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

Program Identity & Fit

USC/LA General is a tertiary/quaternary, university-affiliated academic vascular surgery program built around two named beacon programs, the USC Comprehensive Aortic Center (a regional aortic transfer hub handling ~300 complex dissections/aneurysms yearly) and the USC Limb Preservation Center/SALSA alliance (over 1000 patients yearly, national leadership in limb salvage), giving residents concentrated exposure to complex, redo, and advanced endovascular aortic and limb-threat pathology across Keck Medical Center and one of the busiest Level 1 trauma safety-net hospitals in the country. Research is deeply embedded in program identity: the division is a top national enroller in major device trials (TAMBE, BEST-CLI, Terumo Relay Branch), holds R01 funding, collaborates with USC Viterbi Engineering on device development, and hosts an NIH-funded R38 surgeon-scientist pathway explicitly designed to launch vascular/cardiothoracic residents into academic research careers. Training progresses from a general surgery immersion (PGY1-3, with simulation and fresh-tissue dissection) to senior-level integration with independent fellows (PGY4-5) focused on complex open and endovascular reconstruction. The program appears to value residents who can thrive in a high-acuity, high-volume safety-net/tertiary hybrid environment and who bring genuine interest in translational or outcomes research alongside procedural rigor.