The Western Pediatric Surgery Research Consortium has an ongoing research fellowship hosted by rotating member sites. Open to residents that have completed at least 2 years of General Surgery training, this person fulfills a combination of clinical, research, and academic requirements during their tenure. The research fellowship is a valuable opportunity to engage in and lead high-level, impactful clinical research using data from across the WPSRC member sites.

WPSRC is currently planning for the 2026-2028 academic year and is opening the application process for new fellows.

Past/Current Fellows:

2023-2024
Utsav Patwardhan, MD

Host Site: Rady Children’s Hospital San Diego, CA
Residency: Naval Medical Center San Diego, CA

Dr. Patwardhan has joined us as our first WPSRC research fellow. He is a resident in the US Navy and will be located at Rady Children’s Hospital under the direct mentorship of Dr. Romeo Ignacio. We anticipate that he will be involved on multiple WPSRC projects and we are excited to work with him. His research interests include pediatric trauma and acute care surgery, with a special interest in surgical care of the military child. His goal is to apply to pediatric surgery fellowships after the completion of his research time.

2024-2026
Sasha Kahan, MD

Host Site: Primary Children’s Hospital, Salt Lake City, UT
Residency: Mount Sinai Hospital, NY

Dr. Kahan is the inaugural WPSRC Research Scholar. She will start in the summer of 2024 and will be located at the University of Utah and Primary Children’s Hospital under the direct mentorship of Dr. Katie Russell. She has committed to a 2-year research term to the WPSRC. Sasha will be focused on a combination of clinical, research, and academic requirements during her tenure. The fellowship will include clinical shifts on the pediatric surgery service, and a Masters in Clinical Science and Investigation.