Surgical Residency – Message From the Residents

Greetings from our resident family! On this page you will find information about some of the residents who are part of our program. At ECU, we receive a comprehensive surgical education including a very high case volume, several hours of dedicated didactic time each week, a structured ABSITE prep curriculum, and a complex patient population that is amongst the most challenging in the region to treat. There are not many fellowship programs, meaning that some of the most unique and challenging cases are managed by our residents. We match our residents into competitive fellowship programs as well as prepare them for independent practice. A unique quality of our residency is our distinction tracks – our residents in a sense “sub-specialize” in either quality improvement, research, or education and complete and present projects that are part of their track at local, regional, and national forums.

Additionally, we really are like a family – most of us are married, many children are born during residency, and we truly enjoy being around each other both in and out of the hospital. We take pride in being a “non-malignant” program that supports our co-residents and looks out for each other. On this page you’ll find more details about some of our residents as well as photos of us being us. Please feel free to contact any of us if you have any questions about our residency program. We look forward to potentially meeting you and adding you to the ECU surgery residency family! Also, please feel free to check us out on Twitter @ECUSurgery.

Scarlett Hao, MD

Class of 2023

“No matter where you go, you will wake early, work late, find humility and joy in your patient experiences, participate in amazing procedures, and ultimately learn how to be a safe surgeon. But the other part of reaching the end is the journey: who would you want to journey with and how would you want to get there? I have an amazing work family here at ECU. My resident colleagues care for their patients, for their own health, and for each other. I can call on any one of them for help at any time, no matter the circumstance, and they call on each other for work and personal reasons (pet and babysitting among other things). The faculty are invested in resident education and are extremely supportive in academic and personal development. In times of disaster, every effort is made to account for not only patient safety but also resident and family safety.

The academic experience is no less fantastic. Graduates easily surpass case log numbers, and we see the most critical and most unusual disease processes given the nature of our rural catch basin. What’s “rare” shows up three times in a single month! The ability to pursue academic careers and the ability to graduate directly into practice are equal and easily tenable options. Resident attendance and travel to national conferences is encouraged and funded. I have no regrets choosing to join this surgery family for my residency training.”

Anastasios Mitsakos, MD

Class of 2023

“Surgery residency is a tough and challenging process. It is a journey you embark upon knowing that it will be filled with happy and sad times, adventures, interesting experiences, and limitless opportunities for personal and professional improvement. However, the decisive factor that makes the difference every time is the people that you share all these experiences with. And this is what we have found here in this program- a family that is always there to support each other through the difficulties and the strains of the process, and to push each other to surpass their limits and be better for our patients every day.”