Duke University Hospital Program

Program Identity & Fit

Duke University Hospital's anesthesiology program is a top-tier academic, quaternary-care residency built around a Level I trauma center, transplant surgery (liver, lung, heart), and cardiothoracic anesthesiology, with additional exposure to community-based care at Duke Regional and veteran care at the Durham VA. Research is deeply embedded in departmental identity: a 50-year investigative tradition, an NIH T32 postdoctoral training grant, a decades-old Academic Evening, and a highly selective five-year ACES physician-scientist track (1-2 NRMP-matched slots yearly) that has produced 91% academic-career retention among graduates. The curriculum layers a broad categorical intern year, subspecialty rotations across every major anesthesiology division, and a CA-3 year emphasizing OR leadership and supervisory autonomy, preparing residents equally for fellowship, independent practice, or physician-scientist careers. The program signals it values intellectual curiosity, collaborative culture, and scholarly productivity, offering financial support for conference presentation and a resident-run research/travel infrastructure uncommon outside major academic centers.