Boston University Medical Center Program

Surgery-General Analyst Verified · Sep 15, 2026

Boston University Medical Center Program

Boston University Medical Center Program is a residency program specializing in Surgery-General, located in Boston, Massachusetts, directed by Donald T. Hess, MD and coordinated by Lana Ketlere. and holds an accreditation status of Continued. International Medical Graduates interested in this program may contact the program coordinator directly at [email protected] or (617) 638-8442. IMGPrep analysts have verified and compiled this program’s IMG acceptance rate, USMLE Step 1 and Step 2 score requirements, Visa Sponsorship Policy, graduation year cutoff, and ECFMG certificate requirements — available to IMGPrep subscribers.

Program Identity & Fit

Boston University/Boston Medical Center General Surgery Residency is an academic program built around the largest safety-net hospital in New England, giving residents deep, early exposure to complex trauma, emergency general surgery, and socially complex patient populations shaped by social determinants of health. Training is distributed across BMC, VA Boston, Boston Children's Hospital, and two community/oncology-focused hospitals (Cape Cod, Roger Williams), producing broad operative and subspecialty exposure with early hands-on operating starting intern year. Research is structurally embedded rather than optional: roughly three residents per class take dedicated academic development time (often two years), supported by an NIH T32 grant, the Boston Trauma Institute, and the SOAR outcomes lab, with many graduates pursuing further fellowship training. The program explicitly frames clinical care through a social-determinants-of-health and health-equity lens, and most graduates go on to subspecialty fellowships (surgical oncology, thoracic, vascular, etc.).

Who it fits

An applicant drawn to safety-net, trauma-heavy surgical training with a genuine interest in health equity/social determinants of health and a track record of outcomes or trauma-related research aiming toward subspecialty fellowship.

Research intensity

Strong - dedicated academic development time is structurally built in (typically three residents per class, often two years), supported by T32 funding and institutional research centers, though not universally mandatory for all residents.

Career orientation

Mixed - Fellowship, Academic Medicine

Important

The program reserves one categorical position each year for a military match applicant with a separate application process, and applicants are asked to address in their personal statement what specifically attracts them to BMC's program and what they will contribute to its community.

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