US Surgical has designated Allegheny General Hospital as a laparoscopic surgery center for excellence. We are proud of this distinction. The Center for Minimally Invasive Surgery receives 100,000.00 per year from US Surgical that is dedicated to surgical research at Allegheny General Hospital. Residents submit proposals that involve clinical or basic science research. Various research projects have involved different clinical trails on patients, as well as, animals. This resource has provided the means for several residents to develop and fund IRB approved protocols throughout their residency. The center for excellence has also provided support for residents who choose to spend a year conducting research. In addition, US Surgical has also constructed a training lab for the surgical residents to develop advanced laparoscopic skills.

Animal Research Lab

Allegheny General Hospital has a fully equipped animal operating room and laboratory that may be used by residents for basic surgery research. This resource has been used by many departments including the division of cardiovascular and neurosurgery. In fact, there have been fruitful research collaborations between these departments and the department of General Surgery. Funding to purchase animals can arise from many sources to include The Laparoscopic Center for Excellence.

The National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project

Allegheny General Hospital is proud to be the home of the NSABP. There are many opportunities for surgical residents to become involved in research. For example, there are residents who are now involved with some of the sentinel lymph node biopsy trails. The residents have participated in protocol development, data analyses, and data collection in the operating room.

The Center for Genomic Study:

The Center for Genomic Sciences is an extremely well funded and prolific center of research. The range of research topics spans gastroesophageal reflux, otitis media, bacterial biofilms, syndromic craniosynostosis, wound healing and polymerase chain reaction in clinical medicine. There have been many surgery residents that have benefited from collaborations with the Center's scientists.

Other Research Labs:

Allegheny General Hospital has many research medical laboratories that have donated their resources in collaboration with surgeons conducting basic science research. This has reduced cost for the surgeons and has enriched the surgical community. Residents have benefited from these resources and communications with laboratory personal, scientist, and clinicians.

Outside research opportunities:

There have residents that have chosen to pursue research projects at other institutions to broaden their surgical career. For example, one resident spent a year as a pediatric trauma fellow at Children's Hospital in Pittsburgh. This was a very prolific year resulting in a pediatric surgery fellowship for this resident. Another resident felt that a year spent at the University of Pittsburgh doing research in vascular surgery would be beneficial for his career. The surgery department tries to support each resident in developing his or hers interests.

Trauma registry:

Allegheny General Hospital has a level I shock trauma center and therefore has a large trauma registry. Many residents have used this resource to conduct research leading to publication.

Tissue Banks: colorectal/breast/liver/lung tumors:

Allegheny General hospital has many tissue banks that are being used to conduct research on various oncological diseases. Residents are beginning to genetically analyzing these samples. Collaboration with the Center for Genomic Sciences has been very important in this endeavor.

The Center for Thoracic Surgery:

This is a very active site of research at Allegheny. General surgery residents have been involved in research involving gastroesophageal reflux and lung cancer leading to several publications.


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