Advocate Health Care Program

Program Identity & Fit

Advocate's General Surgery Residency is a newly established community-based, high-volume training program anchored at two large Chicagoland tertiary/quaternary hospitals - Lutheran General Hospital and Christ Medical Center - both Level 1 trauma centers with combined caseloads exceeding 46,000 operations annually. The program offers an optional research year but is structured primarily around dense clinical exposure across acute care surgery, transplant, thoracic, colorectal, vascular, and surgical oncology rotations rather than a formal research pipeline. Its identity centers on operative volume, broad case diversity, and service to a large, complex urban and suburban patient population within an integrated nonprofit health system, with explicit emphasis on health equity, wellness infrastructure, and building a program culture from the ground up. Resident testimonials and program messaging suggest the program values residents committed to community service, teamwork, and long-term regional ties to Chicago.