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Department of Surgery Department of Surgery
  1. Department of Surgery
  2. Education & Training
  3. Residency Programs
  4. General Surgery
  5. Applying to the Internship in General Surgery

Applying to the Internship in General Surgery

Internship Application Procedure

Senior medical students and other applicants applying for internship/first-year residency (PGY-I) in surgery are selected through the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP). An application, dean's report, transcript and 3 letters of recommendation are required. All completed applications are considered, and arrangements for personal interviews are at the discretion of each Residency Review Committee.

Applicants applying directly to their residency specialty need not submit a separate application for the PGY-I (Internship) year. For more information, call the Department of Surgery at 858-657-7220.

Residency Application Procedure

Applications for the surgery residency program are accepted electronically through Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS). Applications are considered complete when the following documentation is received through ERAS:

  • Common Application Form (CAF)
  • CV Report (Generated by the Program from the CAF)
  • Personal Statement
  • Medical School Transcript(s)
  • Dean's Letter 
  • 3 Letters of Recommendation (1 chairman letter if possible)
  • Official transcripts from NBME indicating USMLE scores (Parts 1 and 2 if available)
  • NRMP Applicant Number

International Applicants: In addition to the above, students and graduates of international medical schools must provide the following:

  • Verification of ECFMG certification (provided through ERAS)
  • Verification of United States residency status (permanent resident, naturalized citizen, etc.).*

Application Deadline

  • November 1, 2025

Virtual Interview Dates

  • November 21, 2025
  • December 19, 2025
  • January 23, 2026

 

Program Director

Garth Jacobsen

Garth Jacobsen, M.D.
Division Chief, Minimally Invasive Surgery
Professor of Clinical Surgery
Program Director
General Surgery Residency

Assistant Program Directors

Allison Berndtson

Allison Berndtson, M.D.
Associate Professor, Division of Trauma, Surgical Critical Care, Burns and Acute Care Surgery

Jennifer Berumen

Jennifer Berumen, M.D.
Associate Professor, Division of Transplantation and Hepatobiliary Surgery
Surgical Director of Pediatric Kidney Transplantation
Rady Children's Hospital

Contact Our Residency Coordinators

Lupita Nuño
gnuno@health.ucsd.edu 
858-657-7025

Ryan Cook
rgcook@health.ucsd.edu 
858-249-1395

If you have questions about the program that you would like to ask a current resident, please contact us at ucsdsurgeryres@gmail.com. Please note, contacting this will have no impact (positive or negative) on your application.