Innovative Education

Pictured: David Linehan, M.D., and 2021 Second Year Resident Class

Program Overview

The UR Medicine Department of Surgery strives to be recognized as a premier academic surgical education program with outstanding outcomes at all levels of training. The Department is focused on advancing our specialized expertise with dedication to and innovation in our education programs. The Department of Surgery currently administers seven ACGME-accredited residency/fellowship programs in Cardiothoracic Surgery, Colon and Rectal Surgery, General Surgery, Plastic Surgery, Vascular Surgery and Surgical Critical Care, as well as an SSO-accredited Breast Fellowship and a Departmental Bariatric MIS Fellowship. The General Surgery Residency Program is the largest of these programs with 49 residents. Since 1927, the Department has developed superior surgeons and has been recognized as one of the top tier surgical training programs in the country. Our program thrives on the three-part foundation of practical clinical experiences, a thorough, competency-based curriculum and meaningful research opportunities to deepen understanding of the surgical sciences. We design our program to develop exceptional, well-rounded and sought-after leaders in surgery.

A Steadfast Commitment to Excellence

The hallmark of our success continues to be an unwavering commitment to our goals. We remain laser-focused on innovation and excellence in our education programs. We also engage our medical students to spark early interest in careers as surgeons and scientists while providing an unparalleled resident training and learning experience. The number of applicants for our surgical residency program continues to increase and the caliber of applicants improves year after year. Lastly, we share our knowledge with consumers, physicians and other practitioners through extended educational

opportunities and community outreach. Following are just a few examples of our many outstanding initiatives.

Leadership Training

Lauren DeCaporale-Ryan, Ph.D., Associate Program Director of Resident Wellness, General Surgery Residency Program

Though communication, professionalism and leadership skills are all recognized as critically important to the success of patient care, they are rarely taught as part of a standardized curriculum in surgical education. The UR Medicine Department of Surgery recognizes the importance of providing attention to these domains for our residents. Throughout their residency, our learners are exposed to these themes and encouraged to explore their identities as future leaders in the discipline. They are encouraged to consider how they can navigate difficult conversations, how to help a team reach a shared goal and how they can recognize the strengths of each team member and work with him or her to achieve success. Through didactics, one-to-one coaching in the Operating Room and other clinical spaces, as well as opportunities to connect to surgical faculty, we are highlighting that these skills require intentional practice. Our curriculum promotes the importance of high-functioning teams and recognizes the impact not only on patient care, but on creating resiliency among our teams.

Medical Student Influx to Surgery

Roan Glocker, M.D., Director of the Third-Year Medical Student Clerkship

We aim to fulfill our strategic goal of involving our medical students to promote early interest in a career as a surgeon or scientist. The last several years have seen a dramatic uptick in the number of Rochester students pursuing Surgery and the subspecialties in their residency choices. In the last few years, we had eight General Surgery, three Vascular and two Plastic Surgery applicants. This is another banner year with 13 General Surgery, one Cardiothoracic and four Vascular applicants among our rising fourth year students. This is almost certainly a response to the tremendous experience that students have when they rotate on our services. Our faculty and residents are consistently and often recognized for their dedication to student education and for making our Department, clinics and Operating Rooms welcoming and inviting places for our students to learn. As we move forward and in-person restrictions ease, we look forward to more in-person events and getting to know the next generation of the University of Rochester surgical family.

Quality and Resident Involvement

Derek Wakeman, M.D., Assistant Professor of Surgery and Pediatrics

The Department of Surgery continues to expand its footprint in quality improvement (QI) initiatives locally, regionally and nationally. Surgery resident involvement has been one key to our success. The General Surgery residency will have completed its second two-year cycle of the Quality and Safety curriculum. Last year, topics focused on quality improvement. This year, we will focus on patient safety and error prevention. At the end of the curriculum, residents will have completed the 13-course Quality and Safety Certificate offered by the Institute for Healthcare Improvement. These tools prepare residents to engage in and contribute to quality improvement initiatives in the hospital. In this way, residents continue their quality and safety education experientially, as active members of QI teams. As the number of quality improvement efforts expands within the Department of Surgery, so too does resident involvement. The number of residents engaged in formal QI teams continues to grow. UR Medicine General Surgery residents have presented at national meetings, won national awards and published their QI work in peer-reviewed journals.

Value Incubator

Larissa K.F. Temple, M.D., Chief, Division of Colorectal Surgery; Vice Chair, Care Transformation; Professor of Surgery and Oncology

Under Dr. Larissa Temple’s leadership, the Department of Surgery is expanding its influence as the Value Incubator matures from conceptual framework to a fully functional departmental resource to expand value-based care initiatives. Within the Value Incubator, projects in Colorectal Surgery and Emergency General Surgery are underway to reduce unnecessary lab work post-operatively, while the Thoracic Surgery service is minimizing CXR utilization after foregut and lung surgeries.