Welcome to the HCA Healthcare Kingwood/University of Houston General Surgery Residency Program. By joining us, you will be participating in a unique model of surgery residency education and have the opportunity to build and shape a surgery program that will create a lasting impact on the Houston medical community for years to come.

As a part of this program, you will participate in the development of a brand-new medical school at the University of Houston College of Medicine. You are also joining HCA, the largest sponsor of Graduate Medical Education in the country with over 270 programs and 4,000 residents and fellows in training. HCAhealthcare.com/physicians/graduate-medical-education

My goal as a program director is to provide our general surgery residents a transformative experience that will shape and guide their practice of surgery. In order to achieve these goals, I am focused on (1) building a resident-centric culture of wellness and positivity, (2) integrating simulation and video-based training with clinical practice, and (3) instilling patient-centeredness, quality improvement, and value into daily practice. Upon completion of the program, graduates will leave fully prepared to enter community practices, competitive fellowships, or academia.

Many surgery programs adopt a traditional model of training based on service: however, this approach fails many residents. There is a nearly 20% dropout rate in surgery where the rate of attrition is five times higher in surgical than on-surgical specialties. (JAMA Article) Here at HCA Healthcare Kingwood/University of Houston, we are building a culture based upon on respect, individual wellness and team building. Our goal is to transform surgical education: great surgeons can be grown in a positive and open environment.

We expect other high-performing specialists such as pilots, athletes, chess-players and musicians to practice and review recordings of their work. However, few if any surgery programs in America focus on simulation and video-based education. Our program is based upon professional performers model with video-based review of optimal and suboptimal approaches, preparatory practice and simulation, and video-review of resident surgeries. This is the standard of training in all other high-performing fields…except for surgery. Here at HCA Healthcare Kingwood/University of Houston, resident education and training is integrated with evidence-based educational strategy built upon high-quality video review, simulation, and feedback.

Our choice to join medicine and surgery is to help others, help patients to cure their pain and suffering, and improve patient quality of life. Our program has a focus on patient-centeredness, quality improvement, and value. Utilizing a unique hybrid of research and quality improvement didactics integrated with simulation, we teach residents to transition this education into daily clinical practice. This model is our foundation for quality improvement, outcomes research, surgical research, and clinical surgery.

Mike K. Liang, MD