University of Washington Program

Program Identity & Fit

The University of Washington General Surgery Categorical Program is an elite, university-based, tertiary/quaternary academic program serving as the sole Level I trauma and specialty referral center for the entire five-state WWAMI region, giving residents an unusually broad and high-acuity case mix (350+ cases by end of R2, far exceeding ACGME minimums). Training spans six distinct hospital environments—including a top-10 NCI cancer center, a quaternary pediatric hospital, a VA, and a burn/trauma center in partnership with Life Flight Northwest—blending university team-based structure with an apprenticeship model. Research is deeply embedded in departmental identity through two NIH T32 programs, ten organized research cores, a dedicated Surgical Outcomes Research Center (SORCE), and named fellowships (esophageal, GI outcomes), with most residents pursuing two-year dedicated research fellowships toward academic surgical careers. The program explicitly frames its mission as training both future academic surgeon-leaders and community surgical leaders for the rural and underserved WWAMI region, valuing residents who can operate confidently across both high-complexity referral and bread-and-butter community-style practice.