Training Program Director: Wesley Papenfuss, MD, FACS
Aurora Health Care is the largest health care system in Wisconsin treating over 8,600 new cancers per year, with 1/3 treated at Aurora St. Luke’s Medical Center, the flagship hospital and quaternary center for the 14-hospital system. Aurora Health Care recently Merged with Advocate Health System in northern Illinois, and Advocate-Aurora Health is the tenth largest health system in the United States. Aurora St. Luke’s Medical Center is located in the heart of Milwaukee and has over 700 beds serving as the central hub for the complex surgical oncology fellowship. The majority of the clinical rotations will occur within Milwaukee. This fellowship is designed to provide the graduating fellow with a robust experience in general surgical oncology which will include exposure to hepatobiliary, pancreatic, soft tissue and sarcoma, melanoma, foregut, colorectal, breast, endocrine, thoracic, urologic and reconstructive surgeries and all other facets of general surgical oncology. Fellows will participate in open, laparoscopic and robotic approaches, as well as microwave and radiofrequency ablations, HIPEC and IRE (Nano knife). Since we have no surgical residency, the fellows participate in all the cases. Our fellows typically exceed the case volume requirements of the ACGME/SSO fellowships within their first year of training. Fellows will also rotate through medical oncology, radiation oncology, surgical pathology and gynecologic oncology. Other rotations include thoracic oncology, head and neck oncology, endocrine surgery, breast surgery, orthopedic oncology and urologic oncology. Clinical, translational and laboratory research will also be encouraged and facilitated. Aurora St. Luke’s Medical Center has the only Nano knife device for irreversible electroporation of unresectable pancreatic and liver tumors in Wisconsin, a HIPEC program and plans to incorporate intra-operative radiation therapy. We are a national Pancreas Foundation designated center (the only one in Wisconsin), and a Sarcoma Center of Excellence.
About the program
The Aurora health Care Complex General Surgical Oncology fellowship program is a two-year post-residency training program and accepts one fellow per year. During the first year, fellows spend six months on the surgical oncology/HPB service, two months dedicated to research, two months on breast surgical oncology and a month each on radiation oncology and surgical pathology. The second-year fellow spends two months on surgical oncology/HPB, two months on research, two months on elective rotations, and one month each on medical oncology, colorectal surgery, melanoma/sarcoma, endocrine/head & neck, thoracic surgery and gynecologic.
Research Opportunities
Fellows will have four months to pursue clinical, basic science and translational research. Aurora Research Institute located at our Sinai Campus has a full basic science and translational lab which is available to our fellows. We have an active precision medicine program, and we are an NCORP site participating in many clinical trial research protocols. Fellows will be able to work with various members of the faculty based on their research interests. Dedicated research time is scheduled throughout the fellowship to allow fellows to start several research projects and continue their research activities throughout their two-years of training. Fellows will be able to join ongoing research projects, develop their own research and are encouraged to present at local, regional and national meetings.
Meetings and Conferences
The fellowship offers multiple educational conferences with strong faculty participation. Fellowship curriculum includes weekly faculty run educational conference, journal clubs, and weekly multidisciplinary tumor boards. Fellows will participate and present in rotation-specific multidisciplinary tumor board conferences (breast, GI, sarcoma, thoracic, head and neck, endocrine and GU). Presentation at local, regional and national meetings is encouraged, and our fellows have been prolific in both authoring publications and presenting across the country.
Eligibility and Applications
The program participates in the fellowship match through NRMP annually and accepts one fellow per year. Applications must be submitted through ERAS. Prior to appointment in the program, the fellows must meet the following:
Aurora Health Care is the largest health care system in Wisconsin treating over 8,600 new cancers per year, with 1/3 treated at Aurora St. Luke’s Medical Center, the flagship hospital and quaternary center for the 14-hospital system. Aurora Health Care recently Merged with Advocate Health System in northern Illinois, and Advocate-Aurora Health is the tenth largest health system in the United States. Aurora St. Luke’s Medical Center is located in the heart of Milwaukee and has over 700 beds serving as the central hub for the complex surgical oncology fellowship. The majority of the clinical rotations will occur within Milwaukee. This fellowship is designed to provide the graduating fellow with a robust experience in general surgical oncology which will include exposure to hepatobiliary, pancreatic, soft tissue and sarcoma, melanoma, foregut, colorectal, breast, endocrine, thoracic, urologic and reconstructive surgeries and all other facets of general surgical oncology. Fellows will participate in open, laparoscopic and robotic approaches, as well as microwave and radiofrequency ablations, HIPEC and IRE (Nano knife). Since we have no surgical residency, the fellows participate in all the cases. Our fellows typically exceed the case volume requirements of the ACGME/SSO fellowships within their first year of training. Fellows will also rotate through medical oncology, radiation oncology, surgical pathology and gynecologic oncology. Other rotations include thoracic oncology, head and neck oncology, endocrine surgery, breast surgery, orthopedic oncology and urologic oncology. Clinical, translational and laboratory research will also be encouraged and facilitated. Aurora St. Luke’s Medical Center has the only Nano knife device for irreversible electroporation of unresectable pancreatic and liver tumors in Wisconsin, a HIPEC program and plans to incorporate intra-operative radiation therapy. We are a national Pancreas Foundation designated center (the only one in Wisconsin), and a Sarcoma Center of Excellence.
About the program
The Aurora health Care Complex General Surgical Oncology fellowship program is a two-year post-residency training program and accepts one fellow per year. During the first year, fellows spend six months on the surgical oncology/HPB service, two months dedicated to research, two months on breast surgical oncology and a month each on radiation oncology and surgical pathology. The second-year fellow spends two months on surgical oncology/HPB, two months on research, two months on elective rotations, and one month each on medical oncology, colorectal surgery, melanoma/sarcoma, endocrine/head & neck, thoracic surgery and gynecologic.
Research Opportunities
Fellows will have four months to pursue clinical, basic science and translational research. Aurora Research Institute located at our Sinai Campus has a full basic science and translational lab which is available to our fellows. We have an active precision medicine program, and we are an NCORP site participating in many clinical trial research protocols. Fellows will be able to work with various members of the faculty based on their research interests. Dedicated research time is scheduled throughout the fellowship to allow fellows to start several research projects and continue their research activities throughout their two-years of training. Fellows will be able to join ongoing research projects, develop their own research and are encouraged to present at local, regional and national meetings.
Meetings and Conferences
The fellowship offers multiple educational conferences with strong faculty participation. Fellowship curriculum includes weekly faculty run educational conference, journal clubs, and weekly multidisciplinary tumor boards. Fellows will participate and present in rotation-specific multidisciplinary tumor board conferences (breast, GI, sarcoma, thoracic, head and neck, endocrine and GU). Presentation at local, regional and national meetings is encouraged, and our fellows have been prolific in both authoring publications and presenting across the country.
Eligibility and Applications
The program participates in the fellowship match through NRMP annually and accepts one fellow per year. Applications must be submitted through ERAS. Prior to appointment in the program, the fellows must meet the following:
- Satisfactory completion of a general surgery residency program accredited by ACGME or general surgery residency program located in Canada accredited by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada.
- Be certified or admissible to examination by the American Board of Surgery
| Fellowship Training Program Director: | Wesley Papenfuss, MD, FACS Vice Chief of Surgery Aurora Health Care Aurora St. Luke’s Medical Center Clinical Adjunct Professor of Surgery University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health Program Director, Complex Surgical Oncology Fellowship |
| Phone: | 414-649-3240 |
| Email: | Wesley.Papenfuss@aah.org |
| Fellowship Program Coordinator: | Krystal Carroll |
| Email: | Krystal.Carroll@aah.org |