Dear Applicant:

At UVA, the surgical residents enter a two year research commitment in which they may pursue a wide array of research opportunities.  Currently, our research residents are aiding in the development of a melanoma vaccine, performing pig lung transplants to model ischemia-reperfusion injuries, designing and conducting their own prospective, randomized clinical trials, developing numerous biomedical devices, and initiating a surgical education partnership with Rwanda.  Residents in the research lab are also able to collaborate on projects resulting in numerous joint authorship publications.

I am a PGY-4 in my second year in the research lab.  Currently, I am working in a clinical outcomes lab on a variety of projects under the instruction of Dr. Robert Sawyer, who has provided outstanding mentorship and guidance.  During my first year of lab, I was able to complete a Master’s Degree in Clinical Research through the UVA School of Public Health, providing me the tools to further my interests in clinical research.  This degree enabled me to design a prospective randomized clinical trial, successfully navigate the Institutional Review Board (IRB), and begin the process of enrolling patients and data collection.  The Master’s degree programs provide the foundations of biostatistics, epidemiology, database design, and health policy allowing more independent analysis and publication by the residents.

During my lab time, I have also been engaged in a biomedical engineering project developing a novel medical device.  During this process, I have learned about device design, patentability, FDA regulations, business start-ups, and successful grant writing.  UVA surgical residents are afforded dedicated time to participate in projects that suit their interests and abilities.  We have a strong tradition of well-developed and well published residents at the completion of their lab time leading to successful matching into competitive fellowship positions.

Laura H. Rosenberger, MD, MS

Resident Physician, Research Fellow (PGY-4)

UVA Department of Surgery