Welcome to the Loma Linda University Health General Surgery Residency program. I invite you get a glimpse of what it is like to train in our world class facilities and the exceptional educational opportunities curated for our residents.

We are an academic surgery program graduating 6 chief residents each year with a total of 48 diverse and energetic residents who rotate at 6 well-established teaching hospitals.  Over the past five years, our graduating chief residents have performed an average of 973 major cases including 284 advanced robotic and laparoscopic cases, 18 liver resections, and 10 pancreas resections during their training. About half of the training is at LLUMC (Level 1 Trauma Center and CoC Cancer Center) with robust experience at additional sites including our stand alone Children’s Hospital (Level 1 Pediatric Trauma Center) and a global surgery rotation in Malawi, Africa. The diversity of these settings and patient populations gives our residents a broad, well-rounded clinical experience highlighting ethical issues and disparities as well as state-of-the art innovative training. We have an incredible team consisting of an Academic Manager, two Program Coordinators, and three incredibly gifted Associate Program Directors who are all passionate about resident education.

We have protected weekly didactics on Wednesdays with SCORE lectures, Surgery QI Committee, Grand Rounds, and M&M conference. In addition, each division has their own teaching conference as well as journal clubs, anatomy lab, simulation training, robotic curriculum, and surgical ethics conference which highlight the value we place in education.

Educational Assignments

• PGY-1 residents are assigned approximately 6 months in general and acute care surgery and 6 months in subspecialty rotations (surgical oncology, pediatric surgery, colorectal surgery, gastroenterology, transplant, urology, research)
• PGY-2 residents are assigned to SICU, burn, general and acute care surgery, pediatric surgery, and vascular surgery.
• PGY-3 residents are assigned to general and acute care surgery, head and neck surgery, thoracic surgery, vascular surgery and pediatric surgery.
• PGY-4 residents are assigned senior level responsibilities on general and acute care surgery, surgical oncology, transplant, and vascular surgery.  They also have the opportunity to do a fully supported global surgery rotation in Malawi, the warm heart of Africa.
• PGY-5 chiefs are assigned to general and acute care surgery, surgical oncology, and colorectal surgery at LLUMC and at the VA.

Residents describe our training program as collegial, supportive, and comprehensive. As your program director, my responsibility is to ensure that you receive the best possible training while challenging you to become stronger each day clinically, technically, professionally, and personally to fulfill your purpose of relieving suffering and restoring health. Our Promise to our faculty and trainees is based on 7 pillars representing the core values of our institution: Compassion, Excellence, Humility, Integrity, Justice, Teamwork, and Wholeness.

Dedicated research time is available for two years after the PGY3 year.  Several faculty members have ongoing research projects in clinical, translational, outcomes, quality of life, surgical education, and global surgery. We participate in many clinical trials and have access to national surgery databases which serve as a robust source of research opportunities. We encourage applicants to apply to the Research track for those who are interested in an academic career.

We are extremely proud of our graduates with over 80% pursuing fellowship and matching in top echelon programs in the field of trauma/critical care, thoracic, complex general surgical oncology, pediatric surgery, colorectal surgery, minimally invasive surgery, transplant, and vascular surgery. Many now hold faculty positions in academic programs, however, the majority of our alumni are currently in community practice across the country or dedicated to full time global surgery work overseas.

Living in Southern California is pleasant, and we fully support resident wellness and wholeness with local recreational opportunities for everyone.  Los Angeles, the hub for entertainment and social events, is only a short drive away.  Beaches, restaurants and shopping are plentiful in Orange County or San Diego. Skiing and hiking in the local mountains and desert are popular for the outdoor enthusiast. Cost of living and traffic are significantly less than Los Angeles or other major metropolitan areas but slightly higher than the suburbs of the Midwest or the South.

Surgery residency is a long and arduous journey, but we would love to guide and mentor you through the next five years and beyond. If you share our values and see yourself being a part of our mission, please reach out to us for more information. Best wishes on this exciting chapter in your life!

Jukes P. Namm, MD, FACS
Program Director, General Surgery Residency