The residency program within Dell Medical School’s Department of Neurosurgery was accredited in early 2022, and we matched our first resident to start in June. The clinical and academic support for the program is quite strong, with training taking place across three hospitals (two adult and one pediatric) and education led by faculty members who are enthusiastic about the new program. There are more cases than the residents will be able to do, which allows us the luxury of assigning rotations based on specialty training, with backup from our highly skilled advanced practice professionals. Additionally, the training environment is highly collaborative, with faculty members in several other departments participating in education and training. The program’s faculty includes professionals in general surgery, plastic surgery, otolaryngology, neuroradiology, neuro-ophthalmology, orthopaedic surgery and neurology (general, stroke, neurocritical care and child neurology).
The opportunities for research during the dedicated PGY-5 year span a wide spectrum of clinical and translational areas, with extensive collaboration by nonclinical departments at The University of Texas at Austin. These include biomedical and mathematical engineering, neuroscience, cancer and basic radiology. In the PGY-6 year as chief resident, trainees will design a “transition to practice” year for the PGY-7 year in the program. With all of this in place, we feel that this residency program, though brand new, offers thorough and outstanding preparation for either academic or private practice careers.
Sincerely,
Nicholas M. Barbaro, M.D
Professor & Chair, Department of Neurosurgery
Assistant Dean for Graduate Medical Education Strategy, Department of Medical Education