Department of Surgery

The Department of Surgery at Saint Mary's Hospital offers a comprehensive six- year training program in General Surgery. Saint Mary's Hospital is community based and boasts a close affiliation to Yale University in nearby New Haven, Connecticut, and the University of Connecticut in Farmington, Connecticut. The residency program provides a balance of supervision, responsibility, and independence during training that allows the resident, upon completion of the program, the confidence and skill to practice general surgery or to pursue sub-specialty training. Historically, nearly one half of the residents completing this program have pursued further training in cardiothoracic, colon and rectal, plastic and reconstructive, surgical oncology, or vascular surgery. The program is a non-pyramidal six year program. Preliminary surgical tracts at the PGY I and PGY II levels are also available.

The General Surgery Residency Program provides diverse clinical experience in all areas of general surgery. Operative experience in the areas of GI, oncology, thoracic, vascular, laparoscopy, trauma, gynecology, urology, neurosurgery, orthopedics, cardiothoracic, plastic, and endocrine surgery is available at Saint Mary's Hospital. Further operative experience in burn, transplant, and pediatric surgery is provided through rotations at, Hartford Hospital ( UCONN Health Center) and Bridgeport Hospital. Training in the areas of endoscopy, critical care, anesthesia, emergency and trauma is also provided during the clinical training years. One year of basic science research at Yale University School of Medicine is expected during the third post-graduate year .

The Department of Surgery offers a variety of didactic lectures and conferences. Residents at all levels present and participate in these conferences. Weekly conferences include morbidity and mortality conference, trauma rounds, ICU rounds, Yale visiting professor conference, clinical case conference, vascular conference, case report, and general surgery curriculum review. Visiting professor lectures, tumor board, journal club, basic science lectures, trauma grand rounds, GI conference, radiology conference and surgical pathology are scheduled monthly conferences.