Duke University Hospital Program

Program Identity & Fit

Duke's six-year Integrated Cardiothoracic Surgery Residency is an academic, tertiary/quaternary program built around one of the nation's premier heart and lung transplant enterprises, offering residents exposure to congenital, adult cardiac, aortic, and general thoracic surgery alongside heart/lung transplantation and ECMO/VAD programs. The curriculum sequences general surgery, vascular, trauma, and critical care training before concentrating on cardiothoracic subspecialty rotations at Duke University Hospital and the Durham VA, culminating in chief and elective years. Research is structurally emphasized through the Duke Clinical Research Institute's cardiovascular data bank, ACOSOG/Alliance trial access, funded resident meeting attendance, and an assigned academic mentor, reflecting the program's stated goal of developing residents as academic surgeons. The program values candidates oriented toward complex, high-acuity cardiothoracic and transplant surgery within a data-driven, academically productive environment.