A Message from the Chairman

Welcome to the Department of Surgery at The University of Arizona College of Medicine. Whether you are a prospective patient, a residency or fellowship applicant, or a referring physician, this Web site will describe the many facets of the Department and the exciting developments in cutting edge research, education and patient care. Our mission is threefold: to provide our patients high quality, cost effective and compassionate clinical care; to train the next generation of surgical leaders; and to advance the field of surgery through translational research.

Patients are our highest priority in the Department of Surgery. Performing state-of-the-art procedures from minimally invasive laparoscopy to complex living donor transplantations, our surgeons offer compassionate treatment as well as the most advanced techniques. We are committed to maintaining the highest surgical standards, serving as a resource to the community inside and outside of Arizona, and working as a team with referring physicians to offer the best possible health care.

Our Department spreads over three medical centers – University Medical Center, University Physicians Hospital and the Southern Arizona Veterans Administration Health Care System. Our surgeons provide care within seven specialties – General Surgery, including Trauma and Emergency Surgery and Surgical Oncology; Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery; Abdominal Transplantation (kidney, pancreas, liver, and bowel from deceased and living donors); Vascular Surgery; Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery; Neurosurgery; and Urology. Many of our fulltime faculty members are nationally and internationally recognized in their areas of expertise, serving as members of surgical societies, specialty boards and editorial boards of peer-reviewed journals.

Our surgeons also provide the highest level of educational experiences to medical students, residents and fellows through the Department’s clerkship, residency and fellowship programs. The Department’s residency programs in General Surgery, Urology, and Neurosurgery, and fellowships in Vascular Surgery and Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery, are fully accredited by the Graduate Medical Education Committee, and we compete well in the matching process. Residency graduates obtain positions in prominent fellowships and many pursue careers in academic surgery.

Basic and clinical research by faculty and residents is key to the mission of the Department of Surgery and the UA College of Medicine. We strive to be on the forefront of scientific and technical innovation. We are dedicated to developing centers of excellence in each of the surgical specialties to advance medical knowledge and to improve treatment options.

We encourage you to explore our Web site, which details our clinical, educational and research programs and our faculty. Thank you for visiting the UA Department of Surgery!

Sincerely,

Rainer Gruessner, MD
Professor and Chairman
Department of Surgery
UA College of Medicine