Message from Program Director
The goal of our program is to train the complete general surgeon with expertise in the management of the complex surgical patients with high acuity. We aim to make our residents the future leaders in surgery by emphasizing critical thinking, operative skills, and the ability to understand and assess the literature.
Our main site is Westchester Medical Center (WMC) which includes the Maria Fareri Children’s Hospital, a tertiary care academic medical center that serves as the regional referral center for the Hudson Valley serving a very diverse population of about four million. We are the Regional Level-1 Trauma Center for both adult and pediatric patients.
We offer a five-year program with four Categorical and five Preliminary PGY-1 Positions. Rotations in MIS, Transplant, Pediatric, Thoracic, Vascular, Trauma, Surgical Oncology, and Hepatobiliary provide a vigorous subspecialty curriculum in addition to the general surgery core to optimize the training experience/opportunity. Westchester Medical Center also offers fellowships in Surgical Critical Care, Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Vascular Surgery, MIS, and Burn. Additionally, the Department of Surgery Clinical Research Unit (DSCRU) will provide assistance on any research projects residents are interested in pursuing.
Like the population we serve, our residents come from diverse backgrounds and nationalities. Working together and emphasizing the concept of team work with mutual respect is a cornerstone of our program. We are committed to a holistic review process of all applicants and strive to recruit a diverse population of residents during each Match cycle.
Located in Suburban New York, Westchester County has a wonderful quality of life with activities and recreational opportunities for a wide array of interests. Manhattan is approximately 18 miles away from the hospital (35 minutes by car or commuter rail) and has something to offer for everyone. You’ll have the opportunity to attend major sporting events, concerts, Broadway, and more! If city life is not for you, the Hudson Valley is home to rich history, beautiful scenery, hiking trails, and breweries and wineries for those who are interested. During the summers there are a number of beaches that are just a short car ride away as well.
In summary, I believe Westchester Medical Center provides an environment that will challenge you and train you to become an outstanding academic or community surgeon for the new millennium.
Sincerely,
Madalyn Neuwirth, MD
Assistant Professor of Surgery, NYMC
Program Director, Surgery Residency, WMC
Attending Surgeon, Division of Surgical Oncology, WMC
Program Overview
The program accepts four categorical and five preliminary residents every year through the National Residency Match Program. All surgery residents complete their surgical internship at Westchester Medical Center. Additional dedicated research time is an optional component of general surgery training; however, ongoing scholarly activity during training is a program requirement. As of 2022, two residents from the match are designated for the six- or seven-year research track. Research years typically occur between PGY 2 and 3 years. Every attempt is made to send residents, regardless of training level, to any national conference at which their research data is accepted to. Each resident is paired with a clinical mentor to provide guidance during the course of the residency. This is a fully accredited ACGME General Surgery Residency.
Program Curriculum
How to Apply
Westchester Medical Center participates in ERAS (Electronic Residency Application Service®) & NRMP (National Residency Match Program).
- Registration Period Opens: September 6, 2023
- Applications Accepted Until: October 31, 2023
- Rank Order List Due: February 28, 2024
- Match Day: March 11, 2024
The program requirements are as follows:
1. Passed by Medical School graduation / Passing of each step on first attempt
2. Although not mandatory, research experience is highly valued
3. The candidate must possess strong motivation and commitment to Surgery as evidenced by background education, personal statement, research and letters of recommendation.
4. Personality traits: emotional maturity, warmth and compassion as well as good communication skills
Useful Resources and Information:
Current Residents
- Avani Chopra, MD – Penn State University College of Medicine
- Naveed Haroon, MBBS – Khyber Medical College
- Anna Jose, MBBS- Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College, Wardha
- Aryan Rafieezadeh, MD- Isfahan University of Medical Sciences Ross Rosen, MD – USF Health Morsani College of Medicine
- Danielle Canfield, MD – American University of the Caribbean School of Medicine Sonali Dadoo, MD – New York Medical College
- Adrian Girald-Rodriguez, MD – Universidad Central del Caribe School of Medicine
- Odinachi Oguguo, MD – New York Medical College
- Raven Richardson, MD – St. George’s University School of Medicine
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Sonali Dadoo, M.D. – New York Medical College
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Ross Rosen, M.D. – USF Health Morsani College of Medicine
- Nolberto Jaramillo, DO – New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine
- Rami Mizher, MD – Georgetown University School of Medicine
- Maria Silena Mosquera, MD – Universidad Nacional del Nordeste Facultad de Medicina
- Jonah Poster, MD – Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
- PGY2: Ishani Sharma, M.D., M.B.A. – Indiana University School of Medicine
- Bryan Cabrera Valdes, MD – FIU Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine
- Eleni Drivas, MD – Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
- Khaled El-Qawaqzeh, MD- Mu’tah University Faculty of Medicine
- Sophia Hameedi, MD- Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons
- Ayesha Noor, MBBS- Aga Khan University Medical College
- Alexandra Bahn, MD – Virginia Commonwealth University
- Shujera Bhutta, MD – Ross University School of Medicine
- Tyler James D’agostino, MD – New York Medical College
- Salma Khan, MD – Liaquat University of Medical & Health Sciences
- Muhammad Khurrum, MD – Jinnah Medical & Dental College
- Mekedes Lemma, MD – University of Nevada School of Medicine
- Nicole Lin, MD – University of Miami Miller School of Medicine
- Ilyse Natasha Blazar, DO – Touro College of Osteopathic Medicine
- Mahir Gachabayov, MD, PhD – North-Western State Medical University I. I. Mechnikov
- Inkyu Lee, MD – SUNY Downstate Medical Center
- Katherine Lam, MD – Research Fellow at Mount Sinai Hospital
- Tamara Sharf, MD – Research Fellow at Children’s National Hospital
- Ishani Sharma, MD – Research Fellow at Westchester Medical Center
- Aparna Vancheswaran, MD – Research Fellow at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
- Avery Wilson, MD – Research Fellow at Massachusetts General Hospital
WMCHealth Launches New York’s First Robotic Acute Care Surgery Program
Program Alumni
- Kamil Hanna, MD – Abdominal Transplant Surgery Fellowship at Stanford University – Palo Alto, CA
- Kira Murphy, MD – Vascular Surgery Fellowship at The Cleveland Clinic – Cleveland, OH
- Thanh-Thanh Nguyen, MD – Colorectal Surgery Fellowship at UTHealth Houston – Houston, T
- Agon Kajmolli, MD – General Surgery Practice at Marshall University, Huntington, WV
- Muhammad Khan, MD – Complex General Surgical Oncology Fellowship at North Shore University Hospital, Manhasset, NY
- Sara Matsumoto, MD – Surgical Critical Care Fellowship at Washington University, St. Louis, MO
- Matthew McGuirk, MD – Minimally Invasive and Bariatric Surgery Fellowship at University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, PA
- Kenji Okumura, MD – Transplant Surgery Practice at Westchester Medical Center, Valhalla, NY
- Muhammad Zeeshan, MD – Vascular Surgery Fellowship at Washington University, St. Louis, MO
- James Choi, MD – General Surgery Practice at Signature Healthcare, Brockton, MA
- Faisal Jehan, MD – Complex General Surgical Oncology Fellowship at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, Buffalo, NY
- Danny Lascano, MD – Complex General Surgical Oncology Fellowship at Providence Saint John’s Health Center, Santa Monica, CA
- Clara Angeles, MD – Thoracic Fellowship at University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN
- Asad Azim, MD – Complex General Surgical Oncology Fellowship at Fox Chase Cancer Center, Philadelphia, PA
- Miles Dale, MD – Minimally Invasive Surgery Fellowship at Hackensack Medical Center, Hackensack, NJ
- Shekhar Gogna, MD – Multi-Abdominal Transplant Fellowship at Georgetown University, Washington, DC
Our Clinical Locations
Westchester Medical Center
Westchester Medical Center shares its leafy campus with New York Medical College in Valhalla, NY, approximately 20 miles north of New York City. It is a Level 1 Trauma and Burn Center and a major hub for specialized care referrals. Here, we take care of patients from a very large catchment area stretching from the northern border of New York City to the Catskill Mountains.
WMC has a pediatric hospital (Maria Fareri Children’s Hospital) with eight dedicated pediatric operating rooms as well as many other non-operating room anesthetizing sites, including MRI, radiation and nuclear medicine, and endoscopy. The Ambulatory Care Pavilion, which opened in July 2019, added many anesthetizing locations, both OR and Non-OR.
Construction is underway on the 128-bed state-of-the-art WMC Critical Care Tower, a $220 million project that when completed will span 162,000 square feet over five floors. Our caseload includes a full profile of cardiac, interventional pulmonary and thoracic, complex orthopedic, neurosurgical and solid organ transplant interventions, to name the busiest services. We have a large heart failure and ECMO referral program. Trauma orthopedics and surgery provide our residents a great variety of “open” cases. Residents participate in minimally invasive and robotic interventions in gynecologic-oncology, urology, colorectal, endocrine and thoracic surgery, as well as complex cardiac and neurological endovascular interventions, both pediatric and adult. The Acute and Chronic Pain Management care rotations cover both the pediatric and adult inpatients and outpatients, including complex consultations for patients in the Burn ICU.