The Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery (OMS) at the University of Pittsburgh offers a six-year dual degree program; combining a medical degree and advanced surgical training in oral and maxillofacial surgery. Residents commence training as first-year interns in the department; and join their corresponding first-year medical school class in the spring of the first year of medical school. The department's residents spend approximately 32 months on the oral and maxillofacial surgery service.

PGY-1   Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery
PGY-2   University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine
PGY-3   University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine
PGY-4   University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine/Anesthesia
 PGY-5   University of Pittsburgh Medical Center General Surgery Internship
 PGY-6   Chief Resident: Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery

Research involvement, presentations at scientific meetings of national scope and merit, and publications in peer-reviewed journals are encouraged and required. The two oral and maxillofacial surgery residents accepted each year are among the best prepared and most qualified students in the nation. The department's graduates have accepted positions in both outstanding surgical practices and university attending positions at major medical centers throughout the United States.

Six full-time oral and maxillofacial surgery faculty, part-time faculty, and private practice oral and maxillofacial surgeons from the Pittsburgh area provide surgical training and supervision. The School of Dental Medicine has an on-site modern ambulatory surgical suite with full anesthesia support and facilities that enhance caseload and outpatient surgical management. From the first day on the job, the department's residents work with first professional dental students in a training and supervisory role in the rotation in the undergraduate oral and maxillofacial surgery clinic, are involved in management of emergency extraction cases in the walk-in clinic in the UPMC Montefiore Hospital Department of Dental Medicine, and assist the attending surgical faculty in the operating rooms of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center and Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh. During the entire sixth year of the program, two residents function as chief residents and devote a full 12 months on the OMS service with an enviable surgical caseload.

In addition to the medical school curricula, the department requires didactic experience in intravenous sedation; general anesthesia; head, neck, and oral pathology; and head and neck anatomy. The residents are also required to attend the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Grand Rounds, treatment planning conferences in the Dentofacial Deformities Program (in conjunction with the Orthodontic Program), Craniofacial Conference, and the weekly Surgical Treatment Planning and Trauma Conference.

The deadline for application to the program is November 1. Late applications will not be accepted. Applicants are screened for interviews that take place in early winter. Through the Match program, http://www.natmatch.com/dentres, with results announced in late January, two residents are selected each year to matriculate, commencing on July 1. Applicants matched to the University of Pittsburgh are enrolled in both the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery residency and the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. The applicants must be a graduate of an ADA-accredited dental school, must apply through the Postdoctoral Application Support Service (PASS), and must participate in the Match selection process. The University of Pittsburgh Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery adheres to the University of Pittsburgh's non-discrimination policy. Residents receive a full UPMC post-graduate trainee stipend during each year of the program. In addition, health and disability insurance benefits are provided. Tuition is incurred while residents are enrolled in the medical school phase of the program.

More information can be obtained by contacting Andrea Ford at the address provided below.

Program Director
Dr. Bernard J. Costello
1112 Kaufmann Building
3471 Fifth Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15213
Phone: 412-648-6801
Fax: 412-648-6835
Email: bjc1@pitt.edu

Craniofacial Surgery Fellowship Program

The Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery in conjunction with the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center and Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh offers a one-year accredited Fellowship in Craniofacial/Pediatric Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery. The fellowship is designed to produce highly trained surgeons preparing them for a full-time academic career or allow them to enter a position at a center or within a group, which has a significant need for this experience.

The fellow develops extensive surgical experience in pediatric, adolescent, and adult congenital craniofacial, primary and secondary cleft, orthognathic, reconstructive, esthetic, implant, and pediatric craniofacial trauma surgery. Research opportunities in the areas of molecular genetics, cranial suture biology, pediatric trauma, cleft, and congenital craniofacial anomalies are also available and encouraged as a critical component to the fellowship program. Research involvement, presentations at scientific meetings of national scope and merit, and publications in peer-reviewed journals are encouraged and supported.

The fellow accepted each year is regularly taken from among the best prepared and most qualified oral and maxillofacial surgery residents in the nation. Our graduates accept positions in both outstanding surgical practices and university attending positions at major medical centers. Fellows receive a full UPMC Health System post-graduate trainee stipend for the year of the program that is commensurate with their experience level. Health and disability insurance benefits are provided.

Applicants are screened for interviews that take place in the fall.

For information and application instructions please call:

Bernard J. Costello, DMD, MD
Chief, Division of Craniofacial and Cleft Surgery
Program Director, Craniofacial Fellowship and Residency
Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery
University of Pittsburgh School of Dental Medicine
Phone: 412-648-6801

OMS Externship Program

An externship program is available for interested students from U.S. accredited dental schools.  Please contact the department for additional information and complete the application materials below.

Please see the links below for application materials and information

Personal data sheet (PDF 39 KB)
Instructions for Visiting Students (PDF 103 KB)

OMS Internship Program

A one-year internship program is available for those individuals who are interested in applying for a career in oral and maxillofacial surgery, but would like additional training prior to applying for an OMS position through the MATCH. The program is unique in that a balanced and extensive experience is offered in the clinical setting. This includes rotations in our outpatient clinics as well as the operating room service. Interns are also expected to attend and participate in conferences and our comprehensive didactic coursework. The position is fully funded.  Applications may be made at any time, and the position is usually filled once the MATCH process is complete in late January. 

More information can be obtained by contacting Andrea Ford at the address provided below.

Andrea Ford
Fellowship and Residency Coordinator
3471 Fifth Avenue, Suite 1112
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15213

E-mail: fordam@upmc.edu
Phone: 412-648-6801