Robert Cusick, MD, is the fellowship director for the pediatric surgery fellowship program.
Medical school attended: UNMC
Location of residency/fellowship training:
- University of Cincinnati, general surgery, 1992-1999
- Harvard University and Children’s Hospital Boston, research fellowship in tissue engineering, 1994-1996
- Washington University and Seattle Children’s Hospital, pediatric surgery, 1999-2001
Number of trainees in the program: One fellow at time, for a two-year duration
How long have you been the program director? Off and on for approximately 10 years
What made you chose to become the program director? The best part of being a pediatric surgeon is working with families and children with some unique and challenging diseases. But surgical education is a close second. Our classroom is the OR, and it can be really fun. I love working with undergraduate students, medical students and residents. But the most satisfying experience is spending two years working with a single individual and helping to develop their skills. We have amazingly talented fellows, with up to 100 applications for our position. They keep me on my toes and always have so much to teach me.
What challenges do you foresee in graduate medical education in the future?
I love the book “Outliers,” by Malcolm Gladwell. He discusses the 10,000-hour rule to achieve mastery of a skill – whether you are the Beatles or Michael Jordan.
How do we reduce work hours and still ensure proficiency?
I do not think there are short cuts to excellence – and excellence is what our patients deserve.
What are the strengths of your training program?
We have discussed going to a two-fellow program – but we remain at one to have great surgical numbers. The strength of our program is volume. Our fellows leave having cared for at least 10-20 patients with some very rare neonatal diseases (gastroschisis, TEF, duodenal atresia). Some two-year programs finish with only one or two of those cases.
We also have some specialty clinics that take care of some complex conditions in pediatrics: colorectal, thyroid, bariatric, chest wall malformations (pectus excavatum). Our fellows also get a robust robotic experience that is one of the largest pediatric programs in the country.
List some accomplishments that you are proud of:
- Being part of starting the Pediatric Surgery Fellowship in 2008.
- Helping to start pediatric bariatric surgery in children in Omaha.
- Having performed close to 12,000 surgeries.
Tell us three things about you that others may not know:
- I keep a list of every case I have performed.
- I love to read, and I keep a list of every book I have read.
- I have wrinkles and grey hair from my four beautiful daughters.