Welcome to the UW–Madison Department of Surgery, one of the leading surgical programs in the nation, excelling in patient care, surgical education, and surgical research. We are composed of more than 170 full-time faculty across 11 divisions and nearly 200 additional staff who support our mission.
A Perennial Top Tier Research Department!
Our surgeons perform almost 22,000 operations per year for pediatric and adult patients in the specialties of acute care and regional general surgery, cardiothoracic surgery, colorectal surgery, endocrine surgery, minimally invasive surgery, otolaryngology-head and neck surgery, pediatric surgery, plastic surgery, surgical oncology, transplant surgery, and vascular surgery.
Training the next generation of surgeons and clinician-scientists is integral in our department, with nearly 120 residents and fellows being trained each year in four residencies and 10 different surgical specialty training programs.
Resident Experience
Wondering what it’s like to be a resident at Wisconsin Surgery? Visit our Resident Experience page.
Celebrate 100 Years of
Wisconsin Surgery!
Explore the “Exceptional People. Extraordinary Results.“ that have transformed the UW–Madison Department of Surgery since its founding in 1924.
Moving Surgery Forward.
The Department of Surgery at the University of Wisconsin provides comprehensive educational experiences, groundbreaking research and superb patient care.
UW Surgery Latest News
Brown Lab Awarded Grant to Study Potential New Treatment for Type 1 Diabetes
The lab of Division of Transplantation Assistant Professor Matthew E. Brown, PhD, is hyper-focused on creating hypoimmune stem cells – cells that can evade recognition and destruction by the human immune system. Why? Because stem …
Wisconsin Surgery Research Roundup: March 2025
Wisconsin Department of Surgery members engage in remarkable research that yields many impactful publications every month. We’re highlighting several of these publications monthly to showcase the diversity of research in the department; see selections from …
Dr. Sean Ronnekleiv-Kelly Receives Grant to Study the Link between Three Rare Biliary Cancers
Division of Surgical Oncology Associate Professor Sean Ronnekleiv-Kelly, MD, has devoted much of his scientific career to the study of fibrolamellar cancer, a rare but deadly form of liver cancer that affects young adults. So …
Company Founded by Dr. Yousif Hanna Named to 2024 Most Disruptive MBA Startup List
Dr. Yousif Hanna, General Surgery resident, and his company, Oxkair, were recently recognized on Poets & Quants’ list of the Most Disruptive MBA Startups of 2024. Dr. Hanna and his co-founder, Edouard Tessier-Blais, created Oxkair …
Dr. Carrie Thiessen Awarded Prestigious NIH Career Development Award
Division of Transplantation Assistant Professor Carrie Thiessen, MD, PhD, was recently awarded a 5-year, $956,000 career development award from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. NIH career development awards provide early-stage …
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Information For
Educational Opportunities
- Surgery Grand Rounds
- Voice & Swallow Clinics Lecture Series
- GlovesOn
- Outreach Talks
- Clinical Simulation Program
Our online surgery Grand Rounds are offered each year, September through May, for free CE credit with self-assessment.
Our Voice & Swallow Clinics Lecture Series is comprised of expert lectures recorded live during private offerings held at the UW Voice & Swallow Clinic that you can review to earn CEU credit year round.
Learn more about our Voice & Swallow Clinics Lecture Series.
The GlovesOn goal is to educate the region’s surgeons on techniques available at UW Health to expand and enhance their surgical practice.
Our doctors are available to speak on a variety of surgery topics for your monthly or weekly journal clubs, case conferences, grand rounds and tumor boards.
The UW Health Clinical Simulation Program provides robust and realistic learning opportunities to prepare health care professionals for actual patient care situations. The center offers educational opportunities for students, faculty and staff from UW Health, the UW School of Medicine and Public Health, departments across UW-Madison and the community.