Education

It is only in the last several years that vascular surgery has evolved into a well-defined and highly specialized field. The demand for practitioners in this field has been steadily growing over the last decade, and so too has the need for high-quality training of vascular surgeons. Our vascular surgery program has enjoyed a distinct identity for over 20 years, and the practice has grown to encompass the entire gamut of surgical and interventional procedures associated with this specialty. The faculty is strongly committed to being on the leading edge of the field and to ensuring that our trainees are among the finest in the nation.

The program emphasizes broad-based clinical training. It is based in two tertiary care hospitals, and residents will also rotate at a large community hospital. We perform a large number of tertiary care cases, but we have also a very strong representation of “bread and butter” vascular surgery cases. Because of this, we believe that our graduates will be well positioned to treat both routine and complex vascular surgery problems that they encounter in their practice. In the year ending June 2010, our group performed over 2000 surgical cases.

Additionally, we have numerous opportunities for trainees to participate in both clinical and basic research.

We are very pleased that we can offer ACGME-accredited training through both a traditional 5+2 pathway and the more recently approved integrated 0+5 pathway. 

Cardiovascular Training/"Wet" Lab

A special feature of our program is the Cardiovascular "Wet" Lab held four times each year in the Cardiovascular Training Lab at Allegheny General Hospital.  General Surgery, Thoracic Surgery, Cardiac Surgery and Vascular Surgery house staff are invited to these sessions to practice suturing and other procedures on pig hearts and valves.  Photos of vascular surgery house staff and faculty from recent wet labs are shown below: