Surgery Residency Program Director's Message

As Program Director, my charge is to constantly work to take the quality of surgical training to a higher level. The development and maintenance of excellence in surgical education is an ongoing process and one that has produced a track record of great success for Baystate graduates.

The tradition of education at this institution is a rich one. We have historically been at the forefront of undergraduate and postgraduate medical training endeavors at local, regional, and national levels. Among the noteworthy achievements are:

• 100% first time pass rate on the American Board of Surgery Qualifying and Certifying Exams
• Certification of our Simulation Center as a Level I American College of Surgeons Accredited Education Institutes Comprehensive Education Institute
• The Goldberg Lab's status as an FLS and an FES Testing Center
• Faculty members' past and ongoing contributions to surgical education
• Faculty leadership roles in regional and national organizations focused on surgical education

The magnitude of our responsibility to the residents at Baystate is enormous. Faculty members’ commitment is evident in both the quality of the teaching that residents receive and their participation in the comprehensive curriculum. Structured advisorships with faculty members are established from the first day of residency, but we facilitate transitions to strong professional mentorships aimed at helping residents achieve their career goals.

Resident wellness and resiliency have together been a major area of programmatic focus, understanding that progress toward a great educational outcome for a surgeon in training should not be to the detriment of health or happiness.

Completion of training at Baystate has positioned graduates to enter highly competitive fellowship training positions, and graduates of the Program have gone on to highly successful careers in academic, community, international, and military practice.

 Neal E. Seymour, MD
Vice Chair for Education, Department of Surgery
Medical Director, Baystate Simulation Center
Professor of Surgery, UMass Chan Medical School-Baystate