Harlem Hospital Center Program

Program Identity & Fit

Harlem Hospital Center's General Surgery Residency is a five-year categorical program (three residents per PGY level, plus nine preliminary spots at PGY1/2) based at a NYC Health + Hospitals safety-net institution affiliated with Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons. Training is integrated with Woodhull Hospital, another community/safety-net site, with additional rotations at Memorial Sloan Kettering (surgical oncology) and New York-Presbyterian (transplant), giving residents exposure across two general surgery services plus multiple surgical specialties. The program's stated mission centers on serving patients regardless of income, gender identity, or immigration status, reflecting a safety-net, underserved-care identity rather than a quaternary referral-center model. Research is encouraged but not mandatory - residents are supported in pursuing dedicated research years to strengthen fellowship applications, indicating a program that values scholarly output as a pathway enhancer rather than a core institutional identity.