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Colon and Rectal Surgery Residency Program
The Western Pennsylvania Hospital and Allegheny General Hospital are pleased to offer training in Colon and Rectal Surgery to applicants who will be completing their training in General Surgery. The program is a joint venture between the two hospitals and their Colon and Rectal Surgery attending staffs, and is based on high clinical volumes, diverse pathology and a fundamental commitment to education.
The combination of the two academic colon and rectal surgery programs in the Pittsburgh area provides a dynamic educational experience for the colon and rectal surgery resident. The Western Pennsylvania Hospital and Allegheny General Hospital are the two flagship hospitals of West Penn Allegheny Health System. Faculty of the Colon and Rectal Surgery divisions at these two institutions have made a commitment to work closely together to support a colon and rectal surgery residency program, as well as foster clinical and academic excellence.
Both hospitals have free-standing general surgical residency programs and academic affiliations with major university medical schools. The Western Pennsylvania Hospital is a clinical campus of Temple University School of Medicine with a large volume of medical students from Temple and other institutions rotating on the surgical service. Allegheny General Hospital, which is an academic affiliate of Drexel University School of Medicine, also supports medical student education. The academic environment at both institutions is outstanding, and the academic mission is supported strongly by the administration. Both hospitals have residency programs in numerous other specialties, including gastroenterology.
A high volume of tertiary care cases, an intense experience in advanced laparoscopic intestinal procedures, and training in a sophisticated anorectal physiology laboratory allows residents to become proficient in the care of patients with complex colorectal disease. Involvement in ongoing clinical research efforts – both local and multi-institutional – exposes residents to investigation in the colorectal field, and spurs future independent investigation.
Faculty members provide supervision of the resident at all times and in all settings, including the outpatient office, operating room, endoscopy laboratory, and inpatient wards. Didactic conferences, specifically tailored to the education of the resident, include case conference, morbidity and mortality conference, research meetings, journal club and tumor conference.
The program’s curriculum has been carefully designed to provide an excellent clinical, didactic and research experience for the colon and rectal surgery resident, without negatively impacting the experience for general surgical residents at the two hospitals. Because of the high volume of colon and rectal surgery patients cared for, and the relatively small number of general surgery chief residents, there have not been any conflicts between the two specialties.
Faculty members are committed to create and maintain a vibrant, first-rate colon and rectal surgery residency program that provides excellent clinical education, stimulates critical thinking and spurs further research in colorectal disease.
Faculty
Philip F. Caushaj, MD, FACS, FASCRS
The Western Pennsylvania Hospital
Chair, Department of Surgery
Professor of Surgery
Temple University School of Medicine
Thomas E. Read, MD, FACS, FASCRS
Chief, Division of Colon and Rectal Surgery
Program Director, Colon and Rectal Surgery Residency
Associate Professor of Surgery
Temple University School of Medicine
Robert P. Akbari, MD
Faculty, Division of Colon and Rectal Surgery
Director, Student Surgical Clerkship
Temple University School of Medicine
James T. McCormick, D.O.
Faculty, Division of Colon and Rectal Surgery
Allegheny General Hospital
David S. Medich, M.D., FACS, FASCRS
Director, Division of Colon and Rectal Surgery
James P. Celebrezze, Jr. M.D., FACS, FASCRS
Faculty, Division of Colon and Rectal Surgery
Associate Program Director, Colon and Rectal Surgery Residency
Sandra J. Beck, M.D.
Faculty, Division of Colon and Rectal Surgery
Rotations
The resident divides his/her time at the two participating institutions as follows: The Western Pennsylvania Hospital (6 months clinical, 1 month anorectal physiology laboratory plus research); Allegheny General Hospital (5 months clinical).
During the clinical rotations at The Western Pennsylvania Hospital, the resident works exclusively with the colon and rectal surgery faculty. Responsibilities include all operative cases, endoscopy, and inpatient and outpatient care. The faculty schedule is staggered to allow the resident to participate in virtually all index activities occurring on the service. The resident will be the chief of the colon and rectal surgery service and will have junior resident support. A one-month rotation will be dedicated to the acquisition of anorectal physiology skills and outpatient patient management. The resident will perform all anorectal manometry, pudendal nerve terminal motor latency testing, ultrasound and biofeedback under supervision. There will be no inpatient care or call responsibilities during this month.
Faculty will provide supervision of the resident at all times in all settings, including the outpatient office and the endoscopy laboratory. The resident will be expected to actively participate in outpatient care with the assigned faculty. Residents will not have independent patient care privileges. Operative and office sessions of the faculty have been designed to prevent conflict for the resident, and therefore, the resident will be able to participate in both outpatient and inpatient care on a daily basis.
The faculty at The Western Pennsylvania Hospital currently conduct eight half-day outpatient office sessions per week. All patients are examined in the Center for Pelvic Floor Diseases at The Western Pennsylvania Hospital, which functions as the colon and rectal surgery clinical office. The Center for Pelvic Floor Diseases is located in The Western Pennsylvania Hospital, as are the endoscopy laboratory, operating rooms and inpatient wards. The resident will have the opportunity to participate in all aspects of patient care without having to leave the building.
The resident will see patients with the faculty, including new consultations and follow-up visits. The attending staff provides all outpatient care through this office. The office is fully equipped to perform rigid and flexible endoscopy and transrectal ultrasound, and these procedures are frequently performed during office hours. The office also is fully equipped to perform anorectal manometry, pudendal nerve testing, surface EMG and biofeedback. Additional patient sessions are scheduled for anorectal physiologic testing. Two physician assistants, who work with the faculty on a daily basis, are trained to perform anorectal physiologic testing and biofeedback. In addition to the experience gained throughout the clinical year, a month-long rotation that is dedicated to the acquisition of anorectal physiologic testing skills and outpatient management will be provided.
While at Allegheny General Hospital, the resident will rotate with each faculty member on a one-to-one basis. During this time, the resident will participate in all clinical activities of his/her assigned faculty member. All clinical activities are on-site at Allegheny General Hospital.
The conference schedule at both institutions is virtually identical. The resident will:
- participate in general surgery didactic conferences, as well as specifically-designed colorectal surgery conferences
- be expected to present 3-4 colorectal cancer cases every 4-6 weeks at a colorectal tumor board with pathology and radiology staff support
- present all colorectal surgery morbidity and mortality cases at a weekly conference
- give two grand rounds, as well as two shorter presentations to the general surgical staff
A didactic colorectal teaching conference is held weekly to review core subjects. In addition, monthly colorectal surgery meetings with combined faculty from The Western Pennsylvania Hospital and Allegheny General Hospital will be held to review cases of interest, journal articles and ongoing research. Basic science lectures will be provided as part of the general surgical curriculum. The resident will also be expected to participate in regularly scheduled didactic sessions for the junior resident staff and medical students.
Research will be actively encouraged and nurtured, with the expectation that at least one first-author, peer-reviewed abstract and manuscript will be generated during the year.
Principles
The Residency Program is conducted under the requirements established by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME), of which the Residency Review Committee (RRC) for Surgery has direct responsibility for formulating policies for the organization and conduct of the Colon and Rectal Surgery Residency Program.
The RRC is charged with the responsibility of accrediting residency programs; colon and rectal surgery residents graduating from accredited programs are, however, certified by a separate organization – the American Board of Colon and Rectal Surgery. Upon successful application to the Board at the completion of training, the applicant may sit for Part I (the Qualifying Examination) – a written test encompassing the basic and clinical sciences of surgical practice. After passing Part I, the applicant is allowed to take Part II (the Certifying Examination) – an oral test of the surgeon’s ability to exercise sound judgment in various clinical situations.
Interested applicants should contact Lisa Inzinga, residency coordinator, Colon and Rectal Surgery Residency, at 412-578-6880 or linzinga@wpahs.org.
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