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The UC Irvine Department of Surgery emphasizes six competence areas identified by the ACGME for organization of educational objectives and assessment methods:

1. Patient care that is compassionate, appropriate and effective for the treatment of health problems and the promotion of health.
2. Medical knowledge about established and evolving surgical sciences, as well as the application of this knowledge to patient care.
3. Practice-based learning and improvement that involves the investigation and evaluation of care for patients.
4. Interpersonal and communication skills that result in the effective exchange of information and collaboration with patients, their families and other health professionals.
5. Professionalism, as manifested in a commitment to carrying out professional responsibilities, adhering to ethical principles and demonstrating sensitivity to patients of diverse backgrounds.
6. Systems-based practice, as manifested by actions that demonstrate an awareness of and responsiveness to the larger context and system of healthcare, as well as the ability to draw effectively on other resources in the system to provide optimal health care.

In 2006, UC Irvine became one of the first educational institutions in the
United States to be accredited by the American College of Surgeons for simulation training. As a Level I accredited state-of the art simulation center, UC Irvine offers residents the means to learn novel techniques to supplement their curriculum in both open and minimally invasive surgery.

At UC Irvine, residents receive exposure to all core components of surgery, as well as specialized training in surgical oncology, vascular surgery, minimally invasive surgery, cardiothoracic surgery, colon and rectal surgery, trauma and acute surgery, and transplantation.

Unlike other residency programs, UC Irvine has a surgical educator whose focus is to develop and implement novel curricula and enhance the surgical skills of our residents.

View residency program presentation»

UC Irvine Medical Center

UC Irvine Medical Center is an academic medical center and principal clinical facility for the School of Medicine’s teaching and research programs. The following services are provided: medicine, surgery, obstetrics and gynecology, psychiatry, family medicine, pathology, radiology, ophthalmology, neurology, anesthesiology, and pain management and rehabilitation.

In addition, the medical center has cardiac, neonatal, respiratory, burn, and medical-surgical intensive care units. It is the designated countywide Level I tertiary trauma referral center.

Affiliate Teaching Hospitals

• Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Long Beach
• Long Beach Memorial Medical Center
• Children’s Hospital of Orange County (CHOC)
• Kaiser Permanente in Anaheim

The residency curriculum is a two-year cycle with teaching conferences oriented to the curriculum. It includes standardized readings and a review of surgical text, basic science, surgical decision-making, SCORE, AccessSurgery and the American College of Surgeons’ Surgical Education and Self-Assessment Program. 

• Core Conferences – Meets Thursday mornings.
• Hepatobiliary Tumor Board – Meets first Monday of each month from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m.
• Transplant Journal Club – Meets fourth Monday of each month from 4 to 5 p.m.
• Breast Conference – Meets second and fourth Tuesday of each month from 12 to 1 p.m.
• Integrated GI/Med/Surg Conference – Meets first Wednesday of each month from 5 to 6 p.m.
• GI/Colorectal Conference – Meets Wednesdays except the first Wednesday of each month from 5 to 6 p.m.
• Vascular Conference Weekly – Meets Wednesdays from 5 to 6 p.m.
• Trauma/Critical Care Conference – Meets Thursdays from 2:30 to 4 p.m.

With a climate that ranges from 50 to 75 degrees in the winter and 60 to 90 degrees in the summer, and close proximity to the mountains and the ocean, Orange County, California offers a wide variety of activities from skiing and snowboarding to surfing, sailing and other water sports. In fact, swimming, boating, surfing, skin diving and fishing are year-round sports. Irvine alone boasts expansive parks, scenic hiking, biking and jogging trails as well as public golf courses and tennis courts.

Hard core sports fans will enjoy frequent professional sporting events, including Angels’ baseball, the Anaheim Ducks for hockey and horseracing at the Santa Anita and Del Mar tracks.

Orange County is home to the nationally renowned South Coast Repertory, the Orange County Performing Arts Center, art museums, Knotts Berry Farm, Disneyland and California Adventure, as well as numerous performance venues.

Visitors to nearby Los Angeles will find some of the best entertainment facilities in the country, the Ahmanson Theatre, Mark Taper Forum, the Geffen Playhouse, Grauman’s Chinese Theater, the Kodak Theater and the Hollywood Bowl. A variety of smaller stage productions are also available in Hollywood and the nearby Melrose Avenue district. Extensive art collections are on view at the Los Angeles County, Norton Simon and Getty art museums, as well as at the Huntington Library, which is home to a world-class arboretum. There are also numerous smaller art galleries throughout the region.

The region’s extensive freeway system makes all of these activities readily accessible. San Diego, with Sea World, the prestigious San Diego Zoo and Wild Animal Park, and the U.S./Mexican border are only a two-hour drive away.

Patrick Rudersdorf, M.D., Administrative Chief 

Patrick D. Rudersdorf, M.D. was born and raised in Omaha, Nebraska. He was educated by the Jesuits and attended Creighton University for high school, undergrad and medical school. During medical school he met his wife, Morgan, and the two of them matched at UC Irvine for Surgery and OB/GYN respectively. Morgan is currently completing her fellowship in Maternal Fetal Medicine at UCI, and after completing his general surgery residency, Patrick will pursue a fellowship in Cardiothoracic Surgery at UCLA. Patrick and Morgan recently welcomed the birth of their first son to the UCI family.

Christopher Washington, M.D., Administrative Chief 

Christopher Washington, M.D. is the Administrative Chief Resident at UC Irvine.  He grew up in Stockton, California and then went on to graduate from University of California, San Diego with Bachelor of Science degrees in Biology and Psychology and later from University of California, Irvine School of Medicine as an Alpha Omega Alpha honors recipient.  He has an interest in surgical education and has received multiple teaching awards during his residency.  Chris enjoys traveling, music and spending time with his wife and young son.  He will be entering into private practice in Southern California.

Joseph Chen, M.D. 

Joseph Chen, M.D. grew up in Orange, California. He received his undergraduate degree in Biology from the University of California, Irvine then matriculated to the University of California, Irvine School of Medicine for medical school and residency. In June of 2013, he will complete his General Surgery training and continue his surgical training at The Methodist Hospital in Houston for Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery training for three year fellowship.  Joseph has served on the University of California, Irvine School of Medicine admissions committee since 2005 and has also served as a University of California, Irvine Biosci Alumni Mentor for the undergraduate campus since 2010.  He is also an active mentor for the Irvine Clinical Experience program at the University of California, Irvine Medical Center.  He has completed research under Dr. David Hoyt and participated in 17 international medical missions in Mexico, China, Ecuador, Nicaragua, and Vietnam.  His outside interests include DJ-ing, break dancing, paintball, basketball, video games, and blackjack.

Nicole Datrice, M.D.

Nicole Datrice, M.D. is originally from San Diego, CA.  She received a Bachelor of Science in Biological Sciences at UC Santa Barbara, with a Minor in French.  She then completed medical school at UC Irvine School of Medicine.  She matched in General Surgery at UC Irvine, and after her 3rd year, moved to the East Coast for a 2 year clinical and research fellowship with the National Cancer Institute.  There she did benchwork looking at epithelial to mesenchymal transition, as well as epigentics in thoracic malignancies, under the guidance of Dr. Steven Rosenberg and Dr. David Schrump.  She and her husband of three years are also very accomplished in the field of producing an exceptionally cute 17 month-old daughter.  Pictures available upon request.

"UCI surgery is different because it is not a program --it is a family. I first realized this as a Sub-I, and it becomes more solidified every day. An as a family, we want everyone to excel, we expect the best from each other, and we are always there for each other.
The most important part of our program is the diversity that it provides its resident. We are a university program that experiences opportunities at multitude of different community programs. Our operating experience is diverse and extensive. We have the opportunity to operate with the world experts, and at the same time be able to experience the community, private surgeon’s point of view."

-   Dorna Jafari , Research Resident

"The best thing about my program is the people.  It is why I chose UCI, and it is why I came back after 2 years of research.  I felt very close to the people I had started residency with, as well as certain attendings, administrative, and staff members.  I also really appreciate the focus on resident education, which became very noticeable when Dr. Hoyt was here, and has been continued on by dedicated people like Dr. Jill Endres and Dr. Brian Smith." 

-    Nicole Datrice, PGY-5 Resident

“I chose UCI because of the diverse patient population, young energetic faculty, and camaraderie among the surgical residents.”

-    Brian Buchberg, Graduated Resident  

Department of Surgery Graduating Residents

Some graduating residents choose to pursue subspecialty fellowship training after residency. Several continue their training in plastic surgery. Many graduates choose to enter into private practice, group practice or join HMO organizations.

Below is a list of recent graduates and the areas of surgery they pursued: