William Méndez Latalladi, MD, FACS

I am pleased to welcome you to the webpage of the Department of Surgery at University of Puerto Rico, Medical Sciences Campus.

The Department of Surgery was founded in 1950.  Over the years our faculty has educated many medical students and residents in the art and science of surgery and its sub-specialties.  The graduates in our general surgery program have been very successful in Puerto Rico and the rest of United States. Ideal candidates should demonstrate academic excellence, a commitment to seeking challenge as well as the desire to engage with our faculty through hard work and intellectual surgical curiosity. We expect our graduates to apply their knowledge to the service of society.

Our Surgical Department is committed to offering a comprehensive surgical education in which our surgical residents are exposed to the complexity of today’s health system, as well as moral and ethical issues. We intend to promote intellectual leadership by promoting the following essential qualities:

  •  Academic excellence:  We intend to provide the tools to generate Board Certified surgeons and promote self-education.
  • Humanitarianism:  We need sensitive healthcare workers that have empathy with patients and their relatives. Community service is encouraged through participation in health prevention and service in sponsored programs directed at the community. Our residents participate in activities such as: American College of Surgeons meetings, local and national, cancer prevention activities, Raffucci Research Forum.
  • Surgical and Clinical Skills:  Our program provides a wide variety of clinical settings at different hospitals as well as our Experimental Laboratory to pursue this need.
  • Research:  This is an important tool in order to understand the sources and methods from which knowledge derives.  Our Experimental Laboratory at the medical school is an excellent resource tool for this goal. The trauma and critical care, pediatric, plastic, endocrine, vascular, and transplant services are constantly developing research projects that are published and/or presented in local and international meetings.

Our General Surgery Residency Program graduates five (5) categorical surgical residents. The program offers a wide variety of clinical scenarios including academic supraterciary and community hospitals in order to provide different clinical settings to medical students and surgical residents.

In addition to the education of medical students and surgical residents we have set mentorship programs for outstanding students from high school to university.

We are excited to share our Department with you and hope to meet you in person someday.

Dr. William Méndez Latalladi, MD, FACS
Acting Chairman