University of Wisconsin Hospitals and Clinics Program

Program Identity & Fit

The University of Wisconsin General Surgery Residency is a university-based, tertiary/quaternary academic program built around two distinct tracks: a six-resident academic track with two dedicated years of research between PGY-2 and PGY-3, and a two-resident rural track that trains residents at community sites like Western Wisconsin Health (Baldwin) and Theda Clark Medical Center (Neenah) to prepare them for independent rural/community practice. Clinical training spans five sites in the Madison area, including University Hospital (a regional referral center), the VA, American Family Children's Hospital, Meriter (community hospital), and East Madison Hospital (high-volume, low-acuity), giving broad exposure across acuity levels and practice settings. Research is deeply embedded in the department's identity, with NIH-funded T32 training programs, ~40 first-author publications per resident-year in the academic track, and near-universal fellowship placement (transplant, colorectal, surgical oncology, MIS, vascular) at top institutions. The program explicitly frames its mission as training "tomorrow's leaders in American surgery," valuing residents with demonstrated teaching aptitude and, for the rural track, specific commitment to rural/community practice and lifestyle.