Massachusetts General Hospital/HMS MD Oral Maxillofacial Surgery Residency Training Program
Division of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery and Dentistry Residency Program
Warren Building, Suite 1201
55 Fruit Street
Boston,
MA
02114
Phone: 617-726-8222 x2
Fax: 617-726-2814
Email: omfsresidency@partners.org
Explore This Residency
Overview
The Massachusetts General Hospital offers an advanced education program in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery (OMFS). This integrated clinical and didactic program is designed to meet the certification requirements of the American Board of OMFS. The program is fully accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation of the American Dental Association (ADA) and is affiliated with the Harvard School of Dental Medicine.
Background and Setting
Mass General residents in OMFS become part of one of the strongest and longest running legacies in the history of medical and dental education.
Mass General was chartered in 1811 as a private, voluntary institution. From the outset, the hospital's primary mission in caring for the sick was defined, and simultaneously, a strong emphasis was placed on its educational mission. The first patient was admitted to Mass General in 1821. The training program for surgical "House Pupils" has continued to evolve since 1830 when the first house physician and house surgeon were appointed.
On July 17, 1867, the Harvard Corporation established the first dental school in the country affiliated with a university and medical school. A year later, the Trustees of Mass General in their annual report noted the addition of a Dental Service in association with the Dental School of Harvard College. The Dental School became established in the North Grove Street building of the hospital and was named "The Dental Infirmary of Mass General." Harvard Dental School remained at this site until 1909.
Mass General today has more than 1,000 beds. About 70 percent of them are normally occupied by surgical patients. There are more than 550,000 patient visits yearly to the ambulatory care clinics of the Hospital and more than 75,000 visits to the Emergency Ward. The OMFS service admits approximately 700 patients each year and cares for about 10,000 outpatients. Additionally, the Service sees about 2,500 emergency ward patients annually. The full scope of the specialty is taught within the context of a combined MD/general surgery program.
Philosophy of the OMFS Residency Program
The OMFS Service is guided philosophically by the traditional aims of the world renowned general surgical services of Mass General. The educational experience is progressive, offering increasing responsibilities as residents proceed through the program. The general philosophy of the service is defined as follows:
In its internship and residency program, the general surgical services of Mass General provide a broad education in the science and art of surgery. One of the keys to the house officer's appreciation of the principles and scientific bases of surgery, as well as to his learning the art of surgery, is the properly placed assumption of responsibility. The program is generally designed to increase the responsibilities as rapidly as the house officer is able to assume them. In this progression, however, the house officer's primary obligation is to the care of his/her patients, which is also consistent with his/her personal primary goal of a surgical education in depth. Effort is made to maintain a program which is sufficiently flexible to meet the individual aptitude, talents, and needs of the developing surgeon.
Three residents are selected annually for the Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Service House Staff. Appointments are offered to highly qualified individuals who are committed to a career of excellence in patient care, teaching, and research. The matched applicants are accepted into the Mass General Hospital/Harvard Medical School OMFS six-year residency program. Harvard Medical School tuition is the responsibility of the resident. Financial aid is available through the Medical School. A one-year preliminary OMS internship is also offered.
All applicants must be qualified graduates of a dental school accredited by the ADA. The Mass General OMFS residency program is six years in duration and leads to qualification for certification by the American Board of OMFS. Each resident completes the requirements for the MD degree at the Harvard Medical School and trains for a total of 16 months as a Mass General resident in general surgery.
Remembering Walter C. Guralnick, DMD
It is with a heavy heart that we share the news that our good friend and longtime colleague, Walter C. Guralnick, DMD, chief emeritus of the Mass General Division of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery and Dentistry, passed away on September 6, 2017 at the age of 100. He will be remembered for his visionary work in the field of OMFS, his remarkable passion for sharing his expertise with generations of students and for his commitment to helping patients who couldn’t afford dental care. His career spanned 70 years and he was working full-time in the OMFS residency program and supporting the hospital. He will be remembered for the many contributions he made to the department and hospital. Mass General is a better, stronger and kinder place because Dr. Guralnick was a part of our family for many years. He was a personal friend to many. Our heartfelt condolences go out to his family and friends.
Curriculum
The curriculum in the Mass General Hospital/Harvard Medical School (HMS) OMFS residency program fosters valuable knowledge and skill acquisition for each resident, while gradually increasing in complexity and depth. This allows for a seamless transition from intern to chief resident, and supports the increasing responsibility found in each progressive year of the curriculum.
The curriculum encompasses all six years of the OMFS program, as explained in detail below.
Year One
The first year of the program is spent as an intern at Mass General, an experience modified to enable participation in some of the pre-clerkship Pathways course sessions such as Principle of Medicine and Essentials I. At the beginning of the intern year, you will participate in the Mass General General Surgery Boot Camp, which includes training in:
- Advanced Cardiac Life Support (CLS)
- Advanced Trauma Life Support (TLS)
- Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)
- Quality/Safety
Other training that you acquire during your first year include:
- A Mass General-taught course in physical diagnosis, to ensure excellent care of the patients
- A mandatory didactic curriculum that will include lectures on pathophysiology (cardiology, nephrology, pulmonology and neurology)
- Broad surgical and OMFS-related topics which include simulated surgery and a head/neck anatomy course with cadavers
Lectures, pre-clerkship pathways course sessions, and other components of the OMFS residency curriculum that count toward the MD degree require approval by the HMS Educational Policy and Curriculum Committee. Additionally, a regular didactic program of hospital rounds, seminars and conferences is supplemented by monthly grand rounds, morbidity and mortality conferences,and a monthly pathology conference.
Year Two
As an intern, you will join in the second year of pathways at HMS as a way of making the transition to the principal clinical experience and core clerkships. Core clerkships at HMS include:
- Medicine
- Surgery
- OB/Gyn
- Pediatrics
- Psychiatry
- Neurology
- Radiology
Year Three
United States Medical Licensing Examination® (USMLE) Step I and II will be taken during the second and third years at HMS. You will then fulfill the remaining requirements for the MD degree the following year, with slight modifications as you will have already completed a surgical internship in OMFS (e.g. interns are not required to do a sub-internship).
- Interns will also participate in two Objective Structural Clinical Exams (OSCEs) per year.
- Additionally, during the final year of medical school at HMS, you will complete:
- A sub-internship in the Department of Medicine or Mass General for Children
- Four months of electives
- A four-month anesthesia course
Year Four
During the year after HMS, you will start a full year on the General Surgery service at Mass General. You will be assigned to PGY-2 level rotations in the following order:
- Surgical intensive care unit (ICU)
- Trauma service
- Emergency department
- General surgery rotations
Year Five
The fifth year in the program is a split year, with time spent in general surgery rotations at a PGY-3 level and OMFS. You will gain familiarity in Ear Nose and Throat (ENT)/head and neck surgery and plastic surgery by these service rotations. On the OMFS service, there will be a focus on:
- Facial trauma
- Dentoalveolar surgery including implantology and outpatient anesthesia
- A one-month rotation on pediatric anesthesia
Year Six
The final, or chief resident, year includes a rotation at the Mass General OMFS Program as well as Boston Children’s Hospital (BCH), which is a major teaching affiliate of HMS and the Harvard School of Dental Medicine (HSDM). Time on the plastic and oral surgery service at BCH allows for a broadened and varied clinical exposure in craniofacial as well as cleft/lip and palate surgery.
As it is the intent of the program to foster and develop both well-trained practicing oral and maxillofacial surgeons and surgeon-scholars who pursue academic careers and research, residents are encouraged to undertake investigative work. However, clinical demands usually require for the use of elective time to carry out significant research projects. Teaching experience is also gained in the context of the program as the resident staff participates in teaching third- and fourth-year students both at HSDM and during student externships at Mass General. All residents maintain appointments as clinical fellows at HSDM.
Residents will also receive a limited dental license during the first year of the program. It is the responsibility of the resident to ensure that this license is renewed on a yearly basis. Residents are encouraged to obtain a full Massachusetts dental license prior to returning to the program from medical school. Once they graduate and before beginning General Surgery rotation, it is required that all residents obtain a limited Massachusetts medical license as well as both current dental and medical licenses.
Resident Schedule by Year
|
Year |
Rotation |
|
PGY-1 |
Mass General OMFS - 12 months HMS - Practice of Medicine/Essentials 1 |
|
PGY-2 |
HMS III - 12 months Principal Clinical Experience/Core Clerkships |
|
PGY-3 |
HMS IV. This year includes four months of anesthesia - 12 months |
|
PGY-4 (Pay level: PGY-2) |
Mass General General Surgery - 12 months |
|
PGY-5 (Pay level: PGY-3) |
Split year: Mass General OMFS (includes one-month pediatric anesthesia and seven months OMFS) - 8 months Mass General General Surgery - 4 months |
|
PGY-6 (Pay level: PGY-4) |
Mass General OMFS - 8 months Boston Children's Hospital - 4 months |
How to Apply
To be considered for the OMFS residency program, candidates must have graduated or be on track to graduate from a dental school accredited by the ADA. Additionally, it must have similar rigor and depth as the curriculum at HSDM and the entire pre-clerkship phase of the curriculum should ideally be taken together with the medical students. This is to ensure a baseline of comparability with the HMS students, who likewise share the pre-clerkship curriculum with dental students enrolled in the DMD program at HSDM. Exceptions are considered in circumstances of academic excellence and other noteworthy personal achievement.
Application Documents
Application to the program is made by completing the appropriate forms provided by the American Dental Education Association (ADEA) Postdoctoral Application Support Service (PASS). Applicants should obtain the necessary forms by contacting PASS directly, using the information below.
ADEA PASS Customer Service Representatives are available:
Monday through Friday, 9:00 am to 5:00 pm (Eastern time zone)
Email: passinfo@passweb.org
Phone: 617-612-2065
In addition to the PASS application, applicants must submit the following supporting documents, keeping the corresponding criteria in mind. (Note that all documents can be uploaded to the PASS application):
- Official undergraduate (college) transcript with verification of grade point average (GPA)
- Official dental school transcript (must be in high dental class standing, usually top 10%)
- Score for Part 1 of the National Board Dental Examination (NBDE)
- Score for the Comprehensive Basic Science Examination (CBSE)
- Copy of CV/resume
- 2 in. x 2 in. headshot
- 3 letters of recommendation
Verification of successful completion of dental school will be required before commencement of the residency program.
Dates and Timeline
To be considered for an interview, all applications and supporting documents must be received by September 15th of the year prior to the start date. The Selection Committee will only consider applications that are complete with all credentials received by the published deadline. Interviews are granted by invitation of the Selection Committee and will be conducted on the first Friday of November for acceptance into the program beginning in July.
Selection of successful applicants will generally be made by participation in the National Dental Matching Program (NDMP). All applicants are responsible for registering with the NDMP at 416-977-3431 or www.natmatch.com.
Questions about the Process
Massachusetts General Hospital
55 Fruit Street, Warren 1201
Boston, MA 02114
Email: omfsresidency@partners.org
Phone: 617-724-4096
Fax: 617-726-2814
Zach Peacock, DMD, MD, OMFS
Residency Program Director
Email: zpeacock@partners.org
Didactic Teaching
|
Time |
Program |
|
Wednesday 6:45 am-7:45 am Wednesday 5:30 pm-7:00 pm Wednesday 5:30 pm-7:00 pm |
Chief Rounds with the Chief of Service Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Combined Grand Rounds HSDM/Mass General Combined Dental Implant Conference |
|
Thursday 6:45 am-7:50 am Thursday 7:00 am-8:00 am Thursday 8:00 am-9:00 am Thursday 8:30 am-10:00 am Thursday 9:00 am-10:00 am |
Mass General Service Meeting (lecture and complications conference). Pathology Conference is held during Service Meeting one per month Mass General OMFS Grand Rounds |
|
Friday 7:00 am-9:00 am |
Longwood Campus Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Grand Rounds, including Pathology and Orthognathic Surgery Conferences, held at Boston Children's Hospital. |
In addition, a 10-hour Surgical Anatomy Course is held in April each year.
Administrative Information
The current salary scale for residents is available from Mass General Brigham
The resident stipend does not continue during medical school, special research, or clinical fellowship years. Individual arrangements with the research or clinical mentor are made for Fellowship support. The trainee pays tuition during the years at Harvard Medical School. A comprehensive program of financial assistance in the form of scholarship and loans is available for qualified candidates. In addition, opportunities for clinical practice may be available for residents while in medical school.
Insurance: Comprehensive medical insurance is provided for residents and their families by the hospital. Malpractice insurance is also provided.
Meals: Meals may be purchased at reasonable prices in the hospital cafeteria.
Rooms: On-call rooms are provided.
Uniforms: Uniforms are provided and laundered by the hospital.
Parking: Space is provided. Residents are responsible for the cost.
Vacations: In recognition of the heavy clinical demands on residents, vacations are considered an essential part of the schedule. All residents receive four weeks of vacation. While every effort is made to provide vacations which fit individual needs and desires, time for vacation is scheduled based on the clinical needs of the Department.
Meeting Travel: The Department supports resident travel to clinical and research meetings for the presentation of papers and research results of projects carried out in conjunction with Faculty. In addition, the Department pays for each Chief Resident to attend the annual AAOMS meeting. Stipend includes lowest fare domestic coach air travel, meeting registration and a per-diem for expenses.
Dear Future OMFS Residents:
Congratulations! You have all made a great decision in pursuing a career in OMFS. As the upcoming senior residents at Mass General, we all sat in your position five short years ago and remember the excitement you must feel today. You should be proud of all of your accomplishments that have gotten you to this point and soon you will be faced with the choice of ranking programs. While there are a number of amazing programs all across the country with a variety of strengths, the three of us all decided to make Mass General our home and we would like to share with you some of the reasons why.
As you all may know, Mass General was the first program to combine the MD degree within an OMFS program. The collaboration with other specialties within our top ranked hospital reflects this rich history. We all consider this program one of the most diverse in the country with a broad scope in dentoalveolar, trauma, orthognathic, pathology, minimally invasive and TMJ surgery. As we progress through our training, we realize one of the most important considerations is our ability to function autonomously. Our well respected attending surgeons practice within the same facility as the resident clinic and are readily available while still allowing a level of freedom to practice independently. We also have a great cohort of volunteer private practice surgeons who dedicate their time to staff sedation cases. Our off-service rotations on anesthesia, general surgery, plastic surgery and otolaryngology provide meaningful learning opportunities where you are depended upon as a member of the team, rather than a visitor.
Boston is also a wonderful community, with big city amenities and a small city feel. The city is thriving with young professionals and incredible sports teams. Whether it is the social scene, skiing, beaches or other outdoor adventures, Boston has it all within its reach.
In all, we think that this program will give you a broad clinical and academic experience that will provide you with a strong platform for your future as a practicing oral surgeon! We hope this helps you make your very tough decision. Please feel free to contact us for more information.
Our Residents
Chief Residents: Class of 2025
Felix Hong, MD, DDS
Hometown: Irvine, CA
Education: MD—Harvard Medical School; DDS—Columbia University; Undergraduate—University of the Pacific
Clinical Interests: Orthognathic surgery, maxillofacial trauma and dentoalveolar surgery
Hobbies: Lifting
Elaina Pullano, MD, DMD
Hometown: Dalton, MA
Education: MD—Harvard Medical School; DMD—Harvard School of Dental Medicine; Undergraduate—Williams College
Clinical Interests: Dentoalveolar, trauma, orthognathic and pathology
Hobbies: Spending time with family and friends, lifting, performing/listening to music and watching sports (especially Boston sports)
Sarah Wicheta, MD, DMD
Hometown: Wenatchee, WA
Education: MD—Harvard Medical School; DMD—Harvard School of Dental Medicine; Undergraduate—Washington State University
Clinical Interests: Benign and malignant pathology and craniofacial surgery
Hobbies: Distance running, hiking, climbing, making bread, music and my cat, Pepper
PGY 3: Class of 2026
Grace Hsu, MD, DMD
Hometown: Atlanta, GA
Education: DMD—Harvard School of Dental Medicine; Undergraduate—Duke University
Clinical Interests: Sedation, third molar extractions and orthognathic surgery
Hobbies: Running, having picnics by the Charles River and watching Top Chef
Mohammad Mousavian, MD, DMD, PhD, MSEd, ML
Hometown: Princeton, NJ
Education: DMD—University of Pennsylvania; Law Masters—University of Pennsylvania; Undergraduate—Princeton University
Clinical Interests: Orthognathics, cosmetics, benign pathology and dentoalveolar
Hobbies: Restaurants, exercising, long walks, cooking and sleeping
Nancy Zhu, MD, DMD
Hometown: Bellevue, WA
Education: DMD—Harvard School of Dental Medicine; Undergraduate—Pomona College
Clinical Interests: Cleft and craniofacial anomalies
Hobbies: Rock climbing/yoga/dancing, hunting for good coffee and sushi, spending time with loved ones
PGY 3: Class of 2027
Ethan Tencati, DDS
Hometown: Caboolture, Queensland, Australia
Education: DDS—University of California, Los Angeles; Master of Engineering—University of Colorado; Undergraduate—University of New South Wales at Australian Defense Force Academy
Clinical Interests: Trauma, pathology and dentoalveolar
Hobbies: Spending time with my wife and son, flying/aviation, snowboarding, sailing/yacht racing, musical instruments (drums and bass), sporting clays and traveling
Tim Wang, DMD, MPH
Hometown: Plano, TX
Education: DMD and MPH—University of Pennsylvania; Undergraduate—Rice University
Clinical Interests: Oral and maxillofacial surgery, health policy and health services research
Hobbies: Basketball, golf, traveling and reading nonfiction
Ornela Xhori, DMD
Hometown: Braintree, MA
Education: DMD—Harvard School of Dental Medicine; Undergraduate—Wellesley College
Clinical Interests: Orthognathics and trauma
Hobbies: Music, reading, hiking and camping
HMS IV: Class of 2028
Nicole Clifford, DMD, MBA
Hometown: Horsham, PA
Education: DMD—Harvard School of Dental Medicine; MBA—Cornell University; Undergraduate—UC Berkeley
Clinical Interests: Global health and surgery, innovation of health care delivery, and temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disorders
Hobbies: Yoga, traveling, and being with friends and family
Monica Gottlieb Kieff, DDS
Hometown: Newton, MA
Education: DDS—Columbia University; Undergraduate—University of Chicago
Clinical Interests: Dentoalveolar, orthognathic, and trauma
Hobbies: Traveling, hiking, scuba diving, and tea
Luke Violete, DMD
Hometown: Waterville, ME
Education: DMD—Harvard School of Dental Medicine; Undergraduate—University of New Hampshire
Clinical Interests: Trauma, orthognathics, and dentoalveolar surgery
Hobbies: Rock climbing, backcountry skiing, and running
HMS III: Class of 2028
Bradley Bousquet, DMD
Hometown: Athol, MA
Education: DMD - Harvard School of Dental Medicine; Undergraduate - Brandeis University
Clinical Interests: Pediatric and craniofacial surgery
Hobbies: All sports (nothing is better than baseball though), fishing, and hiking
Nicholas Koutrakis, DDS
Hometown: Weston, MA
Education: DDS - Columbia University; Undergraduate - Washington University in St. Louis McKelvey School of Engineering
Clinical Interests: Craniofacial surgery, dentoalveolar, biomechanical engineering, virtual surgical planning, and healthcare technology
Hobbies: Music, photography, exploring restaurants, learning about architecture, and watching the Celtics
Alisha Sahu, DDS
Hometown: Rogers, AR
Education: DDS - Columbia University; Undergraduate - University of Virginia
Clinical Interests: trauma, OSA, pediatric and craniofacial surgery, dentoalveolar
Hobbies: travel, art, jazz, hiking, and puzzles
PGY 1: Class of 2029
Sheridan Asa Danquah, DMD
Hometown: Accra, Ghana
Education: Harvard School of Dental Medicine - DMD, University of Maryland Baltimore County - Bachelor of Arts in Biology
Clinical Interests: trauma, dentoalveolar surgery, benign and malignant pathology
Hobbies: Spending time with friends and family, working out, listening to music
Abrar Shamim, DDS, MA
Hometown: Milford, PA
Education: DDS and Master of Arts in Education — Columbia University; Undergraduate — Muhlenberg College
Clinical Interests: global health and surgery, craniofacial anomalies, maxillofacial trauma
Hobbies: Soccer, coffee, outdoors
Tudor Ilies, DMD
Hometown: Milford, PA
Hometown: Glastonbury, CT
Education: DMD – University of Connecticut School of Dental Medicine; BS in Biomedical Engineering – University of Connecticut
Clinical Interests: Cosmetics, facial trauma, benign pathology, orthognathic, craniofacial, dentoalveolar, biomedical engineering.
Hobbies: Music production/sound design, alpine skiing, sailing, fishing, travel
Non-Categorical Interns
Elizabeth Saxe, DDS
Hometown: Healy, AK
Education: BA, Ave Maria University; DDS, University of Washington School of Dentistry
Clinical Interests: Orthognathic surgery, cleft and craniofacial, trauma, and pathology
Hobbies: Cooking! Especially for friends and family
Sydnee Vaughan, DMD
Hometown: Jacksonville, FL
Education: DMD - University of Florida College of Dentistry; Undergraduate - University of Florida
Clinical Interests: facial trauma, cosmetics, orthognathic, and dentoalveolar surgery
Hobbies: Going on adventures with my dog, cycling, food, and shopping
Our Alumni
2024
- Andrew Emery, MD, DMD
- Yisi Daisy Ji, MD, DMD
- Ryan Williams, MD, DMD
2023
- Daniel Caruso, MD, DDS
- Karan Ganjawalla, MD, DMD
- Min Kyoung Kim, MD, DMD
2022
- Cameron Lee, MD, DMD
- Justin Partridge, MD, DMD
- Joseph Zacharias, MD, DDS
2021
- Austin Be, MD, DDS
- Puja Bhakta, DDS
- Sarav Patel, MD, DDS
2020
- Ami Amini-Salari, MD, DMD, PhD
- Jeffrey Hajibandeh, MD, DDS
- Mark Rowan, MD, DDS
2019
- Jason Lee
- Jason Schultz
- Qian Yang
2018
- Mark Green
- Corbett Haas
- Matthew Lawler
2017
- Alejandro Arango
- Rebecca Grammer
- Justin Messina
2016
- Somi Kim
- James Tagoni
- Firat Selvi
2015
- Batya Goldwaser
- Ricardo Ortiz
- Mariusz Wrzosek
2014
- Natalie Tung
- Yedeh Ying
- Amir Laviv
2013
- Andrea Burke
- Ryan J. Smart
- Srinivas Susarla
2012
- Ali Reza Attarpour
- Alfredo Dela Rosa
- Sang Y. Kim
2011
- Paul Gordon
- Cory Resnick
- W. Bradford Williams
2010
- Salim Afshar
- Rizan Nashef
- Ale Katsnelson
Contact Us
This residency is a six-year program leading to qualification for certification by the American Board of OMFS, completion of the MD degree at Harvard Medical School and a total of 16 months as a Mass General resident.