"For over 50 years, the Cardiothoracic Surgery residency program at the University of Rochester has prepared trainees to become world class Cardiothoracic Surgeons. Under the leadership of Drs. Earl Mahoney, James DeWeese, Seymour Schwartz, and George Hicks the program has graduated over 85 residents who have had illustrious careers in Private Practice and Academic Surgery including 13 Division / Department Chiefs. Over the last 10 years, our Adult Cardiac Surgery division has seen explosive growth in minimally invasive cardiac surgery, heart failure, mechanical circulatory support, and heart transplantation. We are fortunate enough to train in a mentorship model by experts in their respective fields, including pioneers in sternal sparing HM3 LVAD implantation. We have tremendous balance in training with an outstanding Thoracic and Foregut Surgery division who encompass the entirety of benign and malignant esophageal, pleural, and lung based disease. Lastly, we are extremely fortunate to have an outstanding Congenital Cardiac Surgery division that has consistently delivered the best national outcomes in congenital heart disease. Our early surgical experience, operative autonomy, tradition of mentorship, research, and academic leadership prepare us to not only be outstanding technical surgeons, but leaders in our community and abroad."