General Surgery Residency in Washington, D.C.

Welcome to the MedStar Georgetown University Hospital — MedStar Washington Hospital Center Residency Program!

We are the largest healthcare provider in the Maryland-Washington, D.C., region and, collectively, have one of the largest graduate medical education programs in the country. Our surgery residency program encompasses the Washington region of the MedStar Health footprint, training 10 categorical residents each year.

The general surgery program offers a high operative volume academic training experience across two major institutions. This structure provides exposure to a diverse patient population. We offer Flexibility in Training, as supported by the ACGME. The program is organized to allow chief residents to have up to 6 months of elective rotations each year to tailor their training to meet their individual goals. By taking advantage of Flexibility in Training opportunities, residents can focus their education and surgical development while cementing the foundation of general surgery training.

Excellence in patient care and a resident focused structure have always been the priorities of the program. Both sites offer unique training in general surgery with a robust general surgery case load. As the city’s safety net hospital, MWHC is a Level 1 Trauma Center with high volumes, high acuity, and rich pathology. MGUH features a world-renowned transplant center, a Comprehensive Cancer Institute, and state-of-the-art expertise in the treatment of surgical diseases. 

Two aspects of the program set us apart from other urban academic surgical training programs.  First, by consciously limiting the number of fellowships, we are able to focus on resident training and professional development.  Second, the combination of the region’s busiest urban safety net hospital and a premier academic institution, we have high operative volumes delivered by a diverse cadre of educators.  

Our program philosophy focuses on the personal and professional development of the resident as an adult learner. We are interested in fostering leadership among our graduates. As our program is fundamentally about professional growth of the resident, we require that our trainees be self-motivated.