Keesler Medical Center General Surgery Residency is the only standalone Air Force ACGME-accredited Military General Surgery Residency program.

Our program is a community-based 5-year training program with no required research year. Research opportunities are available through our Clinical Research Laboratory and at any of our remote training sites. Our program provides extensive training in all avenues of General Surgery with emphasis on General/Trauma Surgery and Critical Care, Minimally Invasive/Robotic-assisted Surgery, Bariatric Surgery, Vascular Surgery, Colorectal Surgery, Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery, and endoscopy. With progressive autonomy and responsibility, we prepare our active-duty Air Force General Surgery residents to excel in their military careers and beyond.

Additional training in surgical subspecialties provided to our residents include Burn surgery, Transplant surgery, Plastic surgery, Cardiothoracic surgery, Trauma/Critical Care, and Deployment surgery.

Keesler General Surgery Residency program is approved for 20 categorical surgical residents including four Chief surgical residents, in addition to four preliminary intern positions. Our graduates continue onto a variety of career in surgery to include General/Trauma Surgery, Surgical Critical Care, Vascular, Cardiothoracic, Colorectal, Plastics, and Special Operations Surgical Team.

Mission

The Keesler General Surgery mission is to produce graduates that are compassionate, competent, ethical, and professional, ready to serve independently as physicians/surgeons and Air Force officers, fully dedicated to their patients, with the drive to pursue lifelong learning.

Vision

We seek to create physician leaders and innovators of tomorrow who can balance the science of evidence-based medicine and the art of individualized care. By providing the strongest academic and clinical training, we strive to foster enduring scholarship, physician wellness and dedication to our patients and communities.

Aims

• Recruit diverse, talented and compassionate physicians
• Provide the full breadth of General Surgery training and prepare residents to succeed in the next phase of their careers.
• Support and promote academic excellence through mentorship, resources and access to cutting edge surgical technology and research centers.
• Allow our trainees to develop additional expertise in leadership, quality improvement, health systems science, global health, research, advocacy, and medical education to meet their ultimate career goals.
• Foster a supportive and engaging learning environment for students, residents and faculty.
• Foster a culture supporting diversity and equity for residents, faculty, patients and our community.
• Closely collaborate with our current residents and extensive alumni base to adapt and improve our training program, aiming to best equip residents for future practice.

• Four Operating Rooms
• Siemens Artis Zeego Hybrid Suite
• Two advanced Laparoscopic rooms
• DaVinci Xi Robotic Surgical System
• Statistical support
• Obtain credentials in robotic surgery at the Institute for Defense Robotic Surgical Education (InDoRSE)

Rotation Sites

• Keesler Medical Center, 81st MDG, Biloxi, Mississippi
• Gulf Coast Veterans Health Care System, Biloxi, Mississippi
• Eglin Medical Center, 96th MDG, Fort Walton Beach, Florida
• Pensacola Naval Hospital, Pensacola, Florida
• Sacred Heart Hospital, Pensacola, Florida
• University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson, Mississippi
• San Antonio Military Medical Center, San Antonio, Texas
• University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas
• Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, Kaiserslautern, Germany

Additional Program Details

• Certification in Fundamentals of Laparoscopic Surgery (FLS), Fundamentals of Endoscopic Surgery (FES), and Advanced Trauma Life Support (ATLS), and Robotics
• Didactics based on the SCORE Portal
• Weekly surgical conferences led by staff and/or subspecialists
• Operative and clinical experience in general and subspecialty surgery, exceeds the minimum requirements for graduation
• Board Pass rate exceeds national average
• Keesler trained surgeons practicing world-wide in garrison and deployed
• Graduates have matched into fellowships including vascular, cardiothoracic and colorectal surgery