Harvard Urologic Surgery Residency Program

Mass General Urology Residency Training Program

The Department of Urology takes pride in training the future leaders in urology who contribute by not only providing outstanding patient care, but also contributing to the field by actively participating in research, education and advocacy.

Facilities

Massachusetts General Hospital is an approximately 1,021-bed teaching hospital of Harvard Medical School. The Urology Service has five dedicated operating rooms, where more than 2,800 operative procedures are performed yearly.

Faculty and residents perform approximately 3,000 procedures in the outpatient clinic each year, including cystoscopy, transrectal ultrasound, prostate biopsy, small bladder tumor resection, vasectomy and other minor surgical procedures. The clinic is staffed by patient service coordinators, one specifically dedicated to the residents, as well as APPs, urology nurses and medical assistants, and a PA on the Urology floor as well as in outpatient clinics. State-of-the-art video urodynamics testing facilities are located here, as well as laser and fluoroscopic facilities.

Boston Children’s Hospital is a 345-bed specialty pediatric hospital of Harvard Medical School. The Pediatric Urology Service has 12 full-time faculty specializing in all areas of pediatric urology including neuro-urology, reconstruction, endourology and oncology.

Newton-Wellesley Hospital is a 313-bed community hospital affiliated with Mass General Brigham.  The majority of urology faculty practice at Newton-Wellesley Hospital utilizing robotics.

The Harvard Urologic Surgery Residency Program at Mass General selects three urological residents per year through the American Urologic Association residency match. Our residency program is a 5-year program, starting with PGY 1 year. During their first year, residents rotate in the General Surgery department for a total of six months, during which time they are expected to spend three months in General Surgery and the remaining three months of core surgical training in surgical sub-specialties (e.g., surgical critical care, trauma, vascular surgery, transplantation, etc.).

Research 

Two well-equipped laboratories have capabilities for molecular biology, tissue culture, transport studies, histology, laser studies, and renal and gut physiology. Additional research efforts with a urologic perspective are conducted at Mass General in endocrinology, pediatric surgery, medical and radiation oncology, nephrology and in the Department of Urology, Boston Children’s Hospital.

General Surgery at Massachusetts General Hospital

The urology program is a 5-year program. The first year is a urology internship year with residents rotating through the following areas:

• Urology for six months
• The remaining six months rotate through:
  • Surgical oncology
  • Transplant service
  • General surgery
  • Burns/intensive care unit
  • Surgical trauma
  • Pediatric surgery
  • Vascular surgery

During the first year, the goal of the training is to provide a knowledge base of surgical principles and techniques, and the ability to manage surgical patients on the ward and in the surgical intensive care unit.

The urology faculty and their patients are split into three services: the O'Neil Service and the Leadbetter Service and the Kerr service.

During the second year, residents have junior rotations in adult urology at Mass General in endourology, men’s health and general urology.

In the third year residents have a senior rotation in pediatric urology at Boston Children’s Hospital and Mass General in pediatric urology, open uro-oncology and reconstructive surgery.

In the fourth year the senior resident rotates in female pelvic medicine and reconstructive surgery, the inpatient consult service. One of the residents during this year spends dedicated time in research for either four months, eight months or twelve months. During this year, the resident manages his or her own independent outpatient clinic.

In the fifth year the resident is a chief resident and rotates on the uro-oncology service with different faculty. The resident obtains training in wide variety of complex oncology cases both in robotic/laparoscopic surgery and open surgery at Mass General.

Curriculum

The Department of Urology and its members are dedicated to resident education, mentoring, and training. The departmental philosophy is to provide residents with individualized educational opportunities that maximize each resident’s full potential. Residents work in a preceptorship model which provides the best training. Residents rotate on each for four months and work with same attending. They follow their preceptor both in the clinic setting and in the operating room. 

Research opportunities allow residents to explore areas of particular interest in both basic science and clinical medicine. Academic interests are enhanced by arrangement with individual faculty member mentors.

The education curriculum covers all aspects of didactic urology. This program is incorporated into a conference schedule, which includes ACGME-mandated areas of focus. These include Cambell’s chapter conference, Grand rounds covering Journal club, morbidity and mortality conference, indications conference and invited speaker presentation, multi-disciplinary oncology conference.

Robotic and laparoscopic simulation training is also provided.

Educational Goals

Our goal is to educate outstanding specialists who demonstrate the following:

• Knowledge of the basic and clinical sciences related to the normal and diseased genitourinary system, as well as attendant skills in medical and surgical therapy
• Understanding of the prevention and treatment of genitourinary disease
• Skills in the diagnosis, medical surgical management and reconstruction of the genitourinary tract
• Ability to participate in the development of new knowledge and innovations in the field of urology

Benefits and Salary

Benefits

The benefits for Massachusetts General Hospital Department of Urology residents include the following:

• Family health/dental insurance
• Life insurance
• Generous disability insurance package
• Parking in the lot one block from the hospital is provided at a subsidized rate of $80/month
• A free evening meal is provided for residents on overnight call
• A meals stipend is provided for residents on weekend call
• Expenses paid for residents to attend any meeting where they will present a paper
• Expenses covered for one meeting in the PGY-6 year, regardless of whether the resident is presenting
• Residents participate in various national educational courses with covered expenses, which include basic science and fundamentals in urology course at junior resident level, AUA board review course at chief resident level and sexual medicine, female urology preceptorship and prosthetic and reconstruction courses at senior resident level
• Residents are provided surgical loupes and other resources for their education and training
• Two call rooms maintained for the urology resident and intern on call
• There are three full-time urology APPs on the urology floor to help residents in patient care on the ward. This allows residents to focus more in their training both in the clinic setting and in the operating room

Salary 

Salary is determined by PGY level. The scale for residents starting July 1, 2024 is as follows:

• PGY 1: $78,540
• PGY 2: $82,500
• PGY 3: $86,350
• PGY 4: $90,750
• PGY 5: $95,150
• PGY 6: $99,000
• PGY 7: $104,500
• PGY 8:  $110,000

Vacation

All urology residents including interns are allowed four weeks per year.

The PGY-2 junior resident takes in-house calls at both MGH and BCH and is given the next day off in compliance with ACGME duty hours policy. The resident takes home call while at NWH.

In-service Examination: All residents including interns are required to take the annual in-service examination.

Diversity

Workforce diversity is crucial to advancing the mission of Mass General to deliver the very best health care in a safe, compassionate environment. Our goal is to advance exceptional care through innovative research and education and to improve the health and well-being of the diverse communities we serve. Mass General leadership believes that we must value differences as well as similarities and be sensitive to staff as they strive to balance work, family and personal lives.

The following committees and organizations are active at Mass General:

• Association of Multicultural Members of Partners
• Mass General Diversity Committee
• Mass General LGBT Group
• Mass General Multicultural Affairs Office (MAO)
• Office for Women’s Careers
• Organization of Minority Residents and Fellows (OMRF)
• Patient Care Services Diversity Committee
• Women in Academic Medicine Committee

Work/Life Balance

Mass General offers several support systems to help its employees balance the many demands on their lives:

• Flexible benefits
• Child and elder care resources
• Employee Assistance Program
• Wellness programs
• On-site child care center
• Backup child care center
• Vacation day camp for children
• On-site breastfeeding suites
• On-site Spanish for health care provider classes

How to Apply

Application for Residency Training

The Harvard Program in Urologic Surgery at Massachusetts General Hospital participates in the American Urologic Association (AUA) Residency Match. Our match ID number is 28371. Our department participates in the AAMC Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS). To submit an application using this system, visit aamc.org/eras.

IMPORTANT: Applicants must also register with the AUA to receive a personal match number, which must be given to each program where the applicant applies. There is a $75 non-refundable fee for each application. Register with the AUA at the American Urological Association's website (select "Students & Residents").

Required Application Materials

• Completed application form
• Three letters of recommendation
• Medical school transcript
• Dean’s letter
• USMLE score

Materials must be submitted before September 30. After receipt of the application materials, applicants will be notified in the fall of their status, and if an interview would be appropriate.

Education Coordinator

All inquiries regarding residency training should be addressed to:

Kim Williams, Education Coordinator

Email: kwilliams40@partners.org

Phone: 617-726-8078

Mailing Address:
Harvard Urologic Surgery Residency Program
Department of Urology
55 Fruit Street, GRB 1102
Boston, MA 02114

Residents

PGY-1

Andrew Amini, MD
Harvard Medical School

Kathryn Hay, MD
Georgetown University School of Medicine

Constantine Velmahos, MD
University of Massachusetts T.H. Chan School of Medicine

PGY-2

Joseph James Boyle, MD
Harvard Medical School

Yi Wai Li, MD
Georgetown University School of Medicine

Grant Lofness Steele, MD
Harvard School of Medicine

PGY-3

Christina Kottooran, MD
Boston University School of Medicine

Akshay Reddy, MD
George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences

Nathan Suskovic, MD
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine

PGY-4

Chandler Bronkema, MD
Wayne State University School of Medicine

Andrew Gusev, MD
University of Massachusetts Medical School

Brooke Moore, MD
University of Massachusetts Medical School

PGY-5

Austin Schults, MD
University of Utah School of Medicine

Maxton Thoman, MD
University of Missouri-Columbia School of Medicine

Aleksandra Walasek, MD
State University of New York Downstate Medical Center College of Medicine

View a full list of our Urology graduates