About Our Program

Chair's Message:

The UCLA Department of Surgery is dedicated to training the surgical leaders of the future.
We target the top 10% of academically-minded applicants and bring our residents through a structured educational program that maximizes their opportunities for post-residency training and all career models in surgery.

Program Highlights:

Leadership dedicated to the educational mission

• Ronald W. Busuttil, MD, PhD was appointed chair of the department of surgery in 2004. A recognized world leader in liver transplantation, Dr. Busuttil has made education a cornerstone of his agenda and has inspired a renewed vigor in the teaching and mentoring of residents, students, and young faculty within the department.
• Areti Tillou, MD was named Vice Chair for Education in July 2013, taking over for Dr. Jonathan Hiatt. Dr. Tillou is Associate Professor of Clinical Surgery and has been the Associate Director of the General Surgery Residency Training Program.  A talented acute care surgeon, Dr. Tillou is an extremely active educator and is involved in all aspects of the surgical education program.
• Timothy Donahue, MD  is the Director of the General Surgery Residency Training Program. Dr. Donahue is Associate Professor of Surgery and Chief, Division of Surgical Oncology, with a dual appointment in the Department of Molecular and Medical Pharmacology. Dr. Donahue received his M.D. from the Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern and completed his surgical training at UCLA. He was recruited to our faculty after completing the Surgery Training Program at UCLA. Dr. Donahue is an NIH funded investigator focused on developing improved treatment strategies and earlier diagnostic markers for patients with pancreatic cancer. Dr. Donahue brings great expertise as an excellent clinician, committed educator, and productive scientist to the Training Program.
• Vatche Agopian, MD is the Associate Director of the General Surgery Residency Training Program, Director of the Core Surgery Surgical Training Program and an Assistant Professor of Surgery in the Division of Liver and Pancreas Transplantation. In addition to his clinical and research activities in liver transplantation, liver cancer, and hepatobiliary surgery, Dr. Agopian has been actively involved in resident and medical student education and is the director of the surgical skills curriculum for the general surgery residents at UCLA. Dr. Agopian's dedication to resident education has been exemplary, and it is with great enthusiasm that he looks forward to fulfilling the academic mission of the Department of Surgery.
• A significant grant from industry was received in 2005. This grant has been used to fund educational innovation in the Department, including curricular development and design, educational research, and faculty development.