For three medical students on the brink of graduation, their Match Day 2026 results revealed they will spend the next seven years at the University of Colorado Anschutz School of Medicine in the Department of Neurosurgery. The new neurosurgery residents will join the department later this year amid leadership changes and restructuring of both the department and the residency program.

The neurosurgery residency program is under new leadership with Christopher Roark, MD, who stepped into the role of residency program director last fall at the direction of the department’s new chair, Peter Fecci, MD, PhD. This is the first match cycle in their new roles, and the incoming residents will be the inaugural class to complete all seven years of training under their leadership.

Zaynab Sidi Mohamed, MD, from Tulane University School of Medicine, Janet Wu, MD, from Stanford University School of Medicine, and Aashay Patel, MD, from the University of Florida College of Medicine will join the neurosurgery residency program this summer.

Finding a match

Each year, neurosurgery residency program leaders spend a significant amount of time reviewing applications, conducting interviews, and collaborating with faculty members in the department to rank applicants. Despite the time commitment, Roark enjoyed the process.

“This is my first residency match as the residency program director and it has genuinely been a lot of fun,” Roark says. “We had an amazing pool of truly accomplished applicants from all over the country. I am ecstatic to welcome such strong candidates to our program.”

Fecci, who assumed the role of department department chair last summer, looks forward to training the incoming residents.

“It was a great interview season, and we enjoyed meeting so many talented candidates,” Fecci says. “These new residents will be a great addition to our already strong program and will help to carry forward our mission to train tomorrow’s leaders in neurosurgery.” 

The role of a resident

Neurosurgery is one of the most most competitive specialties and is the longest medical residency program, transitioning to a mandatory 7-year structure in 2012. Roark understands the important role that residents play in patient care and the value they bring to an academic medical center. He wants to get rid of the traditional hierarchy and culture that undervalues the contribution of residents.

“We genuinely value the residents,” he says. “We ask their opinion and take it.”

The neurosurgery residency program aims to train exceptional neurosurgeons who will excel as skilled surgeons, compassionate caregivers, and academic leaders. To achieve this, the program offers clinical training across various health care systems including UCHealth, Children's Hospital Colorado, the Rocky Mountain Regional Veterans Affairs Medical Center, and Denver Health. Residents take call and play an active role during every rotation.

 “One of the best things that we do as a program is that we have multiple sites — we are not just a single academic center,” Roark says. “They get exposure to the full spectrum of patients.”

 One change that Roark has implemented for residents is protected time on campus each week to pursue personal interests in a lab setting, conduct meetings with collaborators on campus, or use as quiet time to get work done. Residents also participate in work-in-progress sessions, presenting their research projects to faculty and co-residents. 

 Roark is pleased with this year’s match results and looks forward to the next seven years of training these residents.

 “My vision has always been to train neurosurgeons who are hard-working, honest, and intellectually curious,” he says. “We have hit our mark with these three! Welcome to the University of Colorado Anschutz family.”