University Hospital and Veterans Affairs Medical Center (VAMC) are both regional referral centers for oncologic patients. Many patients present with advanced malignancies and provide a unique opportunity to study the epidemiology, diagnosis, and treatment of neoplastic disease while receiving excellent care at the medical center.

Clinical conferences play an important role in the teaching program and provide a forum for the exchange of ideas with members of the Departments of Surgery and other departments on campus. Residents are exposed to state of the art treatment of malignant disease, become familiar with chemotherapy drugs, their specific use, and the management of their toxicities.