University of Utah Health Program

Program Identity & Fit

The University of Utah General Surgery Residency is a 6-7 year academic program built around a mandatory 1-2 year Professional Development Year (PDY) after PGY-3, during which residents pursue traditional bench/clinical research, formal master's degrees (MSCI, MHPE, implementation science), or dedicated fellowships (SERF, Hospice & Palliative Care) tailored to individual career trajectories. Training spans four core sites - University Hospital/Huntsman Cancer Institute, the VA, Primary Children's Hospital, and Intermountain Medical Center - exposing residents to complex oncologic, pediatric, trauma, and veteran populations under a progressive-autonomy model, supported by structured simulation curricula (FLS, FES, robotics) and a heavily subspecialized weekly conference schedule (tumor boards, multidisciplinary planning conferences). The department's research infrastructure is substantial and formalized, including dedicated grant/biostatistical support (SPARC), core wet labs, a biorepository, and an institution-wide $467M research enterprise, signaling that scholarly productivity is structurally embedded rather than optional. The program's PDY advising process (beginning in PGY-1 with faculty mentor Dr. Lyen Huang) and its emphasis on producing "leaders in academic and community surgery" indicate a strong preference for residents with defined long-term career goals oriented toward fellowship subspecialization, academic surgery, or surgical education leadership.