Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine
Department of Surgery
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General Surgery Residency Program

Education is the critical mission of the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine's Department of Surgery, and the faculty and staff within the department are deeply committed to the General Surgery Residency Program. To accomplish this mission, we have evolved a dynamic clinical curriculum that prioritizes education over service, a faculty trained to teach and hired with clear expectations of their role as facilitators of learning, and an educational structure that values residents as a group of individuals with separate learning needs and ambitions.

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About Our Program

Curriculum

Research and Career Development

Our Residents and Alumni

Policies

How to Apply

 Application Requirements

Individuals interested in applying to the general surgery residency program of the McGaw Medical Center of Northwestern University must submit their application via the Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS) only. We do not accept any paper applications.

Our application review process will begin on September 27, 2023. The deadline for application is October 15, 2023. Applications received after that date will not be reviewed.

A complete application includes the following:

  • ERAS application
  • Three letters of recommendation
  • Personal statement
  • USMLE transcript (no minimum score requirements)
  • Medical school transcript
  • Medical school performance evaluation (dean's letter)
  • ECFMG certificate (if applicable)

Review our Resident Selection Policy

 Interviews

Interviews for the General Surgery residency program for 2023-2024 application cycle will be held virtually. Interviews are by invitation only and are required for acceptance to our program. Applicants who we wish to invite to interview will be notified via email by begining of November.

We have three virtual interview dates this year:

  • Thursday, November 30, 2023, 9am-2:30pm CST
  • Thursday, December 14, 2023, 9am-2:30pm CST
  • Thursday, January 4, 2024, 9am-2:30pm CST

 Informational Town Hall

We will host one virtual program informational session so applicants can get to know our program better. This virtual informational session is open to all applicants and range in topics from clinical duties, research, curriculum, and culture/diversity. It will be held on Monday, September 25th, 2023 from 7:00pm-8:30pm CST.

Register in advance for this webinar:

https://northwestern.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_eKoJ8lCURcWjYr3hbSyUfw

 International Medical Graduates

No previous U.S. clinical experience is required to apply to our program.

We do not have a minimum/maximum number of years from medical school graduation date requirement.

The preferred visa for training at the McGaw Medical Center of Northwestern University is the J-1 visa sponsored through the ECFMG for residency/fellowship training.  Applicants should be ECFMG-certified by the application deadline of Oct. 20. Please also have visa information included in your application due by the Oct. 20 deadline.

 Diversity & Inclusion

The Department of Surgery strives to create and maintain training programs that mirror the diverse patient population we serve in Chicago. We believe that diverse faculty, residency and fellowship programs are essential to our long-term success as leaders in academic medicine. As such, we embrace diversity as part of our commitment to excellence in our mission areas of patient care, research and education. The Department of Surgery strongly encourages applications from candidates from groups traditionally under-represented in medicine.

Please see the below list of initiatives our department has implemented recently in order to improve diversity, equity & inclusion:

  • Creation of a Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Committee, led by Dr. Alyssa Vela and Dr. Juan Carlos Caicedo-Ramirez, and comprised of residents, fellows, faculty, and staff
  • Implementation of a holistic recruitment application review process and interview format
  • Cost coverage for residents’ SBAS, LSS, AWS & AOSA society memberships
  • Increased Grand Rounds topics in these areas, such as Microaggressions Training and Simulation, Cultural Complications M&M, and more
  • Implementation of a Non-Clinical Mentorship Program for residents, with mentorship topics such as financial planning, being a minority in surgery, leadership development, and family planning
  • Participation and administration of SECOND Trial

Learn more about our diversity efforts at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and the McGaw Medical Center of Northwestern University.

 Why Northwestern?

Housestaff training through McGaw Medical Center of Northwestern University provides diverse and challenging clinical experiences and world-class education located in the heart of the beautiful city of Chicago. Learn more via the links to the McGaw website below.

Watch Our Videos

McGaw Experience Discover Feinberg Northwestern Medicine Community Partnership Program Learn More About Chicago Get to Know Streeterville

 Contact our Education Team

Mackenzie Krueger

General Surgery Administrative Manager

mackenzie.krueger@nm.org

 

Jenna Little

Housestaff Coordinator

jenna.little@nm.org

 

Terri Young

Housestaff Assistant

terri.young@nm.org

Questions? Contact Us!

Our Leadership

Leah Tatebe, MD

Leah Tatebe, MD

Program Director

Faculty Profile

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Dr. Leah Tatebe is an Associate Professor of Surgery in the Northwestern University Division of Acute Care Surgery. She serves as the Program Director for the General Surgical Residency and the Associate Trauma Medical Director. Dr. Tatebe served as the Associate Program Director before taking over the Program Director position. During her time in Chicago, she was been able to push the boundaries of prehospital research within the Chicagoland area and promote collaborative projects between institutions for the good of all Chicago trauma patients. She is chair of several national committees focusing her efforts on equity in surgery and injury prevention. She has won numerous research, teaching, and service awards over her career. She has spoken nationally on her research interests including injury prevention, trauma-informed care, prehospital trauma care, posttraumatic stress, resilience, and palliative care. She has a keen interest in surgical education, especially graduated trainee autonomy. She is heavily involved with training fellows, residents, and students in her daily practice. 

 

Dr. Tatebe graduated from the University of California, Berkeley with a degree in physics. She received her MD from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. Dr. Tatebe completed a general surgery residency at Baylor University Medical Center and a fellowship in Surgical Critical Care here at Northwestern University, McGaw Medical Center. 

Samuel Kim, MD, FACS

Samuel Kim, MD, FACS

Associate Program Director

Faculty Profile

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Dr. Samuel Kim is a general thoracic surgeon wiht experience in all aspects of general thoracic surgery with national level expertise on minimally invasive thoracic surgery including the robotic lobectomy/segmetectomy, robotic esophagectomy, robotic thymectomy, robot assisted operations for benign esophageal diseases, and trachea and airway surgeries.

He graduated from Johns Hopkins University with honors in Biophysics and as a member of Phi Beta Kappa in 1997 and then received his M.D. from Tufts University School of Medicine in 2002.  He completed his residency in General Surgery at the University of Pennsylvania Hospital in 2009 and residency in Cardiothoracic Surgery at the Massachusetts General Hospital in 2012.  Additionally, Dr. Kim completed a fellowship in Minimally Invasive Esophageal Surgery at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center and fellowship in Cardiothoracic Surgery at Mayo Clinic in 2010.  Dr. Kim began his career on the faculty at University of Arizona in 2011 where he served as the Section Chief of Thoracic Surgery and was recruited to Northwestern in 2019 as the Director of Robotic Thoracic Surgery.

 

Yue-Yung Hu, MD

Yue-Yung Hu, MD

Associate Program Director

Faculty Profile

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Dr. Yue-Yung Hu is an Assistant Professor of Surgery in the Division of Pediatric Surgery at the Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago. She completed medical school at SUNY Stony Brook in 2007. She trained in the General Surgery residency program at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, graduating in 2015. Between PGY2 and 3, she spent 3 years doing health services research and gaining a Masters in Public Health from the Harvard School of Public Health. She completed the Connecticut Children’s Medical Center/University of Connecticut Pediatric Surgery fellowship in 2017. She is also a faculty member at the Surgical Outcomes And Quality Improvement Center. Her research interests include surgical education, surgical culture, team dynamics, quality, and safety.

Starzl Academy for Physician-Scientist Training

Our General Surgery residents are highly encouraged but not mandated to complete one to three years of research following their PGY-3 year. We offer a wide range of resources, mentorship opportunities and training to help our residents excel as physician-scientists. Explore all of the resources and hear from housestaff who are making research a major part of their career development plans.

VISIT STARZL ACADEMY SITE

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