General Surgery Residency Program
Train at eight hospitals across Portland
We are one of the country’s largest general surgery residency programs, offering a uniquely broad experience both within and outside of our academic hospital setting. Our residents come from medical schools across the country and around the world.
Through the residency, you will have the opportunity to:
- Gain valuable experience in the many environments where general surgeons practice today, with rotations at eight Portland hospitals, including our university-based medical center, a Veterans Affairs medical center, children’s hospitals, an HMO and community hospitals
- Study rural surgery in southern Oregon
- Complete a one- or two-year research project in your chosen area
- Prepare for a fellowship or community practice
You will also find a welcoming and supportive learning environment that values and respects different perspectives, cultures and backgrounds. Meet our residents.
Why train with us
We offer multipole rotations that expose you to a variety of healthcare systems in modern medicine. You will study how general surgery practice differs in these systems, preparing you to make informed career choices.
Residency objectives
After finishing the residency, you will be prepared for leadership and success in a rapidly changing healthcare environment.
Many residents opt for specialty fellowships after our residency program. Recent graduates have had fellowships in prominent institutions, including Johns Hopkins, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and the Cleveland Clinic.
Residents are also equally well prepared to enter independent general surgery practice if they decide against additional training.
Curriculum and electives
The curriculum includes skills labs for residents at all levels, from instruction in laparoscopic technique to roundtable discussions on medical ethics and professionalism. These labs are in our state-of-the-art surgical simulation center, VirtuOHSU. The center uses:
- Task trainers
- Virtual reality
- Synthetic, animal and cadaveric tissues
The center’s facilities support technical skills training in the following surgical approaches:
- Open
- Laparoscopic
- Endoscopic
- Microscopic
Research
Most general surgery residents decide to do one year of clinical research between their third and fourth years of training. After the Department of Surgery Research Committee reviews and accepts proposals, residents begin their research year on July 1. A second year of research is often possible.
In their research year, residents also take occasional call, participate in OHSU committees and assist with general surgery residency interviews.
Rural surgery training and research
You can experience rural surgery and rural life through our rotation program at Asante Three Rivers Medical Center in Grants Pass, Oregon. Two residents each year spend part or all of their third or fourth year at this high-volume regional hospital, which has a Level 3 trauma center.
The residents work with surgeons on general, vascular, endoscopy, urology, OB/GYN and orthopedics cases. They gain extensive operative experience, often accruing more than 1,000 cases in one year.
Residents continue to participate in educational activities through remote access to lectures.
Rural surgery research project
We offer a research opportunity through this partnership. The project focuses on communication between rural surgeons and tertiary care centers for complex esophageal cancer care. Selected residents will study how to bridge the gap between high-level tertiary cancer care and community surgical care to improve patient outcomes.
How to apply
Apply through AAMC’s Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS) by Oct. 1 for the following academic year.
Your online application must include:
- An ERAS application
- A personal statement
- A dean’s letter with a transcript
- Three letters of recommendation
- Completion of the USMLE Step 1 exam
If you have had previous postgraduate training, send letters of recommendation from the program directors of your first postgraduate year and any subsequent residency training.
Learn more about how to apply to OHSU residencies and fellowships.
Residency program leaders
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Appointments and titles
- Professor of Surgery, Division of Bariatric Surgery, School of Medicine
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Appointments and titles
- Associate Professor of Surgery, Division of Trauma, Critical Care and Acute Care Surgery, School of Medicine
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Areas of interest
- Extracorporeal life support
- Surgical stabilization of rib fractures
- Primary palliative care in the surgical ICU
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Appointments and titles
- Associate Professor of Surgery, Division of Gastrointestinal and General Surgery, School of Medicine
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Appointments and titles
- Associate Professor of Surgery, Division of Surgical Oncology, School of Medicine
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Appointments and titles
- Professor of Surgery, Division of Abdominal Organ Transplantation, School of Medicine
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Appointments and titles
- Associate Professor of Surgery, Division of Pediatric Surgery, School of Medicine
- Associate Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology, School of Medicine
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Areas of interest
- Fetal surgery
- Pediatric surgical oncology
- Treatment of severe congenital diaphragmatic hernia, pre- and post-natal
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Appointments and titles
- Assistant Professor of Surgery, Division of Surgical Oncology, School of Medicine
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Appointments and titles
- Associate Professor of Surgery, Division of Trauma, Critical Care and Acute Care Surgery, School of Medicine
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John Stowers, D.O., FACOS, FACS, Associate Program Director, Simulation Education and Robotics; PGY-1 Advisor/Ombudsman
Apply now
Apply through ERAS.
Questions?
Email us at surgdept@ohsu.edu.
“To understand what their lives in surgical practice will be like, residents need to experience different types of healthcare systems. Our residents have the chance to practice in many settings and learn from them.”
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