University of Southern California-Los Angeles General Medical Center USC-LA General Program

Program Identity & Fit

USC/LA General is a high-volume, academic urology program built around three distinct institutional identities: Los Angeles General Medical Center (the largest trauma center in California and a 600-bed public safety-net hospital) for general urology, trauma, oncology and endourology; Keck Hospital of USC for oncology and minimally invasive/robotic surgery; and Children's Hospital LA and Rancho Los Amigos for pediatric urology and neurogenic bladder/spinal cord injury populations respectively. The five-year structure (one general surgery intern year plus four dedicated urology years) exposes residents to an unusually broad case mix spanning trauma, complex stone disease, pediatric urology, oncology, reconstruction, and robotics, with chief residents running services alongside fellows and faculty. Research is embedded but not mandatory for all tracks—residents preparing for academic careers are "highly encouraged" to engage in the department's basic, translational and clinical research, and the program feeds directly into its own competitive RUO, SUO, and URPS fellowships, with several current faculty being program graduates who returned after fellowship. The program values well-rounded surgical excellence across a public/private hybrid system rather than a narrow subspecialty or research-only identity, drawing residents largely from strong US MD backgrounds with a mix of institutional pedigrees.