Education

Letter from Program Director

Dear Interested Applicant,

Thank you for your interest in the Vascular Surgery Training program here at Stanford.  We are proud to share our world class educational opportunity with you. 

Our mission put simply, is to train the future leaders of Academic Vascular Surgery.  To that effect we  sponsor a fully-accredited 0+5 integrated residency and a two-year traditional fellowship.  Both programs provide a comprehensive exposure to cutting-edge clinical training, research mentorship, professionalism, diversity and leadership provided by and nurtured by our amazing group of faculty and staff here at Stanford.

Our current philosophy revolves around the concept of individualized professional development, focusing on personalized mentorship provided by faculty with access to opportunities within a wide variety of clinical and research interests. We promote excellence in all our trainees, staff, and faculty, and celebrate the diversity of our vascular team. We believe this educational framework and approach maximizes the future career potential of each of our trainees and have proof of this as seen by a growing list of alumni’s from the program with phenomenally successful careers and leadership positions throughout the country.

The Stanford 0+5 integrated residency began in 2008, and has received full accreditation each review. As the fifth program of its kind approved by the Residency Review Committee, we have consistently been leaders in program development, curriculum improvement, and training innovation. Integration of a skills curriculum and efforts related to surgical simulation have resulted in an unparalleled focus on trainee education.  A unique aspect of our training program is the experience of a variety of hospital systems. Residents rotate through the tertiary care center at Stanford Hospital as well as the Veterans Affairs Hospital in Palo Alto and a county experience in Santa Clara. Occasionally community-based electives are also available. In addition we have the only international rotation approved by the American Board of Surgery to count towards case volume requirements if that opportunity entices you.

Since 2012 we have included a two-year professional development requirement to our residency program. This effectively makes our integrated program a 7-year training program; vital to what we feel best prepares trainees for the rigors of an academic surgical career and in line with our mission to train the future leaders of American vascular surgery. The opportunities for research training are plentiful and varied at Stanford University, and include involvement of our own T32 Vascular Biology program with over 100 independent investigators that can serve as mentors.  Stanford’s world-class Biodesign program also offers opportunities in entrepreneurship and the Department of Surgery’s focus on education provides pathways for education and simulation research. We will fully support the trainee to explore and achieve their individual goal of professional development experience in preparation for their future academic career.

The Stanford 2-year fellowship is equally set up for the highest-level training and professional/academic development.  We emphasize team-leadership, complex open and endovascular training, and exposure to the latest technology available in clinical trials for our patients.  Fellows are exposed also to the variety of experiences at our various sites and get exposed to the full range of complex vascular interventions.

Both programs benefit greatly from our significant collaboration with our surgical oncology colleagues, spine surgeons, and sports medicine program provides excellent open abdominal operative exposure as well as niche training in thoracic outlet syndrome and vascular sports disorders. Our wound care center and Stanford Extremity Preservation Program (STEP) also provide patients with end-stage limb salvage problems requiring complex open and endovascular reconstruction strategies. All of our prior trainees have finished their training in the 90th percentile for most of the defined categories, and have attained extremely successful clinical careers.

In summary, we believe that the training provided by Stanford Vascular Surgery is thoughtful, rigorous, cutting-edge and comprehensive in terms of our goal of training future academic leaders in our specialty. The collaboration we have with our colleagues allows for world-class treatment of patients, and this high expectation towards patient care and innovation underscores the strong tradition of vascular surgery training at Stanford.

Please contact us if you have any more questions.

Sincerely,

Venita Chandra, MD
Clinical Associate Professor of Surgery
Program Director, Vascular Surgery Residency/Fellowship

EDUCATION/ FELLOWSHIP OPPORTUNITIES