Welcome from the Chair of Surgery and Program Director
Kfir Ben-David, MD, FACS
Professor and Chair, Department of Surgery and Program Director, General Surgery Residency Program
Welcome to the Florida Atlantic University Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine Department of Surgery. It is my privilege to introduce you to our General Surgery Residency Program and the educational philosophy that guides every aspect of our training.
At FAU, we are committed to developing the next generation of exceptional surgeons through a culture founded on excellence, innovation, accountability, professionalism, and compassionate patient-centered care. Our mission extends far beyond teaching operative technique. We strive to cultivate surgical leaders who demonstrate outstanding clinical judgment, technical mastery, intellectual curiosity, and an unwavering commitment to lifelong learning.
Our residents benefit from a comprehensive and diverse educational experience across multiple high-volume teaching hospitals. This broad clinical exposure encompasses the full spectrum of contemporary surgical practice, including emergency general surgery, trauma, surgical critical care, surgical oncology, colorectal surgery, vascular surgery, breast surgery, pediatric surgery, minimally invasive surgery, advanced robotic surgery, and multidisciplinary cancer care. Through progressive responsibility and close faculty mentorship, residents develop the confidence and competence required for independent surgical practice. Collectively, our residents perform and participate in more than 9,000 operative cases and procedures annually.
Education within our department extends well beyond the operating room. Residents participate in a robust academic curriculum that includes protected didactic conferences, multidisciplinary tumor boards, Morbidity and Mortality Conferences, Surgical Grand Rounds, simulation-based training, robotic skills education, cadaveric laboratory experiences, endoscopy instruction, evidence-based journal clubs, mock oral board examinations, quality improvement initiatives, and scholarly research. This curriculum is intentionally aligned with the ACGME Core Competencies, the SCORE Curriculum, and the requirements of the American Board of Surgery to ensure that every graduate is fully prepared for either independent practice or advanced fellowship training. We believe exceptional surgeons are developed through deliberate practice, meaningful feedback, academic inquiry, and personal accountability.
To further enhance resident development, we have incorporated a unique value-added year into our training paradigm. Typically completed following the third clinical year, this additional experience allows residents to pursue individualized academic and professional enrichment. Opportunities include dedicated research under nationally recognized mentors, an in-residency trauma and critical care fellowship, or pursuit of a one-year executive master’s degree in disciplines such as healthcare administration, public health, medical informatics, or the business of medicine. This distinctive opportunity enables our graduates to enter the next stage of their careers with advanced expertise and a significant competitive advantage.
Equally central to our mission are the values of professionalism, integrity, teamwork, service, and respect. We expect every resident to lead by example, communicate with compassion, embrace continuous self-improvement, and consistently place the welfare of patients above all else. These principles define the culture of our department and prepare our graduates to become respected leaders in both academic and community surgery.
Our faculty strongly embrace the philosophy of graduated autonomy. Through a carefully structured progression of responsibility from supervised foundational training in the PGY-1 year to near independent chief resident practice in the PGY-5 year. Our residents gain increasing levels of responsibility while maintaining accountability and ensuring patient safety. Our unique combination of academic and community-based training environments exposes residents to the full reality of modern surgical practice and prepares them for any career path they choose.
Surgical training represents a finite opportunity to acquire the knowledge, skills, judgment, and professionalism that will define an entire career. The effort, discipline, and commitment invested during residency will ultimately shape the surgeon you become.
Our Resident Manual outlines the educational framework of our program and reflects the expectations, standards, opportunities, and values that define surgical training at Florida Atlantic University. More importantly, it reflects our unwavering commitment to providing one of the most comprehensive, rigorous, and forward thinking surgical training environments in the nation.
Thank you for choosing to be part of the Florida Atlantic University Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine Department of Surgery. Together, we will advance excellence in patient care, education, research, and innovation while preparing the future leaders of American surgery.
Apply to General Surgery Residency
The Match
Thank you for your interest in our General Surgery Residency Program. The Program participates in the National Residency Matching Program [NRMP]. All applications for a surgery residency position need to be submitted through the Electronic Residency Application System [ERAS]. We are not able to accept applicants or to review or evaluate applications outside of this process. In any given year, the program participates in the match with up to 7 categorical positions and up to 5 preliminary resident positions.
- ERAS / NRMP Program Numbers for the FAU Charles E. Schmidt are 1586440C0 for Categorical Positions and 1586440P0 for Preliminary Positions.
- We will begin reviewing applications around September 30th of each year, and will not accept applications submitted or completed after December 1st
- Interview dates will be listed shortly.
- Interview invitations will be sent via ERAS in mid-October. We will invite as many applicants, as we have open interview spots.
- You can also find us on FREIDA.
Application Requirements
- Up-to-date CV [ERAS format]
- Complete ERAS common application
- Personal Statement
- 3-4 [preferred] letters of recommendation
- Dean's letter and Medical Student Performance Evaluation
- Transcripts
- USMLE/COMLEX step I and II [preferred, step II must be passed prior to rank list submission]
The ideal candidate for our program:
- will have a genuine desire to pursue training and a career in surgery, and a commitment to life-long learning and scholarship.
- has medical school performance evaluations that put him/her in the top 1/3 of the class, and USMLE scores at or above the national average for successfully matched candidates
- has demonstrated prior involvement in research and scholarship that has led to successful presentation or publication of his/her results.
The program currently will accept applications form qualified Osteopathic and International Medical Graduates, all candidates should have completed the USMLE/COMLEX step examinations. International medical graduates must have completed medical school without gaps and within the last two years, and ideally already have prior US experience.
The Interview Process
On the day of the interview, candidates will be given an overview of the program structure and goals, and will meet with the Program Coordinator, the Program Director, Core Faculty and some of our current residents. Our interviews remain virtual.
