SSM Health-Saint Louis University School of Medicine Program

Program Identity & Fit

SLU's five-year integrated vascular surgery residency builds on a nearly 40-year divisional legacy (originally a two-year fellowship since 1983, integrated pathway since 2015) and trains residents across a multi-site SSM Health/Mercy/VA network spanning academic tertiary care, community hospitals, a pediatric hospital and a VA, giving broad exposure to open, endovascular and office-based practice. The curriculum front-loads three years of core surgical training with dedicated vascular months before transitioning to two years of essentially all-vascular rotations split between the university hospital and Mercy, emphasizing progressive technical mastery culminating in board certification. Research is structured but not central: residents must complete a minimum of one annual submission to a regional/national meeting or journal, with funded travel and faculty engaged in device development, industry-sponsored trials and national exam/curriculum leadership (SESAP, VESAP, APVSSS, APEX), reflecting an emphasis on applied, presentation-oriented scholarship rather than a bench-research track. The Jesuit "cura personalis" mission and multi-hospital community/safety-net exposure (including VA and diverse SSM sites) signal a program valuing well-rounded technical competence and service orientation as much as academic productivity, preparing graduates for both community and academic vascular practice.