Specialties & ConditionsGeneral Pediatric Surgery Medical Education
Medical Education
Fellowships
The Division of General Pediatric Surgery offers a surgery fellowship in partnership with Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine. Review the Feinberg School’s information to learn how to apply.
Training the Pediatric Surgeons of Tomorrow
Lurie Children’s offers the country’s second oldest pediatric surgery training program. In addition to training pediatric surgery’s future leaders in our fellowship program, we provide pediatric training for general surgery residents from a number of programs throughout the city.
Pediatric surgeons from around the world have benefitted from our surgical simulation training, which uses 3-D printed models and simulated procedures to teach advanced surgical techniques.
A Legacy of Discovery
Perhaps the clearest illustration of how basic discoveries in the lab can lead to life-altering treatments comes from our very own Orvar Swenson, MD. In the 1940s, Dr. Swenson discovered the cause behind an often-fatal condition called Hirschsprung’s disease, marked by a malfunctioning colon. Swenson found that the condition stemmed from lack of nerve cells that would normally “tell” the colon to contract. Using this newfound knowledge, in 1948 Dr. Swenson performed a surgical procedure known as a “pull through,” which removed “diseased” portions of the colon and restored its function. That discovery has saved countless children’s lives all over the world. Dr. Swenson served as our chief of surgery from 1960 through 1973.
Since 2011, we've brought distinguished surgeons to our hospital to speak in honor of John G. Raffensperger, MD. Dr. Raffensperger was a surgeon, author, and sailor. In 1970, he became Director of Pediatric Surgery at the Children’s Memorial Hospital (later named Lurie Children’s Hospital). He went on to become Chief of Pediatric Surgery and Surgeon in Chief at Children's from 1970 until 1993. He trained 26 pediatric surgeons as Program Director of the Pediatric Surgery Fellowship Program at Children’s Memorial Hospital and the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. He was a Professor of Surgery and later Professor Emeritus of Surgery at Northwestern.
Former Raffensperger Guest Lecturers
- 2023: Dr. Gail Besner
- 2022: Dr. Roshni Dasgupta
- 2021: Dr. Barbara Gaines
- 2020: Dr. Cynthia Downard
- 2019: Dr. Tracy Grikscheit
- 2018: Dr. Erika Newman
- 2017: Dr. Marjorie Arca
- 2016: Dr. Holly Hedrick
- 2015: Dr. Jessica Kandel
- 2014: Dr. Mary Fallat
- 2013: Dr. Mary Brandt
- 2012: Dr. Diana Farmer
- 2011: Dr. Lawrence Moss