Oregon Health & Science University OHSU Health Program

Program Identity & Fit

OHSU's vascular surgery program is an academic, university-based training pathway anchored at Oregon's only academic medical center, with complementary rotations at the Portland VA Medical Center and Legacy Emanuel Medical Center to broaden case exposure across public, veteran, and community-hospital settings. The program emphasizes a high volume of complex open and endovascular cases, including aortic reconstructions, mesenteric and lower extremity bypasses, combined multidisciplinary operations with spine and oncologic surgeons, and a distinctive subspecialty clinic for genetic aortopathy/arteriopathy patients drawn from across the country. As one of the oldest vascular programs in the country, it trades on a long lineage of alumni now serving as academic faculty and division leaders at other institutions, signaling a culture oriented toward producing surgeons who go on to shape the field rather than simply practice within it. Resident research is optional but structurally supported through the Department of Surgery's dedicated research-year infrastructure, and is explicitly required for those pursuing competitive subspecialty fellowships, indicating the program values scholarly productivity as a career-advancing tool rather than treating it as central to daily training.