About the Residency Program

Benjamin Landgraf, MD
Residency Program Director
Assistant Professor
landgrbr@rwjms.rutgers.edu
Telephone: 732-235-6631
Fax: 732-235-5100

Welcome from the Program Director

Welcome to the Department of Anesthesiology at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School in New Brunswick, NJ! We are thrilled about your interest in a career in anesthesiology and appreciate that you are taking the time to learn more about our program.

Our mission is to cultivate, train, and mentor our anesthesiology residents to achieve success in both their professional and personal lives. Residents are exposed to diverse cases and graduate from the program with a tremendous clinical experience that we feel truly prepares them to be expert consultants in anesthesiology.

The residency program is transitioning from an advanced match program to a categorical program with twelve (12) positions. In 2022 we will match 4 categorical positions and 8 advanced positions. By 2024 we will match only categorical residents with twelve per class.

All resident rotations are located at one location, reducing the need to learn multiple systems in a short period of time. The main hospital is Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital where all four years are based. All pediatric rotations are located at Bristol Myers Squibb Children’s Hospital which is directly attached to the main hospital and staffed by our faculty. The Plum Street Surgical Center is located across the street and staffed by our faculty as well.

The program has a long track record of high-quality didactic education with protected time each week for the residents and a successful board pass rate. Most importantly, the department has a strong record of sub-specialty fellowship placement and successful job placement in top practices locally and around the country. Our program also hosts 5 ACGME-approved fellowship training positions in adult cardiothoracic anesthesiology and interventional pain management.

The faculty members in our program have a strong sense of commitment to the education and mentorship of our residents. We believe in helping each resident grow to achieve his or her life goals. At Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School we strive to be a warm, friendly, and non-intimidating environment in which to train. Best of luck with your journey. We hope to see you soon!

Benjamin Landgraf, MD
Assistant Professor of Anesthesia
Residency Program Director

Message from the Chief Residents

Dear Applicants,

Welcome to Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School Anesthesiology Residency Program!

As the 2023-2024 Chief Residents, we greatly appreciate your interest in our program and are excited to give you a glimpse into our world. In short, this is a wonderful place to train, developing residents that become well-rounded, clinically adept physician consultants of anesthesiology. Under the leadership of Dr. Mellender as our program director, our residency continues to evolve with weekly resident didactics and the incorporation of a state-of-the-art simulation center into our training.

Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital is a Level-1 trauma center located in New Brunswick, NJ. Residents spend their entire training at the 800-plus-bed University Hospital, which also includes The Bristol-Myers Squibb Children's Hospital and The Cancer Institute of New Jersey. Providing care to a diverse population, our residents are exposed to a wide array of high-acuity cases, while attending to multiple critical care needs and performing various subspecialty procedures. With our state-of-the-art operating rooms and cardiothoracic, neurosurgical, and trauma intensive care units, we are a leading referral center for the most demanding cases in New Jersey. All of these rich clinical experiences will help you develop and hone skills that will ultimately serve you exceptionally well for the rest of your career.

Moreover, not just our tremendous pride in our clinical training, we also value a balanced life. Our 55-65 hour work week (on average) gives us adequate time outside of the hospital to pursue personal interests and enjoy life away from training. We are conveniently located within driving distance from both New York City and Philadelphia, and the Central New Jersey area is a safe, affordable, and developing community suitable for any lifestyle. Finally, as a testament to our program, many of our graduates decide to stay here for fellowship and/or join our faculty, infusing a department full of experience and knowledge with energy and innovation.

Thank you for your interest in our program. Please do not hesitate to contact us with any of your questions. We wish you the best of luck and look forward to meeting you!

Best regards,

Shalonda Cook, MD
Anirudh "Rishi" Gorti, MD
Steven Pope, MD