Cardiothoracic Surgery-Traditional

Recruitment & Selection

The Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery at the University of Washington is a participating member of the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP) and only accepts applications through the Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS). Paper applications will not be accepted. 

Applicants must have successfully completed a general surgery residency program or equivalent and be board-eligible in their specialty and must be a graduate of a US or Canadian medical school accredited by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME), a graduate of a US college of osteopathic medicine accredited by the American Osteopathic Association (AOA), or an International Medical Graduate who fits the criteria below. Canadian applicants should contact the Canadian Residents Matching Service. 

Eligible applicants will be considered based on their individual preparedness, ability, aptitude, academic credentials, communication skills, and personal qualities such as motivation and integrity. In order for Program Leadership and Cardiothoracic Surgery faculty to effectively review applications and select candidates for interviews, the following items are required: 

• Completion of all USMLE exams 

• ABSITE scores 

• Three letters of recommendation 

• Personal Statement 

The NRMP program code is 1918460F0. 

Application Process & Dates  

Anticipated Interview Invitation Release
By January 20th 

In-Person Interviews
Dates will be February 27th and March 6th, 2026  

Interview Day Process
Overview of Interview Day 

• Program Overview Presentation 

• Meetings with Cardiothoracic Surgery Faculty and Program leadership 

• Meeting with Department Chair 

• Optional Dinner with the Faculty and Trainees 

• Optional Fellow/Resident social outing 

We feel that meeting the faculty and trainees in person and seeing the University and the surrounding area is an important part of deciding where you want to train which is why we feel in person interviews are beneficial to the fellowship recruitment process and have opted for in person interviews this year. To learn more about working at the University of Washington and living in Seattle, please take a look at our website and social media accounts. 

Instagram: @uwctsurgeryresidents 

If you have any questions or would like additional information, please contact: 

ctrespa@uw.edu 

International Medical Graduates 

The Cardiothoracic Surgery Fellowship Program welcomes applications from International Medical Graduates in the following situations: 

• If an applicant is a graduate of a medical school outside the United States and Canada who has received a currently valid certificate from the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG) prior to appointment, or a full and unrestricted license to practice medicine in a US licensing jurisdiction in which they are training. 

• If an applicant is a graduate of a medical school outside the US who has completed a Fifth Pathway program provided by an LCME-accredited medical school 

Mentorship

All incoming Traditional Fellows are matched with a Cardiothoracic Surgery faculty mentor as Junior fellows. Trainees will meet with their mentor on a semi-annual basis to discuss progress and goals.

Additionally, fellows meet with the Program Director a minimum of twice a year for reviews.

Leadership

Trainees at the UW have many local and national leadership opportunities.

Past trainees have served in leadership positions for many organizations including:

• Department of Surgery Cardiothoracic Surgery Interest Group
• Department of Surgery Women’s Council
• Department of Surgery Diversity Council
• Department of Surgery Wellness Committee
• UWHA House Staff Association
• Washington State Medical Association, Resident and Fellow Section
• Society for Black Academic Surgeons
• Society of Thoracic Surgeons
• TSRA Executive Committee
• AATS Resident Representative to the ORR/AAMC

The PGY 7 fellow also holds the position of Chief Administrative Fellow. Together with the senior resident from the Cardiothoracic Surgery Integrated Residency, they are responsible for managing the weekly Thoracic and Cardiac Education Conference schedules, monthly call schedule, and day-to-day management of the Cardiac and Thoracic Surgery services. The Chief Fellow receives a monthly stipend in addition to their base salary.

Research

While fellows are invited and encouraged to participate in scholarly activity such as writing manuscripts and books chapters or giving presentations throughout their training, the Cardiothoracic Surgery Traditional Fellowship does not require trainees to take formal time out for research. However, there are still numerous opportunities for involvement in all aspects of research including clinical outcomes, quality improvement, and work with local and national clinical databases.

Training Tracks

The Cardiothoracic Surgery Traditional Fellowship is designed to provide fellows with focused, hands on experience and is divided equally between Cardiac and Thoracic surgery. While fellows are welcome to choose any area of specialty, there are no pre-designated cardiac or thoracic tracks.

The Traditional Program at the University of Washington is truly unique because of the nearly equal division between cardiac and thoracic surgical training. Regardless of a fellow’s chosen area of specialty, all graduates of the program are trained to be competent, well-rounded surgeons in both general thoracic and general cardiac surgery.

Educational & Research Conferences

Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery Annual Visiting Professor

Each spring the Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery hosts its annual Visiting Professor Lectureship. This event brings leaders in the fields of Cardiac, Thoracic, and Congenital Surgery from all over the country to Seattle. Each year this event is split into two parts – in the morning residents and fellows deliver case presentations and, in the afternoon, the Visiting Professor delivers a keynote speech. The day of academia is followed by a reception and dinner for trainees, faculty, and the honored guest.

Past Visiting Professors have included:

• Sean Grondin (Department Head, Surgery; University of Calgary)
• Joseph Dearani (Chair, Cardiovascular Surgery; Mayo Clinic)
• Michael Mack (Medical Director of Cardiothoracic Surgery; Baylor Scott & White Health & Chair; BSW The Heart Hospital – Plano Research Center)
• Keith Naunheim (Director, Cardiothoracic Surgery; Saint Louis University)
• Frank Hanley (Chief, Pediatric Cardiac Surgery; Stanford University)

Harkins Symposium and Strauss Lecture

Named in honor of the Department of Surgery’s first Chairman and an esteemed University of Washington alumnus respectively, the Harkins Symposium and Strauss Lecture is a day of scholarship held each fall in which faculty across the Department of Surgery present on the insightful, cutting-edge research currently being done at the University of Washington. The Strauss Lecture is delivered each year by an invited professor who is a leader in the field of surgery.

Past speakers have included:

• Valarie W. Rusch (Vice Chair for Clinical Research, Department of Surgery; Memorial Sloan Kettering)
• Jonathan Woodson (Director, Institute for Health System Innovation & Policy; Boston University)
• Andrea L. Pusic (Chief, Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery; Brigham and Women’s Hospital)
• Robert S.D. Higgens (Director; Department of Surgery; Johns Hopkins)
• Thomas M. Krummel (Emile Holman Professor Emeritus (Active), Co-Director, Stanford Byers Center for Biodesign Program, & Director, Surgical Innovation Program; Stanford University)

Resident Research Day and Schilling Lecture

Dr. John Schilling was the third Chairman of the Department of Surgery and is remembered as laying the groundwork that made the Department what it is today. In his relatively short eight-year tenure as Chair, Dr Schilling recruited 41 faculty and graduated 40 chief residents. Each year in his honor, the Department of Surgery hosts the Resident Research Day and Schilling Lecture.

Over the course of the day, residents from the five departmental divisions (General Surgery, Cardiothoracic Surgery, Transplant Surgery, Vascular Surgery, and Plastic Surgery) are invited to present their research to faculty mentors and peers. The Schilling Lecture is delivered by an invited professor who shares Dr. Schilling’s devotion to patient care, teaching, and research.

Past lecturers include:

• Mary Hawn (Chair, Department of Surgery; Stanford University)
• Caprice C. Greenberg (Morgridge Distinguished Chair in Health Services Research, Surgical Oncology; University of Wisconsin)
• Diana Farmer (Chair, Department of Surgery; UC Davis)
• Melina Kibbe (Chair, Department of Surgery, University of North Carolina)
• Walter Pories (Founding Chair of the Department of Surgery; East Carolina University)

Department of Surgery Education Seminar

Surgical education is at the heart of the Department of Surgery’s mission.  Every June, the entire Department of Surgery gathers together to discuss a topic within surgical education with the goal of improving the training of our fellows as well as improving the culture of the Department. Both Faculty and trainees are invited to present and lead the discussion.

Past topics have included:

• Strategies and Best Practices for Surgeon-Patient Interpersonal Communication
• Autonomy in Surgical Education
• Wellness Education in Surgery

Meet our current trainees >>

Graduates

Joel Sternbach, MD Graduation Year: 2020 First Position Out of Residency: Thoracic Surgery, Virginia Mason Seattle (Private Practice)	Shakirat Omalara Oyetunji, MD Graduation Year: 2019 First Position Out of Residency: Cardiac Surgery, Assistant Professor, University of Washington	Daniel McCarthy, MD Graduation Year: 2017 First Position Out of Residency: Thoracic Surgery, Assistant Professor, University of Wisconsin
Castigliano M. Bhamidipati, DO, PhD, MSc, FACS Graduation Year: 2017 First Position Out of Residency: Cardiac Surgery, Assistant Professor, Oregon Health & Science University	Dustin Walters, MD Graduation Year: 2016 First Position Out of Residency: Thoracic Surgery, Assistant Professor, University of Virginia	Edward Chan, MD Graduation Year: 2015 First Position Out of Residency: Thoracic Surgery, Assistant Professor, Houston Methodist
Fawwaz Shaw, MD Graduation Year: 2015 First Position Out of Residency: Congenital Cardiac Surgery Fellowship, Seattle Children’s Hospital	Andrew Kaufman, MD Graduation Year: 2021 First Position Out of Residency: Military

Salary and Benefits

The University of Washington offers residents a wide range of benefits as part of their total compensation package. These include:

• Four weeks paid vacation
• Medical, dental, and life insurance
• Retirement plans
• Coverage of certification costs
• Annual professional development fund

Since 2016 residents at the University of Washington have been represented by the University of Washington Housestaff Association (UWHA). As such the benefits and compensation for all trainees in the Cardiothoracic Surgery Traditional Fellowship program are in compliance with the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA).

For more information on the benefits offered to residents and a copy of the current stipend schedule, visit the UW GME website for prospective residents and fellows.

In addition to the benefits offered in the CBA, the Cardiothoracic Surgery – Integrated program provides its residents with:

• Pair of 3.5x loupes in PGY 6 year
• Annual STS candidate membership
• Support for conference attendance

Where Do Residents Live?

Seattle offers its residents unrivaled access to both a vibrant, culturally diverse urban center and the storied outdoor recreation of the Pacific Northwest. When asked about the reasons that they love to live here, our faculty and trainees often cite this proximity of culture and recreation in Seattle – for instance, the opportunity to hike on the Olympic Peninsula on Saturday morning and eat at a James Beard award-winning restaurant that night.

Living in Seattle offers access to an enviable array of amenities including:

• Three ski resorts within two hours of the city
• Local MLB, NFL, MLS, WNBA teams (NHL arriving soon!)
• 60+ breweries operating within city limits
• Thriving museum culture (including art, history, cultural, and children’s museums)
• Robust theater and music scene (ranging from Seattle Symphony to Broadway shows to live concerts)
• Seattle International Film Festival

Many neighborhoods throughout the city are easily accessible to our six primary sites of practice. In a recent survey, trainees in the Department of Surgery identified where they live.

Most fellows/residents at the UW rent while in training and 97% pay $2500 or less per month.

• 61% live with a partner
• 26% have a platonic roommate
• 11% have children
• 42% have pets
• 65% have house plants

Will I Need a Car?

While many trainees in the Department of Surgery live in neighborhoods that are easily walkable to our sites of practice and Seattle is regularly ranked as one of the most bike and public transit friendly cities in the country, most of our residents own cars and drive to work each day.

This decision is often based on convenience due to the dynamic work schedule, but also affords residents the opportunity to easily explore the Pacific Northwest on their days off.

Some great examples of day trips include:

• Mount Rainier
• San Juan Islands
• Washington Wine Country
• Olympic National Forest
• Portland, OR

Community Life in our Department

In addition to holding regular education events throughout the year, the Department of Surgery also works to foster collegiality and friendship among its faculty and trainees with more social events. These include:

• Resident Happy Hours
• Department of Surgery Annual Picnic
• Department of Surgery Holiday Party

The Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery also hosts several events throughout the year including:

• Annual Residency Summer Barbeque
• Division Holiday Party
• Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery Graduation Ceremony

For questions, please contact our Program Administrator:

ctrespa@uw.edu
206-685-8644