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Thursday, November 10, 2005

University of Nevada School of Medicine Approved for Fellowships in Surgical Critical Care

The University of Nevada School of Medicine earned approval for its post-graduate residency in surgical critical care from the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) for three years, retroactive to 2004.

The fellowship, which partners with University Medical Center, will bring top surgeons from across the country to Las Vegas where they will specialize in critical care surgery.

“This level of training is designed for physicians who have finished their general surgery training and want to be specialized in surgical critical care,” said Dr. John Fildes, chief of trauma and critical care, who will direct the fellowship program.

“One of its strengths is that it will be combined with extensive training in trauma surgery,” he said. “It will attract individuals who seek a leadership role in trauma and surgical critical care. In other words, it will attract high caliber surgeons to Las Vegas who are likely to stay and practice in Nevada.”

The residency will bring two fellows each year through 2007. Three surgeons have already completed the residency and decided to remain in Las Vegas.

Lacy Thomas, UMC Chief Executive Officer, said the hospital is anxious to help in bringing this program to Nevada.

"We at UMC are very excited to partner with the School of Medicine in establishing this program at our hospital," Thomas said. "We believe it will fulfill a critical void in healthcare in our community."

With the program, the University of Nevada School of Medicine joins an elite group of institutions with similar programs, including Brown (University) Medical School and Penn Medicine, the University of Pennsylvania’s medical school.

For accreditation, sponsoring institutions must already have residency programs in general surgery and related fields. Before the addition of this fellowship, the University of Nevada School of Medicine had 11 residencies.

“There are about 75 surgeons trained each year in these programs at top universities,” Fildes said. “These fellowships are a measure of the maturity and performance found at the sponsoring/home institution.”

Contact Information:
Brandon Stewart , UNSOM, Media Relations
(702) 671-2384

University Medical Center
1800 West Charleston Blvd., Las Vegas, NV 89102