General Surgery Residency

General Surgery Residency at JFK University Medical Center

Welcome from the Professor and Regional Chairman of Surgery

Faiz Bhora, MD On behalf of the Department of Surgery at JFK University Medical Center, I am pleased to welcome you as you explore our program and begin your educational and professional journey with us. We take immense pride in our department, which we believe stands as one of the finest in the region.

Our commitment to educating the next generation of surgeons is rooted in a collegial, multidisciplinary environment founded on trust, excellence, and compassion. The three core pillars of our department—quality, culture, and innovation—guide everything we do: from patient care to resident education, and from research to collaboration with our esteemed colleagues.

The training you will receive at JFKUMC is unparalleled in its depth, offering a rich experience with a broad range of case volumes, complexities, and pathologies. We are confident that this foundation will equip you with the skills and knowledge needed to excel in the field of surgery.

We look forward to the privilege of training you, and are excited to continue the traditions of excellence that define our program.

Sincerely,

Faiz Bhora, M.D.
Regional Chair of Surgery, Hackensack Meridian Health Central Region

Welcome from the Program Director

Alyssa Golas, MD Welcome to the General Surgery Residency at JFK University Medical Center, the tertiary care hub of Hackensack Meridian Health’s Central Region located in Edison, New Jersey. Having received ACGME initial accreditation, we are thrilled to welcome our inaugural class of residents in July 2026.

We are proud to offer a broad training program that includes a wide variety of surgical subspecialties, with an emphasis on education, innovation, quality improvement, and the essential content areas in General Surgery. Our faculty are committed to training the next generation of surgeon scientists. Graduating residents will be well-prepared to advance to either fellowship or independent practice. In addition to offering the highest quality patient care, our department strongly values collegiality, scholarship, and support, creating an atmosphere within which our residents will thrive. Thank you for your interest in our program.

Sincerely,

Alyssa R. Golas, M.D., M.B.A.
Program Director
Associate Professor of Surgery, Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine

Mission Statement

The mission of the JFK University Medical Center General Surgery Residency Program is to cultivate and foster a comprehensive, academically focused training experience that will provide residents with the necessary knowledge, skills, and behaviors to excel as surgeon leaders, scientists, scholars, and clinician-educators and deliver the highest quality of care to all patients. We will accomplish this mission through our professional reverence for the human condition, excellence in clinical care, and humility in service. Our collegial environment encourages lifelong learning and innovation in clinical practice.

Program Goals

Guided by our mission, the JFK University Medical Center General Surgery Residency Program’s aims are to

Utilize a systematic approach to training and professional development that combines a wide array of inpatient, outpatient, and intraoperative experiences with a comprehensive didactic curriculum to promote scholarship and scientific inquiry and develop strong academic leaders;
Through mentorship and role modeling by our surgeon-educators, who are leaders in their fields and committed to teaching the next generation of surgeons, graduate highly competent surgeons who are prepared to enter independent clinical practice and provide high-quality, patient- centered, surgical care in their chosen specialty;
Foster a community of physicians with a commitment to advocacy for their patients, the health systems within which they operate, and the broader regional and national interests impacting surgical care in the areas they serve.