Fellow of the month

Ujwal Yanala, MD, is the fellow of the month.

• Name: Ujwal Yanala, MD
• Medical school you attended/year you graduated: Osmania Medical College, Hyderabad, India, 2009
• Fellowship at UNMC: Advanced GI/MIS/Bariatric Surgery Fellow; General Surgery (2021)

Program director: Corrigan McBride, MD

How long is your training program and how long have you been at UNMC? It’s a one-year fellowship. I have been at UNMC since January 2013.

What do you like the most about your training program? The program has a strong emphasis on resident education and fellow career development. There is a variety of cases, including robotic, and a diverse patient population.

What challenges do you foresee in graduate medical education in the future? The current pandemic has changed the health care perspectives a lot. With more COVID patients in the hospital and restricted elective health care activities, it will be interesting to see how medical education will be delivered to current and future residents/students. I am confident that our GME will make necessary changes required to focus on resident and student education.

List some accomplishments that you are proud of:

• Being an International Medical Graduate.
• Matching into general surgery is very challenging and I am proud of accomplishing that in spite of facing many hurdles and hardships in my path.
• I was honored to receive the Jon S. Thompson Resident Teaching Award as a chief resident in recognition of my commitment and dedication to resident education and learning.

Tell us three things about you that others may not know:

• I love watching and playing cricket. I currently play in Omaha Cricket Leagues for team "Stallions."
• Contrary to my clinical mannerisms, I enjoy an adrenaline rush and have previously done bungee jumping, skydiving, cliff jumping — and wouldn’t hesitate to do it again.
• I am from a south Indian city called Hyderabad, but I have lived in Omaha more than I lived in Hyderabad.