Department of Surgery

General Surgery Residency Program Virtual Tour

With a focus on education, innovation, and patient care, Montefiore Einstein’s General Surgery Residency prepares trainees for careers as leaders in their surgical specialties. Our program is a locally and nationally recognized academic training program that transforms the health and lives of our patients and community.

Why our program could be right for you

We view our trainees not just as residents, but as academic surgeons of the future. In addition to delivering science-driven, patient-centered care, Montefiore Einstein and the Department of Surgery take pride in training the next generation of healthcare leaders. This philosophy is central to our highly competitive residency program, and provides residents with superior clinical experience that prepares them to be leaders in their field.

Abier A. Abdelnaby, MD, Director, General Surgery Residency Program

Become the model surgeon everyone aspires to be

Montefiore Health System and its affiliated hospitals are dedicated to serving the underserved minority populations of the Bronx. Our patients are our treasure – they allow for the best training and exposure for our general surgery residents. In addition to delivering science-driven, patient-centered care, Montefiore Einstein and the Department of Surgery take pride in training the next generation of healthcare leaders. We view our trainees as academic surgeons of the future. This philosophy is central to our highly competitive residency program and provides residents with superior clinical experience that prepares them to be leaders in their field.

A goal-oriented program

A part of our program’s mission is to transform the health and lives of our patients and community. As such, we have created objectives to help train physicians who:

  • Are capable of independent practice in the inpatient and/or outpatient setting
  • Demonstrate the highest level of professionalism and ethical behavior with regard to their patients, the communities they serve, the medical profession and society at large
  • Recognize and embrace the diversity of their patients, their communities and their colleagues
  • Are proficient in searching and critically analyzing the medical literature to optimize care for their patients and continuously advance their knowledge
  • Review their performance regularly, to promote continuous improvement
  • Share their knowledge and skills within their chosen professional specialty 
     

What sets Montefiore Einstein apart

At Montefiore Einstein, we are guided by a mission to heal, to teach, to discover and to advance the health of the communities we serve. Comprising 11 member hospitals and more than 300 specialty care sites, Montefiore Health System provides highly specialized, coordinated care for diverse populations in the New York region, across the country and globally.

Albert Einstein College of Medicine, home to nearly 1,000 students in its MD, PhD and combined MD/PhD programs, is one of the nation’s preeminent centers for research, medical education and clinical investigation. Through the joint efforts of Montefiore Health System and Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Montefiore Einstein is able to advance research and accelerate discoveries, benefiting patients and ensuring access to state-of-the-art healthcare for all.  

  • Montefiore’s medical specialties ranked as top 1% in the nation by U.S. News & World Report
  • Children’s Hospital at Montefiore (CHAM) recognized as one of “America’s Best Children’s Hospitals” by U.S. News & World Report
  • Albert Einstein College of Medicine ranked a top 50 “Best Medical School for Research in the Country, 2023” by U.S. News & World Report 
  • The National Institutes of Health (NIH) awarded Einstein $201M+ in research funding in 2022, placing Einstein in the top 50 among 142 schools of medicine
  • 700+ clinical trials 
Catherine C. Skae, MD, Vice President and Associate Dean for Graduate Medical Education

Graduate Medical Education at Montefiore Einstein

Representing one of the top 10 largest medical and surgical training programs in the country, Montefiore Health System and our Albert Einstein College of Medicine provide postgraduate clinical training to more than 1,400 residents and fellows per year. Clinicians across Montefiore Einstein’s numerous educational programs actively mentor and cultivate a new generation of healthcare leaders. 

Our mission to improve access and quality of care for our diverse community draws residents and fellows from top medical, dental and PA schools from around the world. We develop and expand programs designed to advance teamwork, communication and decision-making, and our progressive focus on comprehensive care provides an ideal training ground for our residents and fellows.

To make the process of working and training at Montefiore Einstein more seamless, we offer a variety of services for our house staff, physician assistants and interns, including assistance with credentialing and orientation, institutional resources, visas, contracts, HR documents, payroll, notary services and specialty training and certifications. 

Montefiore Einstein by the numbers

7.7 million+

patient interactions annually  

1.1 million+

patients annually, representing the largest network in the Bronx, Westchester and the Hudson Valley

200+

specialty care locations, with more coming soon

40,000+

employees

Home to notable programs and our Centers of Excellence

With more than 700 inpatient adult beds, Moses Campus is the largest inpatient acute care hospital within the Montefiore Health System and home to Children’s Hospital at Montefiore. Moses boasts the busiest emergency department in the Montefiore system, seeing roughly 250,000 patient evaluations each year. Moses is also home to 25 operating rooms and six critical care units, which provide care for surgical, cardiothoracic, medical, neurosurgical, pediatric and step-down patients.

The majority of non-critical surgery patients are admitted to Foreman 7 (Silver Zone), where residents have workspace and on-call rooms. General Surgery Residents gain experience in a number of rotations at Moses Campus, including acute care and general surgery, bariatric and MIS surgery, colon and rectal surgery, pancreas and endocrine surgery, pediatric surgery, transplantation, night float and endoscopy. Residents also have the opportunity to attend a weekly morbidity and mortality conference, grand rounds, and service-related weekly journal clubs and conferences for acute care and general surgery and bariatrics/MIS surgery. Faculty at Moses Campus maintain academic office and clinic space in the Greene Medical Arts Pavilion (MAP), where they see patients in the ambulatory setting.

The daily unique complexity of pathology and patients easily prepares you for practice immediately out of residency. Montefiore Einstein provides training that allows its graduates to go directly into practice or obtain fellowships of their choosing.

Michael Jureller, MD

General Surgery Chief Resident

An academic hospital adjacent to our Albert Einstein College of Medicine

Located on Montefiore’s Einstein Campus, Jack D. Weiler Hospital is a 403-bed tertiary care facility with 17 operating rooms, where nearly 2,000 general surgery operations are performed each year. Over the course of their five-year residency, our residents participate in 13 clinical rotations at Weiler, including acute care surgery, surgical oncology, colorectal surgery, breast surgery, vascular surgery, cardiothoracic surgery, plastic surgery, night float and pediatric intensive care. 

Weiler’s location adjacent to Albert Einstein College of Medicine gives our residents easy access to study facilities, gross anatomy labs, a robust medical library and research opportunities. Residents have access to two call rooms, multiple newly renovated resident work rooms, a resident locker room, a kitchenette and onsite administrative support. Residents also train in a number of clinics in close proximity to the Einstein Campus, including the Center for Cancer Care.

As Chief Resident at Montefiore, I ran all the services autonomously and managed a large variety of surgical pathologies in and out of the operating room. In fellowship, I felt well-prepared and was independent in the operating room from day one.

Anna Liveris, MD

Director, Trauma and Surgical Research, Jacobi Medical Center, and Former General Surgery Resident (Class of 2018)

A partner teaching hospital designated as a Level 1 trauma center

One of New York City’s Health + Hospitals’ (NYC H+H) eleven acute care hospitals, Jacobi Medical Center (JMC) is one of the busiest Level 1 trauma centers in New York City, and a leader in trauma and surgical critical care delivery. JMC is home to one of only three burn centers in New York City. General Surgery Residents spend about one-third of their time at Jacobi Medical Center, gaining independence and graduated autonomy while rotating on the trauma, Surgical Intensive Care Unit (SICU), burn unit, general surgery and vascular and thoracic services. 


 

Jacobi Medical Center houses the Institute of Medical Simulation and Advanced Learning (iMSAL), where our residents gain experience with frequent trauma simulations, including the innovative Cut Suit program. Additional educational opportunities include weekly Morbidity and Mortality (M&M) conferences, monthly journal club, and multidisciplinary conferences with emergency medicine and orthopedics. Jacobi Medical Center is also home to the Warren Wetzel Trauma/Emergency Medicine Symposium, which is the only annual trauma conference in the region and draws some of the biggest names in the field as visiting professors. 


 

At Montefiore, you will be surrounded by attendings who are committed to providing evidence-based care and fellow residents who will inspire you to give your utmost to our patients and their families. Here, you will train to become a leader in surgery.

Rachel Grosser, MD

General Surgery Resident, PGY5

Offering patients a range of programs and specialty services

During surgical rotations at Wakefield Campus, General Surgery Residents gain valuable teaching and operating experience and fine-tune their skills with challenging consultations and exposure to a wide variety of surgical pathology. Wakefield caters to a large number of local Bronx nursing homes and a full-time geriatrics service, and handles a high volume of elderly surgical patient referrals. The Wakefield emergency room runs 24/7, catering to EMS ambulance intake and community walk-ins. 

We hold surgical clinic every Tuesday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., and cases are typically scheduled in the OR afterwards. Residents are exposed to an acute care surgical case mix including appendicitis, cholecystitis, diverticulitis, intestinal obstructions, perforations and all Level 2 surgical emergencies. Operating experience is distributed among the senior and junior residents based on their technical capabilities, however a large case volume offers junior residents the opportunity to operate. 


 

An ambulatory surgery center and specialty care location

Hutchinson Campus is a highly streamlined ambulatory care center that delivers efficient, patient-focused care. Residents spend time at Hutchinson during their dedicated ambulatory surgery months, as well as on select other services that intermittently have cases here. This state-of-the-art building encompasses several floors of medical offices, three dedicated floors for our outpatient surgical center and twelve spacious operating rooms (ORs). 

Hutchinson Campus provides fast turn-over as an ambulatory center, sometimes completing six or seven procedures per day in each operating room, which allows for a busy and intense surgical training experience. Residents are given experience with a range of procedures, including laparoscopic cholecystectomies, inguinal hernia repairs and anorectal procedures. Without inpatients, there is no need for daily rounding and weekend calls, allowing residents to dedicate extra time to research and studying.


 

A world-renowned faculty

W. Scott Melvin, MD

Vice Chairman, Clinical Surgery
Chief, General Surgery
Director, Advanced Gastrointestinal Surgery
Professor, Surgery

Abier A. Abdelnaby, MD

Director, General Surgery Residency Program
Director, Colon and Rectal Surgical Services
Associate Professor, Surgery

Sheldon M. Feldman, MD

Chief, Division of Breast Surgery & Breast Surgical Oncology
Director, Breast Cancer Services
Professor, Surgery

Edward Chao, MD, FACS

Director, Surgical Critical Care Fellowship Program
Site Director, Surgical Clerkship, Jacobi Medical Center
Assistant Professor, Surgery

Helen T. Davido, MD

Associate Director, General Surgery Residency Program
Associate Professor, Surgery

Vance L. Smith, MD

Surgeon, Acute Care Surgery
Assistant Professor, Surgery

Steven H. Borenstein, MD

Surgeon, Pediatrics
Assistant Professor, Surgery

Milan M. Kinkhabwala, MD, FACS

Chief, Transplantation Surgery
Director, Abdominal Transplantation
Director, Hepatobiliary Cancer
Professor, Surgery and Medicine

A new generation of future leaders

Robin Berk, MD

General Surgery Resident

Devin Midura, MD

General Surgery Resident

Arturo Estrada, MD

General Surgery Resident

Rajika Jindani, MD

General Surgery Resident

Gina Kim, MD

General Surgery Resident

Ryan Chin, MD

General Surgery Resident

Miriam Steinberger, MD

General Surgery Resident

Sheng Chow, MD

General Surgery Resident

Tarik Phillips, MD

General Surgery Resident

A challenging and innovative curriculum

Our primary focus is to train residents to become leaders in surgery. To achieve this goal, each clinical rotation is designed with an education conference which supplements clinical experiences over the duration of the residency. Our surgical skills curriculum is anchored in the Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons (SAGES) and Association of Program Directors in Surgery (APDS) curriculum. To facilitate the acquisition of surgical skills, we use state-of-the-art simulation, including endoscopy, laparoscopy, porcine surgery labs and robotics. 

Research opportunities

We provide residents with a breadth of research opportunities across outcomes research, disparities research, trauma and critical care, cancer research, surgical innovation and cardiac research. Along with our structured research didactic program, we offer an NIH-T32 training program in surgical oncology research, which provides funded, structured and mentored time for aspiring scientists to focus on scientific inquiry. Our department highly encourages research through a yearly event dedicated to resident research, along with funding for residents at all levels to attend national conferences and present their research.  

Research sabbatical

After the PGY2, residents have the opportunity to take time off their clinical rotations for a two-year research sabbatical. Typically, three to four residents in any given class elect to take this sabbatical, and opt to find research at Montefiore Einstein or another lab or university. 

Didactics and education

All education programs have been consolidated and occur on Friday mornings between 7:00 a.m. and 11:00 a.m. At grand rounds, local, national and international experts deliver presentations in their specific areas of expertise. Residents participate in weekly morbidity and mortality conferences held at all Montefiore campuses and Jacobi Medical Center. Masters of Surgery lectures, which occur on the first Friday of every month, offer practicing physicians and nurses current information on the latest topics and controversies in surgery. 

SCORE Conference

Residents attend a Surgical Council on Resident Education (SCORE) conference organized by residents with faculty facilitators. The conference is centered around SCORE’s mission to improve the education of general surgery residents in the United States through the development of a standard national curriculum for general surgery residency training. The conference features a case-based discussion led by faculty experts in surgery and other disciplines, and a weekly quiz called “This Week In SCORE,” which allows residents to assess their learning and integrate weekly reading with case conferences. 

Montefiore Institute for Minimally Invasive Surgery training sessions

Located on the Moses Campus, Montefiore Institute for Minimally Invasive Surgery (MIMIS) is a comprehensive and state-of-the-art minimally invasive training center housing the latest technologies in both laparoscopic and endoscopic surgery. A schedule of training sessions has been arranged for residents to facilitate their passing of the Fundamentals of Laparoscopic Surgery (FLS) and the Fundamentals of Endoscopic Surgery (FES) exams. These sessions are proctored by board-certified minimally invasive surgery physicians and MIMIS’s dedicated staff. Montefiore Einstein has been designated as a testing site for both the FLS and the FES.
 

An unmatched diversity of experience

As a premier academic medical center serving the Bronx, Westchester and the Hudson Valley, Montefiore Einstein offers its postgraduate trainees comprehensive exposure to a broad diversity of patients and pathologies. The diverse range of experience available prepares our postgraduate trainees for future careers in their chosen field, be it in the research or clinical and/or non-clinical setting.

Hear from our residents and faculty

As one of the top 10 largest medical and surgical training programs in the country, Montefiore Einstein provides postgraduate clinical training to more than 1,400 residents across 106 accredited residency and fellowship programs. Here, our postgraduate trainees share their own first-hand experiences.

Live and work close to the best of everything

The Bronx, New York City’s northernmost borough, is a culturally rich neighborhood placed at the intersection of Manhattan and its surrounding regions. Our postgraduate trainees typically live in hospital housing or off-site in nearby Riverdale, Lower Westchester or Manhattan, and have access to an unmatched diversity of experiences beyond the program itself. 

In the Bronx, with its ample parks and gardens, you’ll learn first-hand why it’s known as “the City’s Greenest Borough.” The neighborhood offers plenty of local food, art, sports and culture, and is just a subway ride away from Manhattan’s famed theaters, museums and attractions. 

As a resident of the Tri-State region, you’ll have unmatched access to the city’s cultural offerings, not to mention the bounty of outdoor excursions that are available just beyond. Day-trips and weekend excursions to the Hudson Valley, Catskills, Long Island or New Jersey provide ample opportunities for swimming, hiking, biking, skiing and other seasonal activities. 

Drag map or zoom to explore things to do in the Bronx, Manhattan and beyond. 

Residency Application Information

We’re seeking residents who will shape the future of healthcare.

If you would like to apply to become a General Surgery Resident at Montefiore Einstein, please coordinate with the Dean’s Office at your medical school to submit your application materials via ERAS. Our application deadline is December 1, 2020—no exceptions. In order to apply, you must complete the Common Application Form (CAF) on ERAS, which includes the following:

  • Dean’s Letter, also known as the Medical Student Performance Evaluation (MSPE)
  • Medical school transcript with current surgery grades
  • At least three letters of recommendation
  • Personal statement
  • USMLE Step 1 scores (Step 2 scores are not required, but should be shared if you have them)
  • Color photo

Montefiore Einstein sponsors visas for graduates of medical schools outside the United States and Canada. Interviews for international applicants will only be offered if these additional qualifications are met:

  • Applicant must have a current valid certificate from the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG)
  • Applicant must be no more than two years out of medical school
  • Applicant must have at least one year of clinical experience in the United States 
     

Montefiore Einstein recognizes that having a diverse and inclusive institution is critical to success, and we reaffirm our fervent commitment to fostering a culture in which diversity is a central tenet.
 

Have questions? Get in touch.

Abier A. Abdelnaby, MD, FACS, FASCRS
Director, General Surgery Residency Program
aabdelnaby@montefiore.org

Sebrina McKelvey
Administrator, General Surgery Residency Program
smckelve@montefiore.org

Danielle S. Govan
Director Postgraduate Education
Department of Surgery
Department of Cardiothoracic & Vascular Surgery
dgovan@montefiore.org

Debra Chambers
Administrator, General Surgery Residency Program
dechambe@montefiore.org

Learn more about the Montefiore Einstein Department of Surgery