SASS
How to Apply
One spot is reserved for the SASS track which is comprised of the same 5 years of clinical training as the standard track and 1 year of Professional Development time after PGY-3. Applicants interested in this position must specifically apply for the SASS track in ERAS. Applicants who apply to our SASS track should also apply to the 7-year categorical track.
We are seeking applicants with significant scientific training who are interested in advancing surgical science through research. SASS track residents will be assigned both clinical and research mentors to help guide their career advancement. Candidates that are competitive for this position typically include those with an advanced degree and have successfully published their work.
SASS track NRMP Code 1820440C1
SASS
Beginning this year, the Stanford Accelerated Surgeon Scientist (SASS) resident will complete residency in 6 years, including one year of protected professional development (PD) time after PGY-3. This change was made based on cumulative experience and extensive feedback. There is a structured program to guide professional development:
Prior to starting PGY-1
To support the SASS residents, the SASS advisor will contact them upon matching in the program. The SASS advisor will help them identify fields of interest for their academic pursuits and to identify potential Pl to serve as a research mentor.
PGY-1 through PGY-3
During this time, the trainee will identify a Pl, acquire additional skills for scientific inquiry, and develop their research plans for PD time. They will prepare a one-page NIH-format Specific Aims page on the project they wish to pursue. The specific aims should include both career goals and research goals. For additional support, SASS resident will be encouraged to participate in the Stanford Grant Writing Academy. By the Fall of PGY-3, the SASS resident should have a fully developed grant (4-6 pages) to apply for intra- and extramural funding. During PGY-3, they will attend the Association for Academic Surgery Fall Course on Early Career Development at the American College of Surgeons Clinical Congress in October.
PD year
The SASS resident will work directly with their PI/research mentor for one year of PD time to carry out the work outlined in their grant proposal. Recruitment of medical students to assist with the research through the Med Scholar Program and the Stanford Society of Physician Scholars is encouraged.
PGY-4 through PGY-5
During this time, the SASS resident will have 1-2 blocks per year of Translational Surgery to generate additional preliminary data, work continuously on their experimental plan, and refine their research proposal into the format of a NIH K-level grant.
As a PGY-4 and 5 resident, the SASS resident may be approved for up to $10,000 over two years to support their ongoing work and additional funding up to $1000 per year to support attending one academic meeting if they have an abstract accepted for presentation.
SASS Residents
James McDermott, MD
Start date: 2024
Graduation date: 2029 (expected)
Dr. Ben Wang
Start date: 2023
Graduation date: 2028 (expected)
Booyeon Han, MD, PhD
Start date: 2022
Graduation date: 2027 (expected)
Chuner Guo, MD, PhD
Start date: 2020
Graduation date: 2027 (expected)
Dr. Chuner Guo's research background is in cell fate reprogramming and single-cell technology development. She is interested in understanding fibroblast heterogeneity and tissue regeneration.
Erin Devine, MD
Start date: 2019
Graduation date: 2025
Sunnie Wong, MD, PhD
Start date: 2019
Graduation date: 2024
Sunnie Wong, MD PhD
Dr. Wong started as a tenure-track Assistant Professor of Surgery at Indiana University in November 2025. Her role is split between Burn Surgery (0.5 FTE), Acute Care Surgery (0.25 FTE), and basic science research (0.25 FTE).
She was recently awarded a Plastic Surgery Foundation grant for her research on tissue regulatory T-cells in wound healing, and currently serves as the Associate Director of the Burn Surgery Fellowship at Indiana University.
Burn Surgery Fellowship website: https://medicine.iu.edu/surgery/education/fellowship/burn-surgery
Faculty Bio: https://medicine.iu.edu/faculty/70504/wong-sunnie
Courtney Olsen, MD
Start date: 2018
Graduation date: 2023
Ioana Baiu, MD
Start date: 2016
Graduation date: 2021
Dr. Baiu is an Assistant Professor of Cardiothoracic Surgery at the Ohio State University and the James Comprehensive Cancer Center. Her practice covers the entire spectrum of benign and malignant thoracic diseases. Her work focuses on clinical outcomes and perioperative immunotherapy in patients with lung and esophageal cancers, as well as early detection of lung cancer. At OSU, she is the Medical Director of the Progressive Care Unit. She maintains a focus on public health and has led a large national advocacy campaign for lung cancer screening.
Aleah Brubaker, MD, PhD
State date: 2014
Graduation date: 2019
Aleah L. Brubaker is an MD PhD trained surgeon scientist who practices adult and pediatric liver and kidney transplant at UC San Diego Health and Rady Children’s Hospital. She currently serves as the surgical director of liver transplantation and the co-director of organ perfusion and preservation. She is one of the founding members and current chair of CONCORD, a national consortium focused on the impact of normothermic regional perfusion (NRP) and ex situ machine perfusion (MP) on donation after circulatory death (DCD) abdominal allograft utilization and outcomes. She co-directs the Transplant Revitalization Lab with fellow Stanford alum, Dr. Peter Than, where her clinical and research interests are centered on the ability of in situ and ex situ machine perfusion to metabolically rehabilitate organs to expand the available donor pool and improve access to safe transplant for waitlisted recipients.
Kristen Rumer, MD, PhD
State date: 2013
Graduation date: 2018
Kristen Rumer, MD, PhD, is an assistant professor of Colorectal Surgery at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. She investigates inflammatory bowel disease from the population, patient, and cellular level.
Hadiza Kazaure, MD, MS
State date: 2012
Graduation date: 2017
Hadiza S Kazaure is a fellowship-trained endocrine surgeon and Associate Professor of Surgery at Duke University Medical Center. She is a surgeon scientist with an interest in improving the quality of endocrine and geriatric surgical care in the United States and beyond. She was an American College of Surgeons/James C. Thompson Associate Fellow Scholar in Geriatric Surgery and Patient-Reported Outcomes, and has received internal and NIH funding for her research. She is the current Vice-Chair of the American College of Surgeons Geriatric Surgery Standards and Verification Program Committee, Quality Lead for the Duke Division of Surgical Oncology, and Director of the Duke Endocrine Neoplasia Research Lab.