General Surgery Residency Program

Welcome letter

Welcome! There’s a saying here, “Keep Austin weird.” I like to think this refers to the overwhelming laid-back attitude, vast array of voices and personalities, vibrant outdoor art and culture and, of course, the large live music scene. As a native Texan, Austin has always had a special place in my heart.

Austin has grown in leaps and bounds and is quickly becoming a center of technological advancement in multiple fields (Google, Facebook, Apple, Amazon, and Tesla have headquarters here). This growth extends to the medical field as well. We know that in addition to providing the fundamental experience required to become an independent surgeon, the St. David’s Healthcare General Surgery residency program will go above and beyond to enrich your training opportunities as a surgical resident.

While South Austin Medical Center (SAMC) will be the main location for our residency, the program incorporates three additional St. David’s Healthcare facilities throughout the Austin area to ensure our residents have optimal clinical exposure to all aspects of General Surgery, including Vascular, Cardiothoracic, and Transplant Surgery. The St. David’s Healthcare Partnership has one of the busiest minimally invasive robotic surgery services in the United States. SAMC alone performs over 2,000 robotic cases per year and it can operate robotically 24/7, which is unique to most surgery services and nearly all surgery residency programs.

You are the next generation of surgeons, and training opportunities are important to consider in selecting your residency program. Residents trained here at St. David’s will have one-on-one mentorship for our robotic surgery curriculum and become robot certified prior to completion of the residency. Additionally, our trauma and emergency surgery volumes enable our program to provide the appropriate breadth of experience to prepare trainees for direct entry into the surgical workforce. Or, if interested in pursuing a fellowship, our graduates will be well prepared and have a competitive advantage in many subspecialties as fully-trained robotic surgeons.

Being part of the larger HCA Healthcare Graduate Medical Education system allows our program to utilize the largest patient database in the world and provides additional resources to harness your optimal scholarly potential. We at St. David’s Healthcare South Austin Medical Center cannot wait to welcome and train the next generation of well-rounded surgeons. Our faculty are motivated, excited, and ready to share their wealth of knowledge in both the operating room and classroom. Come join us, and let’s keep Austin weird.

Ernest Gonzalez, MD
Program Director, St. David’s Healthcare General Surgery Program

List of leadership and faculty

Ernest Gonzalez, MD, Program Director

Ernest A Gonzalez, M.D., FACS is a first-generation native Texan. He is an associate professor of surgery at Texas A&M University Health Sciences Center and founding Chair and Trauma Medical Director of the St. David’s South Austin Medical Centers’ Department of Trauma. Dr. Gonzalez is also the new program director for the General Surgery Residency program St. David’s Health System in Austin, Texas.

After obtaining his Bachelor of Arts in Zoology from the University of Texas at Austin, Dr. Gonzalez earned his Doctor of Medicine at the Texas Tech University Health Science Center in Lubbock, Texas. He is a graduate of the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center Surgical Residency Program in El Paso, Texas. He has also furthered his surgical education with fellowships in trauma and surgical critical care at the University of Texas Health Sciences Center at Houston, Texas.

Dr. Gonzalez is board certified in general surgery and surgical critical care. He is a member in the American College of Surgeons, Society of University Surgeons, American Association for the Surgery of Trauma, Society of Critical Care Medicine, Western Trauma Association, Southwestern Surgical Congress, Association for Academic Surgery, ACS-South Texas Chapter, Texas Medical Association and Travis County Medical Society.

Dr. Gonzalez is also a fellow of the American College of Surgeons and is the chair of the Emergency Health Systems for Central Texas Regional Advisory Committee. His clinical and research interests are trauma and surgical critical care. His focus of research is translational research in the inflammatory response in trauma and transfusion resuscitative strategies. He has held multiple grants from the National Institute of Health and Department of Defense and is extensively published in peer review journals and authored in textbook chapters.

Dr. Gonzalez continues to live in Austin, Texas. He is married to his wife Deborah, and they have been blessed with three daughters. His daughters are currently enrolled at the University of Colorado, Colorado State University and St. Stephens High School in Austin, Texas. Dr. Gonzalez enjoys spending his free time with his family and at his ranch raising exotics.

Aileen Ebadat, MD, Associate Program Director

Aileen Ebadat, MD, graduated Summa Cum Laude from the University of Houston-Clear Lake with a Bachelor of Science in biology. She earned her medical degree from University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston and completed her general surgery residency at The University of Texas at Austin where she served as an administrative chief resident and received the 2012 Resident Educator of the Year award. Dr. Ebadat moved to Nashville to complete a trauma and surgical critical care fellowship at Vanderbilt University. Throughout her training, she actively served in leadership roles and was frequently honored by her peers.

In 2016, she moved back to Austin to join St. David’s South Austin Trauma Surgeons, where she now serves as the Associate Trauma Medical Director. Dr. Ebadat has been published numerous times in medical journals and texts on topics such as traumatic brain injury, transfusions and organ donation. She is certified in Advanced Surgical Skills for Exposure in Trauma and Advanced Trauma Operative Management. She is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons, in addition to being a member of the Texas Medical Association and Travis County Medical Society. Dr. Ebadat enjoys helping others achieve their goals and has served as a mentor, tutor and equestrian instructor.

Salary and benefits

Our training program offers a competitive resident benefits program to ensure residents and their families are taken care of to address multiple life circumstances.

Salaries (AY 24-25)

*These amounts are subject to taxation.

Resident salaries are determined on an annual basis. In addition to the amounts above, new residents received up to $500 for orientation.

Professional liability insurance

Professional liability insurance coverage is provided during the training period within the scope of the program. Professional liability insurance coverage is provided for the purpose of program training and does not extend to moonlighting activities or other activities.

Other Benefits

• GME provided Laptop
  GME provided Cell Phone
  GME paid Residency Training License
  GME provided DEA number

HCA Healthcare total rewards program offering flexible benefit options for residents and their dependents (costs may vary)

• Health and Medical benefits available on day one
  Wellness 24/7 support Employee Assistance Program
  Paid Time Off

FAQs