Overview
Status: Continued Accreditation
Effective date: January 5, 2022
Residency Complement
Maximum Number of Residents: 24
Residents per Level: 10 – 5 – 3 – 3 – 3
Categorical: 3 – 3 – 3 – 3 – 3
Preliminary: 7 – 2 – 0 – 0 – 0
Scope of Service
The Department of Surgery is committed to ensuring high-quality, respectful and accessible healthcare services for all patients through its multidisciplinary healthcare team.
Organization of the Residency Program
Chair: Pratibha Vemulapalli, MD
Program Director: Romulo Genato, MD
Associate Program Director: Luca Milone, MD
Residency Coordinator: Alicia Resabala
Program Evaluation Committee Chair: Irene Lou, MD
Clinical Competency Committee Chair: Cynthia Chen, DO
Wellness Committee Chair: Luca Milone, MD
Scholarly Activities Committee Chair: Brian Gilchrist, MD
Education Day Chair: Luca Milone, MD
Mentorship Program: Cynthia Chen, DO
Ombudsman, Resident Concerns/Grievances/Problems: Mahalingam Sivakumar, MD
Divisions
- Bariatric Surgery
- Colon & Rectal Surgery
- Endocrine Surgery
- General Surgery
- Hand Surgery
- Head & Neck Surgery
- Neurosurgery
- Orthopedic Surgery
- Otolaryngology
- Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery
- Podiatry
- Thoracic Surgery
- Trauma/Critical Surgery
- Vascular Surgery
- Robotic Surgery
Faculty
Armand Asarian, MD, FACS, General/Colorectal Surgery
Steven Burger, MD, FACS, General Surgery
Alberto Cayton, MD, General Surgery
Nadeem Chaudry, MD, FACS, Hand/Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery
Cynthia Chen, DO, Breast Surgery
Anders Cohen, DO, Neurosurgery
Henry Ferstenberg, MD, General Surgery
Joseph Fetto, MD, Orthopedic Surgery (Sports Medicine, Foot, Hip)
Romulo Genato, MD, FACS, Breast/General Surgery
Brian Gilchrist, MD, FACS, Pediatric Surgery
Ardeshir Hakami-Kermani, MD, Thoracic Surgery
Irena Karanetz, MD, Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery
Steven Kushnick, MD, ENT/Head & Neck Surgery
Sam Kwauk, MD, FACS, Surgical Oncology
Irene Lou, MD, General/Endocrine Surgery
Nelson Mezenes, MD, FACS, Vascular Surgery
Luca Milone, MD, FACS, Minimally Invasive General/Robotic Surgery
Mahalingam Sivakumar, MD, Vascular Surgery
Uzoma Ukomadu, MD, Orthopedic and Hand Surgery
Pratibha Vemulapalli, MD, FACS, Minimally Invasive General/Bariatric Surgery
Jaime Yun, MD, Thoracic Surgery
Major Changes and Updates
Two new surgeons joined the Department of Surgery in the 2022-2023 academic year:
- Kristen Bridges, MD, Bariatric Surgery
- Danny Sherwinter, MD, Chief of Surgery, Mount Sinai Brooklyn
Such additions contribute to the teaching and case volume of the program.
The Program Evaluation Committee decided to change the mentorship to a voluntary program. Any resident can reach out and be assigned a mentor of their choice. Cynthia Chen, DO, is chair of the voluntary mentorship program.
An Orthopedic Rotation was instituted under the Sponsoring Institution's Orthopedic Division on July 1, 2021. Surgical residents in the PGY 1 or PGY 2 level rotate in the Orthopedic Division for one month. Such rotation is under the direct supervision of Dr. Joseph Fetto, Chief of the Orthopedic Division at The Brooklyn Hospital Center. As of July 1, 2022, orthopedic residents from an orthopedic program outside of the sponsoring institution started to rotate at The Brooklyn Hospital Center. The Program Evaluation Committee decided to discontinue the resident rotation in orthopedic surgery.
The $25 million upgrade of the emergency room is 85% complete. Included are 11 negative pressure rooms, which contain specially designed airflow that doesn’t allow contagious diseases to exit. The ED will gain its own CT scanner, and the trauma and acute care areas will be renovated, which will include the construction of a four-bed resuscitation area. Such a renovation will enhance the educational experience of the surgical residents in the management of emergency surgical patients including trauma.
The results of the ABS passing rate of our recent graduates for the past four years shows excellent results. The 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022 graduates Qualifying Exam first-time pass rate resulted in an 8/8, 100% passing rate (Shaan Alam, MD; Philip Kramer, MD; Young Lee, MD; Laure Poliakin, MD; Sara Saad El Dein, MD; Christina Sharon, MD; Allyne Topaz, MD; Gregory Zielenski, MD). The 2019-2021 graduates Certifying Exam first-time pass rate resulted in a 4/5, 80% passing rate (Young Lee, MD; Laure Poliakin, MD; Christina Sharon, MD; Allyne Topaz, MD). The 2022 graduates are scheduled to take the CE in November 2022.
Curriculum
The Surgical Council for Resident Education (SCORE) curriculum is a national curriculum for the education of residents in general surgery. It is designed to define the specialty of general surgery and provide greater assurance that residents are receiving sufficient training in all areas. It focuses on the five years of progressive education and training that constitute general surgery residency in the United States. The curriculum is developed in accordance with the six competencies expected of a graduating resident: patient care, medical knowledge, professionalism, interpersonal and communication skills, practice-based learning, and system-based practice.
Tools for Education
- SCORE — All residents have a subscription to the SCORE curriculum for 24/7 access
- Fundamentals of Surgery Curriculum
- Simulation Center located on the 3rd floor adjacent to the Auditorium
- Skills Lab — There are two skills labs for the surgical residents located on the 8th floor of the hospital with eight computers, two FLS trainers, a lounge area with TV and cable, and each room has a refrigerator and coffee machine
- In addition, there is a study lab for the residents located in front of the operating room with four computers
- Subscription to TrueLearn question bank
- Surgical Education and Self-Assessment Program (SESAP)
- Clinical Scenarios in Surgery for Chief Residents
General Surgery Education Day
- 7 to 8 am: This Week In SCORE (TWIS). This is a weekly topic covering the SCORE curriculum for a two-year cycle. A senior resident presents the topic with quizzes at the end. This is under the attendance and supervision of the Program Director and Associate Director
- 8 to 9 am: Mortality & Morbidity Conference/Grand Rounds
- 9 to 10 am: Clinical Conference by the Program Director or Mock Orals
- 10 to 11 am: Lecture given by a faculty attending on surgical topics or Journal Club
- 11 am to 12 noon: GME-related lectures (infection control, wellness and burnout, wound care, DVT, quality and safety issues, documentation problems, coding and billing)
- 12 to 3 pm: Skills lab session in the Simulation Center for selected residents
Thursday is Education Day for all the general surgery residents. This is protected time for the residents (the physician assistants and house physicians cover for the residents during this period).
