Program Details

Program Accreditation

ACGME Continued Accreditation Status (with commendation for demonstrated substantial compliance with ACGME requirements and zero citations)

Program History

Our program has a nearly 70-year history of graduate medical education, established in 1953.

Residents Enrolled in the Program

14 residents (10 Categorical, 4 Preliminary Surgery)

Program Faculty

Amy Braddock, MD (Program Director) 
Charles Schwartz, MD (Associate Program Director) 
Firas Karmo, MD (Core Faculty Member) 
Alicia Kieninger, MD (Trauma Medical Director/Director SCC) 
Malik McKany, MD (Core Faculty Member) 
Robert Robinson, MD (Chair, Division of General Surgery) 
Daniel Sullivan, MD (Core Faculty Member) 
Bashar Yaldo, MD (Core Faculty Member)

Program Coordinator

 
Tracy Davis

Clinical Training Sites

Trinity Health Oakland Hospital (Pontiac, MI)

Trinity Health Oakland is a 497-bed community teaching hospital, Level II trauma center and longtime leader in health care in Oakland County. Case volume consists of broad-based general surgery, including minimally invasive, bariatrics, ENT, plastics, colorectal, cardiothoracic, vascular, and robotics. The hospital campus features a surgical pavilion, south patient tower with 204 private rooms and recently renovated mother-baby unit. Residents complete the majority of their training at this hospital.

Beaumont Hospital (Royal Oak, MI)

Beaumont Hospital, Royal Oak is a 1,131-bed major academic and referral center with Level I adult trauma and Level II pediatric trauma designation. Residents complete a pediatric surgery rotation at this site during their 3rd year in the program.

Ascension St. John Hospital

Ascension St. John Hospital is a 776-bed teaching facility and is a regional trauma center. Residents complete a one-month rotation on the transplant service at this site during their 3rd year in the program.

General Surgery Residency Program Structure

A resident entering into the program can expect an increasing level of responsibility throughout their five training years. The fifth post-graduate year of training provides the resident with ”Junior Attending” status by placing the resident in a position of leadership for one of two general surgery services and the Staff Surgery outpatient clinic. Scholarly activity is emphasized, with every resident completing at least one major research project leading to a presentation or publication.

Residents at all levels will find a large volume of diverse cases available to them. Residents perform 250 to 300 major operations as Chief Resident and 900 to 1,000 major operations throughout the five-year program. Our program provides an excellent patient and case mix. We offer a large number of complex general and subspecialty cases, upper and lower endoscopy, and an increasing number of advanced laparoscopy and robotic cases.

The General Surgery program at Trinity Health Oakland adheres strictly to the ACGME policies and procedures regarding duty hours. In-house night call is conducted in a team atmosphere with assistance from more senior residents readily available.

Didactics Program

Our program at Trinity Health Oakland pioneered the formal teaching of basic surgical sciences within a community Surgical Residency Program. The teaching faculty of the General Surgery Residency Program has worked to continue to develop a structured didactic lecture series and conference schedule to complement the diverse experience gained through direct patient care and the operative experience for our residents. The Surgical Council On Resident Education (SCORE) curriculum is integrated into the academic program. To assure resident availability and attendance, conferences are held during the protected time.

Weekly Conferences

• Continuous Quality Improvement (M&M) 
  SCORE Lecture Series 
  Multidisciplinary Breast Tumor Board

Monthly Conferences

• Multidisciplinary GI Tumor Board
• Journal Club
• Research Meeting
• Anatomy Lab
• Surgical Simulation Labs
• Ethics Conference
• Basic Science Lecture Series
• Mock Orals

Schedules

You will find a link to our block diagram and sample schedules here.

Research Opportunities

Our residents have access to excellent research support through our Trinity Health Oakland Research Department. Trinity Health Oakland has a very active Institutional Review Board and IRB/Research Director, medical staff and a research statistician to assist with all research processes and projects. Regular classes in IRB submission, critical thinking and manuscript preparation are available for residents, students, and faculty at Trinity Health Oakland. Currently, we have 277 total approved studies; our residents routinely publish in peer-reviewed medical journals and present award-winning projects at local, regional and national conferences.

Our clinical research department employs clinical research nurses who assist in conducting a wide variety of clinical studies. Currently, we have active trails on cardiovascular, neurology, and COVID-19, providing emergent treatment opportunities to our patients. Find more information about research at Trinity Health Oakland here.