Message from
Chase R. Brown, MD - Program Director
At Penn, we are proud to have the nation’s best cardiothoracic surgery training program. Our trainees go through rigorous, demanding training in the complete spectrum of heart, aortic, and thoracic disease. Graduates from our program are able to perform a wide variety of complex surgeries, including coronary artery bypass grafting, valve surgery, aortic surgery, heart and lung transplantation, mechanical circulatory support, and hybrid interventions. There is wonderful camaraderie and sense of community amongst our trainees, and we are careful to preserve this in our program. The faculty are dedicated to the development and growth of our residents and fellows and are excited to see them go on to be leaders in the field of cardiothoracic surgery. We will continue to maintain our exacting standards for patient care and surgical training. We are dedicated to being at the forefront of cardiothoracic surgical education.
Chase R. Brown, MD
Program Director, Cardiothoracic Surgery Integrated Residency (i6)
Assistant Professor of Surgery
The Divisions of Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery at the University of Pennsylvania provide opportunities for residency training in Cardiothoracic Surgery including a two-year Cardiac Tract, two-year Cardiothoracic Tract, and six to eight year Integrated Thoracic Surgery Tract.
The program is approved by the Residency Review Committee for Thoracic Surgery of the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education. Upon completion of training, residents are eligible for examination by the American Board of Thoracic Surgery. Advanced Fellowship options, in General Thoracic Surgery, Cardiopulmonary Transplantation, Adult Cardiac Surgery or Congenital Heart Surgery are available. Residents accepted into the University of Pennsylvania Thoracic Residency program are expected to spend a third year of training in an advanced Fellowship.
Due to the high volume of requests, we cannot offer shadowing or observerships at this time.
All requests for sub-internships are managed through the Registrar's Office.
Initial inquiries about the program should be directed towards the Program Coordinator, Mzisa Duffy at mzisa@pennmedicine.upenn.edu.
Application process
The program is open to surgeons who hold the M.D. degree or equivalent and who are either certified or eligible to take the examination for certification by the American Board of Surgery. Applicants must have, or be eligible for, medical license by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and either be a U.S. citizen or have appropriate visa status for an additional three years of residency training.
Interviews will be held in-person on Saturday, January 10, 2026.
Contact information
Contact the Program Coordinator,
Mzisa Duffy at mzisa@pennmedicine.upenn.edu
with questions or for additional information.
Policies, procedures and clinical sites
A comprehensive guide to the policies and procedures for the Department of Surgery education programs. View all of the Housestaff polices and procedures.
Penn Medicine has seven clinical sites, to learn more, visit our clinical sites page.