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Group shot of general surgery residency program in Rochester, Minnesota, residents in an operating room. — General Surgery Residency in Rochester, Minnesota, residents in an operating room.

Graduate outcomes

The most important indicator of the success of a training program is found in the outcomes of the graduates upon completion of their training.

Every resident who has successfully completed the General Surgery Residency has been eligible for American Board of Surgery certification. The overall success rate of Mayo graduates in obtaining American Board of Surgery certification is 98%.

Of the physicians who graduated from this residency in the past eight years, 89% pursued additional fellowship training.

Mayo Clinic Surgical Society in Honor of James T. Priestly

Graduates of our program are eligible to join the Mayo Clinic Surgical Society in Honor of James T. Priestly, an alumni society for surgeons at all three sites who trained at Mayo or are current or former Mayo Clinic Department of Surgery staff members. We have more than 600 members worldwide, made up primarily of Mayo surgical alumni, who meet once a year for scientific exchange, as well as the renewal of friendships at social events.

100%

of residents who successfully completed the General Surgery Residency were eligible for the American Board of Surgery certification

98%

overall success rate of Mayo graduates in obtaining American Board of Surgery certification

89%

of graduates in the past eight years pursued additional fellowship training

Words from past alumni

Graduates of the General Surgery Residency reflect on their training at Mayo Clinic.

Adi Fahy, B.M.B.Ch., Ph.D.

Pediatric Surgery Fellowship at Hospital for Sick Kids – Toronto, Canada
Penn State Children’s Hospital – Hershey, PA

Did anything surprise you about Mayo's program? Yes, the strength and experience of the additional members of our health care team in the operating room, such as surgical scrub techs, surgical assistants, and operating room circulators. The vast experience that these team members draw on and the continuity they provide within the staff surgeon's practice make them such valuable resources in both patient care and in my training.

Also, that right from the start, our consultants begin to invest their time, energy and enthusiasm into training us interns, and treat us as part of their team, is just wonderful.

2020 graduate and current pediatric surgery fellow at Hospital for Sick Kids, Toronto, Canada

Nimesh Naik, M.D.

Colon and Rectal Surgery Fellowship at Mayo Clinic – Rochester, Minnesota

St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center – Phoenix, Arizona

What attracted you to Mayo’s program? The consultants here are incredibly invested in ensuring residents are successful when it comes to career aspirations, research, and other aspects of resident training. We have a robust simulation-based curriculum for intern residents which allows trainees the opportunity to practice simple technical skills, such as suturing and how to ligate vessels, to more complex tasks such as small bowel anastomosis and colon resections. The simulation curriculum covers over 40 different surgical-skill topics that will help you prepare for the operating theater, and more importantly, be successful!

2020 graduate and current colon and rectal surgery fellow at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN

John Zietlow, M.D.

Surgical Critical Care Fellowship at Mayo Clinic – Rochester, Minnesota

Mayo Clinic – Rochester, Minnesota

I really enjoyed the wide breadth of cases and specialties through the general surgery residency. The critical care fellowship prepared me well for a career in trauma and acute care surgery. I enjoy the four seasons of living in Rochester, Minnesota, and exploring the outdoors with my wife and two kids.

2021 graduate and current acute care surgeon and assistant professor of surgery at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN

Recent alumni

Learn more about our recent graduates.

Alumni name	Graduation year	Future plans
Darren Abbas, M.D.	Class of 2024	Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Fellowship, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center/Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
Matthew Aizpuru, M.D.	Class of 2024	General and Thoracic Surgery Residency Program, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN
Fazal Khan, M.B.B.S.	Class of 2024	Cardiothoracic Surgery Fellowship, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN
Mitra Khosravi Flanigan, M.D.	Class of 2024	Cardiothoracic Surgery Fellowship, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN
Anita Nguyen, M.B.B.S., M.S.	Class of 2024	Cardiothoracic Surgery Fellowship, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN
Annaliese Seidel, M.D.	Class of 2024	Rural General Surgery Practice, Mayo Clinic Health System
Omair Shariq, M.B.B.S., M.S.	Class of 2024	Endocrine Surgery Fellowship, the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX as a Mayo Foundation Scholar
Vineeth Sudhindran, M.B.B.S.	Class of 2024	Abdominal Transplant Surgery Fellowship, Tampa General Hospital, Tampa, FL
Jennifer Yonkus, M.D.	Class of 2024	Pediatric Surgery Fellowship, University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston, TX
EeeLN Buckarma, M.D.	Class of 2023	Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN Surgical Oncology Fellowship, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN
Francisco Cardenas Lara, M.D.	Class of 2023	Colon and Rectal Surgery Fellowship, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN Mayo Clinic Health System, Eau Claire, WI
Roderick Davis, M.D.	Class of 2023	Critical Care/Trauma Fellowship, Houston Methodist Hospital, Houston, TX Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN
Brandon Douglass, M.D.	Class of 2023	General Surgery, Lake Chelan Health Hospital, Chelan, WA
Andreas Polycarpou, M.D.	Class of 2023	Cardiothoracic Surgery Fellowship, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN
Nathaniel Robinson, M.D.	Class of 2023	Cardiothoracic Surgery Fellowship, Mayo Clinic – Rochester, MN
Michael Traynor, Jr., M.D., M.P.H.	Class of 2023	Pediatric Surgery Fellowship, Primary Children’s Hospital, Salt Lake City, UT
Rebecca Zhu, M.D.	Class of 2023	Surgical Critical Care Fellowship, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX
Ahmed Alsayed, M.D.	Class of 2022	Plastic Surgery Fellowship, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH
Elvis Camacho, M.D.	Class of 2022	Cardiothoracic Surgery Fellowship, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN Mercy Heart Hospital, Springfield, MO
Jennifer Leiting, M.D.	Class of 2022	Hepatobiliary and Pancreas Surgery Fellowship, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN
Nicholas McKenna, M.D.	Class of 2022	Colon and Rectal Surgery Fellowship at Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN
David Moravec, M.D.	Class of 2022	General Surgery Practice, Phelps Health, Rolla, MO
Erek Nelson, M.D.	Class of 2022	Complex General Surgery Oncology Fellowship, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, Orchard Park, NY Brooke Army Medical Center, Houston, TX
Robby Pride, M.D.	Class of 2022	Breast Surgical Oncology Fellowship, Harvard University, Boston, MA Sky Ridge Medical Center, Lone Tree, CO
Raffaele Rocco, M.D.	Class of 2022	Cardiothoracic Surgery Fellowship at Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN
Trey Rogers, M.D.	Class of 2022	Vascular and Endovascular Surgery Fellowship, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN HonorHealth, Scottsdale, AZ
Alaa Sada, M.D.	Class of 2022	Endocrine Surgery Fellowship, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN University of Pittsburgh Physicians, Pittsburgh, PA
Thomas Szabo Yamashita, M.D.	Class of 2022	Endocrine Surgery Fellowship,M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX Emory, Atlanta, GA
Rob Wendt, M.D.	Class of 2022	General Surgery Practice, Mayo Clinic Health System Franciscan Healthcare, La Crosse, WI

Additional training

Graduates of the General Surgery Residency program are highly competitive for fellowship training programs at Mayo Clinic and throughout the United States.

Mayo Clinic offers surgery specialty fellowships that complement the General Surgery Residency program.

These fellowships offer in-depth, daily, one-on-one training with a consultant and the opportunity to increase your surgical, supervisory, and administrative skills. During your residency, you can talk with your faculty adviser about these opportunities.

Graduation of Mayo Clinic residents and fellows

Mayo Clinic Alumni Association

The Mayo Clinic Alumni Association will help you stay in touch with your Mayo Clinic colleagues, maintain a valuable professional connection to Mayo Clinic throughout your medical and/or research career, participate in continuing medical education, and more.

Learn more