Dear Applicant, 
Thank you for the opportunity to share some of my thoughts about our program. As you can tell, I am very excited to be here.
Committed, passionate, and dynamic are three words that describe the men and women of UVa Surgery. It was a shared commitment to excellence that resonated among the residents and faculty that first peaked my interest in training at UVa. In my search, I have found a Department focused on providing outstanding support and opportunity for surgeons-in-training to become compassionate, highly skilled surgeons, fully capable of entering fellowship, private, or academic practice. Another distinction of UVa was the genuine camaraderie that exists between the faculty and residents. The faculty, world leaders within their respective fields, are very accessible and dedicated to the educational needs of residents. Whether walking a resident through a complex case or having an open door policy, the faculty welcome a close interaction with the residents and consistently open themselves to developing mentoring relationships with the residents. I have found a genuine camaraderie among my fellow residents as well. We are a group who recognizes that one of our greatest strengths is the consistent ability to work well together.
I wanted to train at one of the leading academic surgery training programs in the country without sacrificing the relational aspect that can often be neglected in surgical training. I have found the perfect surgical program that is focused on the educational, relational, technical, and overall development of the individual into becoming a compassionate, expertly trained surgeon, educator, and leader.
Sincerely,
Matthew D. McLeod, MD Resident Physician Department of Surgery University of Virginia