For general surgeons aiming to specialize in the high-stakes realm of emergency medical situations, Acute Care Surgery Programs represent the pinnacle of advanced surgical training. Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH), a Level I adult trauma center verified by the ACS Committee on Trauma and an adult burn center recognized by the American Burn Association, proudly offers a leading Acute Care Surgery Fellowship. Managing over 2,000 adult trauma patients and 1,500 non-trauma emergency surgery cases annually, BWH provides an unparalleled training ground for aspiring acute care surgeons.
The Brigham and Women’s Hospital’s Acute Care Surgery and Surgical Critical Care Fellowship is structured as a one or two-year intensive program. The first year is dedicated to the ACGME-accredited Surgical Critical Care Fellowship, ensuring fellows are eligible for the ABS Certificate in Surgical Critical Care. For those seeking deeper expertise, a second, optional year concentrates specifically on Trauma and Acute Care Surgery, providing a comprehensive mastery of the field. This dual-track approach makes our program one of the most robust acute care surgery programs available.
Leadership in Acute Care Surgery
The Acute Care Surgery Fellowship at BWH is distinguished by its exceptional leadership. Dr. Reza Askari, a renowned expert in the field, serves as the Program Director, guiding fellows under the strategic vision of Dr. Ali Salim, Chief of the Division of Trauma, Burn, Surgical Critical Care, and Emergency General Surgery. This leadership team is committed to fostering the next generation of surgical leaders. Further insights into our esteemed faculty and their diverse academic interests are readily accessible, offering potential applicants a clear view of the mentorship and expertise within our acute care surgery programs.
Vision: Shaping Future Leaders in Emergency Surgery
The driving vision behind the Division of Trauma, Burn, Surgical Critical Care, and Emergency General Surgery is to cultivate surgeons who not only excel clinically but also possess a strong dedication to academic advancement in trauma and emergency surgery. We aim to develop clinical and investigative pioneers within the dynamic landscape of emergency surgery. Our acute care surgery programs are meticulously designed to equip fellows with the skills and knowledge necessary to lead and innovate in this critical specialty.
Scope of Training: Comprehensive and Cutting-Edge
Overall Goals of the Fellowship
Our Acute Care Surgery Fellowship is specifically tailored for general surgeons who are board-eligible by the American Board of Surgery and are passionate about pursuing an academic trajectory in acute care surgery programs. The overarching goal is to prepare fellows to confidently and autonomously practice as Trauma and Acute Care Surgeons. The program strategically integrates fellows into a junior faculty role, offering progressively increasing autonomy. This approach allows them to refine their surgical techniques and hone their clinical decision-making abilities in a supportive academic environment. We are committed to delivering a broad and deep experience across the spectrum of emergency general surgery and trauma care.
Clinical Experience: Real-World, High-Complexity Cases
The entirety of the ACS Fellowship is based at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. In a unique collaboration with the Dana Farber Cancer Institute, our fellowship provides an exceptionally rich emergency surgery experience. A significant portion of our acute care consultations involve cancer patients with complex, advanced, or rare disease processes. The inherent complexity of these cases presents an invaluable learning environment, pushing our fellows to develop advanced surgical skills and critical thinking. To enrich the trauma exposure, fellows have the opportunity to undertake a one-month elective international rotation at a high-volume trauma center, broadening their global perspective on acute care surgery programs.
The structure of our acute care surgery programs includes a rotational system where two ACS fellows alternate between the “inpatient fellow” role, managing trauma and acute care surgery services, and the “outpatient fellow” role. The outpatient fellow focuses on elective cases, metabolic support services such as tracheostomies, feeding tubes, and port placements, and outpatient clinic duties. The outpatient fellow also takes faculty trauma/ACS call approximately three times per month. Importantly, during overnight call, a backup attending surgeon is always available to provide support and guidance to the fellow, ensuring a safe and robust learning experience. Each fellow also receives four weeks of vacation time to promote work-life balance.
Didactic and Academic Engagement
A cornerstone of our acute care surgery programs is robust didactic training. Every Tuesday, our division hosts a Trauma/ACS Morbidity and Mortality (M&M) conference, followed by a dedicated didactic and research session specifically for the fellows. On Wednesdays, fellows participate in the Department M&M conference, followed by Grand Rounds. Grand Rounds features distinguished speakers of national prominence, presenting on a diverse range of topics and the latest advancements in the surgical field, exposing fellows to the forefront of surgical innovation within acute care surgery programs and beyond.
Furthermore, fellows actively participate in the Trauma/ACS Journal Club, monthly Trauma Peer Review Committee Meetings, and monthly Trauma and burn Performance Improvement and Patient Safety Committee Meetings. These forums provide critical opportunities for fellows to engage in scholarly discussion, quality improvement initiatives, and patient safety protocols, essential components of modern acute care surgery programs.
Research Opportunities: Innovation and Discovery
Brigham and Women’s Hospital is deeply committed to patient-centered research and innovation, a principle that is central to our Division of Trauma, Burn, and Surgical Critical Care. Fellows are expected to actively contribute to our division’s ongoing research endeavors, and we strongly encourage independent investigation. A wide array of research opportunities are available, spanning clinical outcomes, basic science, surgical education, global surgery, and clinical guideline development. Many of our trauma faculty are involved in research projects within the Center for Surgery and Public Health, a collaborative initiative of Harvard Medical School, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. This unique collaboration offers our fellows the chance to participate in impactful surgical public health initiatives, a distinctive aspect of our acute care surgery programs.
We are also proud to be affiliated with the Gillian Reny Stepping Strong Center for Trauma Innovation, whose mission is to stimulate multidisciplinary collaboration to drive groundbreaking innovation, effective prevention strategies, and compassionate interventions for both civilian and military individuals who have experienced traumatic injuries and events. Fellows are encouraged to join existing projects or propose their own innovative research ideas, further enriching their experience within acute care surgery programs.
Additional information regarding research can be found on the BWH Department of Surgery Research website, providing fellows with comprehensive resources to support their academic pursuits.
Mentorship and Career Development
Our acute care surgery programs place a strong emphasis on mentorship. Fellows are provided with office space within our trauma suite, fostering frequent informal and formal discussions about patient cases and career progression. Fellows will work closely with every member of our division, experiencing a collaborative, supportive, and development-focused environment. Each fellow has monthly meetings with the Program Director to discuss clinical performance, academic progress, and professional development. The Program Director offers regular informal feedback and, at least quarterly, formal feedback gathered from other division attendings.
Fellows receive tailored career mentorship, encompassing advice on career advancement, nominations to national surgical societies, sponsorship for surgical meetings, guidance on research projects, and assistance in securing research funding. Each fellow benefits from a personalized mentorship plan designed to align with their specific career aspirations, ensuring our acute care surgery programs are a launchpad for successful careers.
Supervision and Autonomy
Fellows in our acute care surgery programs are granted graduated autonomy from the outset of their fellowship. Trauma and Acute Care surgery rounds are conducted as a large group, providing fellows with continuous feedback on their management and operative plans. A senior faculty member is always available as backup for the fellow in the operating room during call, providing a safety net while promoting independent surgical growth.
Selection Process: Join Our Program
The program welcomes applications from candidates who have completed a general surgery residency and are board eligible in the United States or Canada by the fellowship start date. Candidates who demonstrate a strong aptitude for and commitment to an academic career in acute care surgery programs will be given priority.
Brigham and Women’s Hospital is committed to equal opportunity and affirmative action. We encourage applications from women and members of minority groups, reflecting our dedication to diversity and inclusion within our acute care surgery programs.
