The General Surgery Residency draws upon a long history of innovative education for future surgical leaders and continues to offer residents unsurpassed training and research opportunities. Faculty and residents share their experiences from the program, clinical practices and research pursuits.


Wise Words: Changes and Transitions

Few things in life are as certain as change.  As we get deeper into the new academic year, we are all settling into the changes inherent to the summer-to-fall transition, and not just the fantastic weather this year (from 97 to 67 degrees in one week)! The new interns are adjusting to their tremendous shift […]

Wise Words: The EPAs Are Coming!

The General Surgery Residency program has long stood at the forefront of surgical education, and with the nationwide launch of the American Board of Surgery’s General Surgery Entrustable Professional Activities program nationwide, we are eager to help advance our program and practices into the future. Our goal has always been to prepare our trainees for […]

Welcome from Dr. John Olson

Today, the idiom “Full Circle” usually refers to the situation where one returns to a place of beginning.  However, the first use of ”the Wheel is come full circle”  is attributed to Shakespeare (King Lear, Act 5, scene 3) in reference to Fortuna, the mythical Goddess of chance, who would spin a wheel to change […]

Wise Words – Fall 2022

Education stands at the core of a strong academic General Surgery residency program. Here in the Department of Surgery at Washington University in St. Louis, we believe that an innovative and intentional curriculum focused on what the residents truly need is key to a strong and effective education porgram. As such, our resident-led Curriculum Committee […]

Wise Words – Fall 2021 Newsletter

Recruitment season is upon us! The General Surgery Residency team is hard at work preparing to interview applicants, having already completed one of five interview dates after receiving and reviewing over 1300 applications for our nine categorical positions for the 2022 Match. In addition to the reviews, we have held a number of themed “virtual open […]

Spring 2021 Wise Words

It has been just over one year since we first began facing the COVID-19 pandemic in such a tangible and dramatic way. From campus shutdowns to clinic changes, daily screens to vaccinations, virtual recruitment to Zoom conferences – this past year has brought change after unexpected change. Despite these difficulties and the need to reinvent […]

“Wise Words”

Seemingly every aspect of 2020 has been unexpected. From the personal sacrifices to clinical challenges, from shut-downs to a virtual graduation ceremony, from virtual and socially-distanced intern orientation to virtual education conferences, simulation labs and assessments, this year has altered every aspect of surgical education. We are incredibly and sincerely thankful for everyone who has […]

Michael Awad new surgery clerkship director

Michael Awad, MD, PhD, has been named Integrated Surgical Disciplines Clerkship director. He will oversee the 12-week integrated surgical clerkship for third-year medical students, as well as curricular and career development efforts for all medical students in surgery. Dr. Awad will build upon the current success of the surgery clerkship and plans earlier and more […]