University of Texas Southwestern CGSO Fellowship

Complex General Surgical Oncology

Dallas, Texas

Program Director:
Matthew Porembka, MD

About the Program
UT Southwestern offers a two-year fellowship in Complex General Surgical Oncology. The goal of our program is to develop competent and thoughtful leaders in academic surgical oncology. Graduating surgical oncologists will be proficient in the multi-disciplinary cancer care and the surgical treatment of solid tumors and will develop a deep understanding of malignant disease biology, diagnosis, staging evaluations, treatment options, and expected response. In addition, our graduates will deliver high value care in diverse clinical settings that serve the needs of their patients and community stakeholders.

Program Curriculum
The CGSO program at UTSW provides an intense patient care experience across the spectrum of cancer care, including multidisciplinary ambulatory clinics, advanced operative techniques, hospital inpatient care, and comprehensive cancer care that will allow them to develop a deep understanding of complex surgical oncology and to facilitate them becoming an expert within the field.

Clinical Experience
Fellows will rotate on a variety of clinical services and work closely with our faculty, residents, mid-level providers, and medical students. Examples of clinical rotations include:

• Breast Surgery
• Colorectal Surgery
• Endocrine Oncology
• Hepato-pancreatic-biliary Surgery
• Multidisciplinary Cancer Care
• Palliative Care
• Soft Tissue and Sarcoma
• Thoracic Surgery
• Elective

Education
Fellows will attend weekly fellow education conference and service-specific tumor boards and will be expected to attend surgical grand rounds and adverse events conference.

Research
Fellows will have the opportunity to participate in dedicated research time during their training, which can be customized to meet individual needs and interests.

Robot and Simulation Training
At 49,000 square feet, UT Southwestern’s Simulation Center is one of the largest and most advanced simulation centers in the country. It houses two DaVinci robot training consoles and full-time Sim Center staff that oversees our comprehensive Robotic Education and Training Program.

Fellows will be expected to complete the UTSW Robotic Education and Training Program, which takes trainings through a stepwise program from virtual drills and biotissue drills to live-patient console experience. Examples of robotic procedures that fellows will have opportunities to master include: Whipple procedures, liver resections, bile duct resections, gastrectomies, colectomies, and esophagectomies.

Facilities
The UTSW CGSO fellowship provides a unique opportunity to care for patients of diverse backgrounds through the experience at the University Hospital campus and the county safety-net system.

Clements University Hospital
UT Southwestern Medical Center is the #1 hospital in Texas (*tie) and among the top 20 in the nation, according to U.S. News & World Report. And for the seventh consecutive year, we have been named the #1 hospital in Dallas-Fort Worth.

In addition, 11 of our specialties are ranked nationally and 19 of our procedures are rated as “High Performing.” William P. Clements Jr. University Hospital brings together the knowledge, expertise, research, and innovation of a world-class medical institution into one remarkable facility — with the patient at the center of it all.

To meet a greater-than-expected need for specialty patient care in North Texas and the surrounding states, UT Southwestern recently completed a $502 million expansion of the hospital. Opened for patients in 2020, the 12-story third tower serves as the clinical home for the Peter O’Donnell Jr. Brain Institute and adds operating rooms, interventional suites, a newly expanded Emergency Department, and two new parking facilities. The project enhances both the quality of care and the efficiency of delivery to accommodate growth.

Clements University Hospital has been designated a Level IV Basic Trauma Facility by the Texas Department of State Health Services. That means we can:

• Provide resuscitation, stabilization, and assessment of injury victims and either give treatment or arrange for appropriate transfer to a higher-level designated trauma facility
• Offer ongoing educational opportunities in trauma-related topics for health care professionals and the public
• Implement targeted injury prevention programs

In addition, certain trauma patients who choose us for care will now have the option of having Emergency Medical Services (EMS) transport them to CUH.

Parkland Memorial Hospital
Parkland Health first opened its doors in 1894 and is now one of the largest public hospital systems in the country. Completed in 2015, the new 2.8 million-square-foot Parkland campus has been designed to meet the ever-changing needs of Dallas County – one of the largest, fastest-growing regions in the country.

As our community’s public health system, Parkland is the foundation for a healthy Dallas. That’s why we ask ourselves every day, how can we better serve our patients? As Parkland adds more services into the neighborhoods that need us most, we know that how we treat each and every patient affects the health and well-being of our entire community.

Patient care is more than our job. It is our passion.

Simmons Cancer Center
The Harold C. Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center is one of the nation’s premier institutions for innovative basic science and translational cancer research, as well as up to date treatment of the highest quality. It is the first and only National Cancer Institute (NCI)-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center in North Texas and received a top 20 ranking by U.S. News & World Report. UT Southwestern provides over a dozen major cancer care programs that advance the treatment and prevention of cancer through innovative therapies, leading-edge clinical trials and the latest technology.

Our Mission:
To ease the burden of cancer through ground-breaking discovery, transdisciplinary research, impactful community engagement, education, diversity, equity, and exceptional patient care in our catchment area in North Texas.