Vanderbilt University Medical Center Program

Surgery-General Analyst Verified · Aug 31, 2026

Vanderbilt University Medical Center Program

Vanderbilt University Medical Center Program is a residency program specializing in Surgery-General, located in Nashville, Tennessee, directed by Julia Shelton, MD, MPH and coordinated by Kaitlyn Jones. The program accepts applications through September 28, 2027. International Medical Graduates interested in this program may contact the program coordinator directly at [email protected] or (615) 343-6642. 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

Vanderbilt's General Surgery Residency is a large academic program (8 categorical chiefs/year, 52 categorical residents) embedded in a comprehensive tertiary/quaternary health system with a Level 1 trauma center, an NCI-designated cancer center, and top-decile NIH funding, rotating through Vanderbilt University Hospital, Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital, the Nashville VA, and Williamson Medical Center. Research is deeply embedded in program identity: most residents enter an academic surgery track and take a dedicated 2-year (sometimes longer, PhD-inclusive) research fellowship in basic, translational, clinical, outcomes, or health policy research, supported by dedicated laboratory infrastructure (S.R. Light Laboratory) and MSCI/MPH/PhD pathways. Chief residents graduate with high operative volume (~1,100 cases, exceeding all ACGME categories), and while most pursue subspecialty fellowship, the program explicitly supports residents entering private practice or global surgery, including a distinctive S-RRC-approved global surgery rotation at Kijabe Hospital, Kenya. The program emphasizes collegiality, mentorship, and "academic surgery in its many iterations" as its stated cultural core.

Who it fits

An applicant with demonstrated research productivity or an articulated academic-surgery trajectory (basic/translational, outcomes, health policy, or global surgery), seeking a high-volume tertiary training environment with built-in dedicated research years toward fellowship or academic practice.

Research intensity

Central - a dedicated 1-3+ year research fellowship (with MSCI/MPH/PhD options) is standard for most categorical residents and framed as core to the program's academic surgery identity.

Career orientation

Mixed - Academic Medicine, Fellowship, Community Practice

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