Surgical Residency
Program: Faculty
The surgical residency program at St. Agnes Hospital benefits from a very large volume of both routine and highly complex cases, due to its Centers of Excellence, which have a nationwide referral base. The program is patient-centered, striving to achieve the highest surgical quality by providing care that is appropriate, timely, affective and compassionate. It benefits from its five full-time surgical faculty and even more importantly from its large base of dedicated, hard-working voluntary surgeons. The examples below are a cross section.
David H. Levien, M.D., F.A.C.S.
Chairman of Surgery and Program Director of The Surgical Residency, Dr. Levien has been a surgical educator for 22 years, 13 of which were as Director or Chairman of Surgery, 10 of which were as Program Director of Surgical Residency. He received his B.A. from The Johns Hopkins University, and his Doctor of Medicine Cum Laude from the Georgetown University School of Medicine. He completed his surgical training as Chief Resident at the University of Massachusetts Hospital and his Colon-Rectal Surgery Fellowship at the Ferguson Clinic. He is board certified in general surgery and colon-rectal surgery, and has a certificate of added qualification in surgical critical care. He has published three books and has contributed to the peer review surgical literature. Dr. Levien enjoys helping residents grow and develop as surgeons and takes pride in their accomplishments as they become independent practicing surgeons.
Viney Setya, M.D.
Dr. Setya is a graduate of the St. Agnes Surgical Residency. He not only is a very busy practicing general surgeon, but he manages to find the time to make outstanding contributions as part of the core faculty. He is Chief of General Surgery, with additional expertise in ultrasound guided breast biopsy and stereotactic mamotone breast biopsy. His dedication to the training of the surgical residents is truly outstanding.
Gavin Henry, M.D.
Dr. Henry is a graduate of the University of Maryland School of Medicine, where he also served his surgical residency and thoracic surgery fellowship. His expertise in surgery for lung cancer and esophageal cancer contributes greatly to our patients, as well as the training for surgical residents. He is part of our core faculty and to Associate Program Director. He oversees our clinical conferences to ensure that they are of high quality and that they invariably transpire. He provides a superb mentor and role model.
Keith Falcao, M.D.
Dr. Falcao is a graduate of the St. Agnes Surgical Residency. He has an exceedingly successful and busy private practice of surgery at St. Agnes Hospital. He is a key component of our program and surgical residents benefit greatly by virtue of their active participation in the care of his patients.
Karl F. Mech, M.D.
Dr. Mech is the former Interim Chairman of Surgery and is presently the Director of Surgical Education. He is a thoracic and vascular surgeon. He is a graduate of the University of Maryland Medical School, where he also served his surgical residency and completed his thoracic and cardiovascular training. He is a very active participant in our teaching endeavors, including mock oral examinations, ethics lectures, and clinical conferences. He will be helping to develop an objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) on the management of peripheral arterial disease. This is an example of an innovative technique in surgical training that incorporates the principles of adult education.
Kuldeep Singh, M.D.
Dr. Singh is a graduate of the St. Agnes Surgical Residency. He is also the Director of our Bariatric Program, which is a Center of Excellence, attracting patients from a wide catchment area. He is an exceedingly skilled minimally invasive surgeon who employs the most advanced technique. He states that after he teaches the residents the skills required to perform bariatric surgery, they can do any kind of minimally invasive surgery. This is exemplified by the significant number of St. Agnes Surgical Residency graduates ho have gone on to excellent careers in minimally invasive surgery. In addition to providing the surgical residents the opportunity to participate in the preoperative, operative and postoperative management of bariatric surgery patients and patients undergoing other types of minimally invasive surgery, he regularly takes residents to the animal lab at the Johns Hopkins University to further hone their minimally invasive surgery skills. Moreover, there is a computerized minimally invasive surgery trainer on site at St. Agnes Hospital and he oversees that lab. He runs the bariatric surgery program in conjunction with his partner, Dr. Andrew Averbach, who is another exceedingly skillful graduate of the St. Agnes Surgical Residency program.
Jesus Esquivel, M.D.
Dr. Esquivel is another full time core faculty member. He has a national referral base for his peritoneal surface surgery (Cytoreduction) with intra-peritoneal hyperthermic chemotherapy (HIPEC). This provides the surgical residents the opportunity to participate in these very extensive cancer surgeries. His nationally recognized expertise is invaluable in the education of surgical residents in the principles of surgical oncology. His maturity and insight are invaluable to the overall administration of the surgical residency program.
Michael Zatina, M.D.
Dr. Zatina is the Chief of Vascular Surgery. He went to medical school at the University of Michigan and completed his surgical residency at the University of Chicago Hospitals and Clinics. He completed his vascular surgery fellowship at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. Along with his partner Dr. Donald Wilkerson, he performs a very high volume of both open and minimally invasive arterial reconstructions.
Gopal Kowdley, M.D.
Dr. Kowdley is another full time core faculty member. He went to college here in Baltimore at The Johns Hopkins University and received his Doctor of Medicine from the University of Virginia. He served his surgical residency at the University of Chicago and he holds a Ph.D. in biophysics. He has expertise encompassing the full range of general surgery and his additional expertise in thyroid and parathyroid surgery significantly strengthens the program. He is an exceedingly active participant in the basic science and clinical science didactic lectures and contributes to the overall administration of the surgical residency.
Justin Somerville, M.D.
Dr. Somerville is a colon-rectal surgeon on our staff. He went to medical school at the University of Maryland, completed his surgical residency there and did his colon-rectal fellowship at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey. He mentors the surgical residents in a broad range of colon and rectal surgery, including minimally invasive colon resection and endoscopy.
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