Message from the Program Director

Thank you for your interest in the General Surgery Residency Program at Henry Ford Jackson Hospital (HFJH). Henry Ford Jackson Hospital has been designated as a Level 2 trauma center by the American College of Surgeons (ACS). Our training program has been fully accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) since date July 1, 2016. We are also part of the Statewide Campus System (SCS) through Michigan State University. Our training environment has a robust clinical volume, dedicated faculty, a dedicated research department to assist with both quality improvement and scientific projects, and team focused residents.

Our aim is to graduate capable and compassionate surgeons able to practice “bread and butter” general surgery independently upon completion of the residency program. We have had graduating residents who have joined surgical practices upon completion of residency and graduating residents who have gone on to complete fellowships. Our graduating residents have commented that the training they received at HFJH has prepared them to handle the challenges of both surgical practice and fellowship.

Henry Ford Jackson Hospital is the primary rotation site for our residents. Through partnerships with other hospital systems, we are also able to offer rotations at other facilities for specialized training. Our residents rotate at Henry Ford (Detroit) for transplant, Dayton Children's Hospital for pediatric surgery, Memorial Sloan Kettering in New York, New York for hepatopancreatobiliary surgery, and Corewell Health in Hastings, Michigan for rural surgery. These rotations augment the well-rounded experience already available at HFJH. A one-month elective rotation is also available to residents in their chosen field of interest. Residents in our program move forward in their careers having received excellent opportunities to gain experience in minimally invasive surgery including robotics, critical care, vascular, colorectal surgery, endocrine surgery, and thoracic surgery. Since our program began we have not only met case volume requirements, but far exceeded the national minimum requirements.

Our small size offers the unique advantage of fostering close relationships between residents and faculty in addition to accommodating the flexibility necessary to facilitate trainees’ attainment of career goals. The team culture of our residency program is a distinguishing feature that I am especially proud of and will continue to promote with each new group of residents.

Thank you again for your interest in the Henry Ford Jackson Hospital General Surgery Residency Program!

Best of luck in your career plans,

Christopher Pfeifer, DO, FACOS, FACS

General Surgeon Program Director