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General Surgery

The Carle Foundation Hospital General Surgery Residency is a large community hospital training program with university affiliation. Residents enjoy access to experienced subspecialist faculty in a residency training system situated in a culturally diverse college town in the heart of Illinois. The program celebrated its first graduates in 2015 and continues to flourish as it works in concert with the ground-breaking Carle Illinois College of Medicine. As a small, cohesive group, our residents enjoy an atmosphere of comradery, as well as establish early professional relationships with attending faculty that permits for early autonomy.

Program graduates have matched into competitive fellowships and have begun promising careers as board-certified surgeons. Carle is dedicated to equipping its graduates with the skills and knowledge that will position them well to be leaders in surgery.

How to Apply GME Experience

Program Description

Program Mission

We educate compassionate, proficient and insightful physicians committed to evidence-based patient care and the advancement of the art and science of surgery.

Program Vision

  • Teach the interested and committed physician to provide the highest quality of patient-centered surgical care.
  • Educate future surgeons to be community leaders and teachers with superior clinical and technical skills.
  • Promote evidence-based surgical practice and training to our residents.
  • Foster and facilitate clinical research and quality improvement to advance excellent patient care.
  • Advance the surgeon’s understanding of healthcare systems, team-based medical care and the impact of complexity on patient care.

Educational Goals of the Program

  • Prepare residents through specialized clinical, procedural and didactic training to manage a broad spectrum of surgical diseases, to enter practice without direct supervision, and to attain certification by the American Board of Surgery.
  • Train surgical residents to become competent, confident and compassionate surgeons who will deliver quality evidence-based surgical care in a cost efficient manner.
  • Prepare program graduates for a broad scope of career opportunities, including participation in local, regional and national health initiatives.
  • Foster the development of ACGME/ABMS core competencies that embody professionalism, lifelong learning, personal growth and a commitment to compassionate care among students, residents and faculty within a supportive educational environment.
  • Integrate student and resident education to promote the fundamentals of surgical practice, research and educational techniques.

Curriculum

Residency training includes hands-on patient care experiences both in and out of the operating room as well as didactic sessions, interactive conferences and simulation. The core curriculum not only provides residents with exposure to the full spectrum of general surgery as science, it teaches about the social, economic and political issues that can affect surgical practice.

PGY-1

  • 1 month: Pediatric Surgery, Surgical Intensive Care, Trauma Surgery
  • 2 months: Acute Care Surgery, Colorectal Surgery, Night Float
  • 3 months: General Surgery*

PGY-2

  • 1 month: Acute Care Surgery, Colorectal Surgery, Transplant Surgery**, Pediatric Surgery, Plastic Surgery, Surgical Intensive Care, Trauma, Vascular Surgery
  • 2 months: General Surgery*, Night Float

PGY-3

  • 2 weeks: Quality
  • 1 month: Acute Care Surgery, Rural, Trauma Surgery, Vascular Surgery
  • 3 months: General Surgery*
  • 2 months: Colorectal Surgery, Night Float

PGY-4

  • 1 month: Acute Care Surgery, Elective, Head and Neck Surgery
  • 2 months: Colorectal Surgery, Night Float, Trauma Surgery
  • 3 months: General Surgery

PGY-5

  • 1 month: Night Float, Trauma Surgery
  • 2 months: Colorectal Surgery 
  • 3 months: Acute Care Surgery
  • 6 months: General Surgery*
* The General Surgery rotation includes Surgical Oncology experience.
** Rotations held with University of Illinois College of Medicine at OSF St. Francis Medical Center in Peoria.

Conferences and Educational Events

Weekly Conferences

  • Core Curriculum Conference
  • Morbidity and Mortality Conference

Monthly Conferences

  • Research Conference
  • Department of Surgery Grand Rounds
  • Journal Club
  • Trauma Morbidity and Mortality Conference

Other Conferences

  • Bioethics Seminar
  • Tumor Board/Breast Cancer
  • Tumor Board/GI

Other Educational Opportunities

  • Simulation Center
  • Mock Oral Exams
  • American Board of Surgery In-training Exam (ABSITE) Review
  • Weekly Teaching Rounds

Research and Scholarly Activity 

Research and scholarly activity has become a major focus of our residency program, and we strive to educate our faculty and residents on research processes and methods. The program hosts a monthly surgery research conference to promote research productivity through collaborative efforts, inside and outside the division. Residents also have the opportunity to attend research lectures provided by the program, as well as other units and departments at Carle Foundation Hospital and the University of Illinois. Additionally, the program is supported by research coordinators who assist residents with the development of their research study, serve as a liaison with the Carle Institutional Review Board (IRB) and guide residents throughout the duration of their projects. We are proud of our accomplishments in research. Our residents are very active in participating in local, regional and national conferences, and have claimed several awards. Below is a list of our faculty's research interests.

  • Anna Higham, MD – Breast surgery
  • John Kim, DO – Surgical education, ACS and trauma
  • Neil Marshruwala, MD – Burn, wounds and trauma
  • Henry Moore, MD – Rural trauma, obesity and trauma
  • Uretz Oliphant, MD – Bariatric surgery, general surgery, trauma, medical education, laparoscopic surgery
  • Christian Perez, MD – Bariatric surgery
  • Blair Rowitz, MD – Metabolic changes after bariatric surgery

Meet Our Team

Bruce Orkin, MD, FACS

Administration

Program Director
Colorectal Surgeon

Jonathan Lucking, MD

Administration

Associate Program Director
Colorectal Surgeon

Robert Yu, MD

Administration

Associate Program Director
Colorectal Surgeon

Jill Burnett

Administration

Program Coordinator
Graduate Medical Education

Kimberly A. Cradock, MD, FACS

Core Faculty

General and Breast Surgeon

Sherfield Dawson, III, MD, FACS

Core Faculty

General and Trauma Surgeon

Ashley Hill, MD

Core Faculty

Colorectal Surgeon

John Kim, DO, MPH, FACS

Core Faculty

General and Trauma Surgeon

Henry R. Moore III, MD, FACS

Core Faculty

General, Critical Care and Trauma Surgeon

Blair Rowitz, MD, FACS

Core Faculty

General and Bariatric Surgeon

Daniel Suarez, MD

Core Faculty

General, Critical Care and Trauma Surgeon

Lyn E. Tangen, MD, FACS

Core Faculty

Colorectal Surgeon

Bethany Briggs, DO

Faculty

General, Bariatric and Robotic Surgeon

Daniel Mark Chase, MD, FACS

Faculty

General Surgeon

Mohammed Elshamy, MD

Faculty

General, Bariatric and Robotic Surgeon

Anna Higham, MD

Faculty

Breast Surgeon

Neil Mashruwala, MD

Faculty

General, Critical Care and Trauma Surgeon

Katie Marrero, MD

Resident

PGY-5

Alejandro Oliu, MD

Resident

PGY-5

Nicholas Rawson, DO

Resident

PGY-5

Corbin Mah, MD

Resident

PGY-4

Meghan Merklein, MD

Resident

PGY-4

Conlan Pierce, MD

Resident

PGY-4

Mingda Su, MD

Resident

PGY-4

Ryan Atkinson, MD

Resident

PGY-3

Timothy Cho, DO

Resident

PGY-3

Kyle Cunningham, DO

Resident

PGY-3

Emily Heath, MD

Resident

PGY-3

Vitaliy Dushnov, DO

Resident

PGY-2

Joseph El Badaoui, MD

Resident

PGY-2

Allison Gelfond, MD

Resident

PGY-2

Jacob Hughes, MD

Resident

PGY-2

Maneesh Koneru, MD

Resident

PGY-1

Jaren Phillips, MD

Resident

PGY-1

Ruhi Sharma, MD

Resident

PGY-1

Jesse Tecson, MD

Resident

PGY-1

Ligee George, MD

Alumni

Graduated 2023
Fellowship: Transplant Surgery and HPB, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA

M. Papus Keita, MD

Alumni

Graduated 2023
Fellowship: Cardiothoracic Surgery, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH

Yonjae Kim, MD

Alumni

Graduated 2023
Fellowship: Vascular Surgery, Ascension, Ilinois

Nahstajia Pinnock, MD

Alumni

Graduated 2023
Fellowship: Burn, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD

Benjamin Gulbrand, MD

Alumni

Graduated 2022
General Surgery: Hendrick's Regional Health, Danville, IN

Christopher Vetter, MD

Alumni

Graduated 2022
General Surgery: Piedmont Newton Hospital, Covington, GA

Juan Rodriguez, MD

ALUMNI

Graduated 2021
Fellowship: Surgical Critical Care, John H Stroger, Jr. Hospital, Chicago, IL

Gweniviere Capron, MD

Alumni

Graduated 2020
Fellowship: Surgical Critical Care, John H. Stroger, Jr. Hospital, Chicago, IL

Michael Nolte, MD

Alumni

Graduated 2020
Fellowship: Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, University of Alabama, Birmingham, AL

Amy Yetasook, MD

Alumni

Graduated 2018
Fellowship: Minimally Invasive Surgery, UCSF, Fresno, CA

Robert Yu, MD

Alumni

Graduated 2018
Fellowship: Colorectal Surgery, Allegheny Health, Erie, PA

Neeta Karani, MD

Alumni

Graduated 2017
Fellowship: Vascular Surgery, Michigan State University, Flint, MI

Lacey Stelle, MD

Alumni

Graduated 2017
Fellowship: Breast Surgical Oncology, Anne Arundel Medical Center, Annapolis, MD

Robert Hoffman, MD

Alumni

Graduated 2016
Fellowship: Critical Care, Michigan State University, Grand Rapids, MI

Lauren Sakai, MD

Alumni

Graduated 2016
Fellowship: Critical Care, Advocate Illinois Masonic, Chicago, IL

Zachary Osborne, MD

Alumni

Graduated 2015
Fellowship: Vascular Surgery, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN

Christian Perez, MD

Alumni

Graduated 2015
Fellowship: Minimally Invasive Surgery, University of Texas, Houston, TX

How to Apply

We appreciate your interest in the Carle Foundation Hospital General Surgery Residency Program. Our program participates in the National Residency Matching Program (NRMP) and only accepts applications through the Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS)

Our program operates in accordance with ACGME policies. As such, the program will select among eligible applicants on the basis of preparedness, ability, aptitude, academic credentials, communication skills and personal qualities such as motivation and integrity. We do not discriminate with regard to sex, race, age, religion, color, national origin, disability or veteran status.

Application Submission

  • Applicants must apply through ERAS. Email, paper or faxed documentation are not accepted and will not be reviewed.
  • Applications are welcome from U.S. and international medical school graduates (J1 visas only for international applicants).

Application Criteria
A complete application includes:

  • A curriculum vitae (CV) listing all relevant experience and education. CV must include documentation of any lapses in training.
  • A Medical Student Performance Evaluation (MPSE), dean's letter from the candidate's medical school, or equivalent.
  • At least three letters of recommendation, preferably from surgeons.
  • A personal statement.
  • Medical school transcript.
  • United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) scores/transcripts for Steps 1 and 2.
  • ABSITE test scores (if applicable).
  • ECFMG status report (if applicable).
  • Applicant must possess excellent skills in both verbal and written English.

All candidates please note that additional information may be requested.

Due to the large number of applicants, not everyone meeting these criteria will be interviewed or accepted. Final decisions are made after review of all available information.

Please note that this information may be subject to change.

If you have any questions regarding our program or the application process, please contact us at GSRP@carle.com or call (217) 326-1293.

Clinical Clerkship or Subinternship 

Please complete all fields of this application for the internship program with Carle Foundation Hospital's Clinical Clerkship or Subinternship.