CATCH UP WITH DR. SASHA ACHER - CLASS OF 2023
I finished residency in 2023 and just completed a dual fellowship in hepatopancreaticobiliary surgery and general surgical oncology at the University of Toronto. I joined the University of Wisconsin as an Assistant Professor in Surgical Oncology with a focus in HPB and sarcoma surgery. I feel incredibly lucky to be part of a really special group here, with a practice grounded in disease processes and anatomy that I love.
There were many times in my residency where I felt pushed to think and operate beyond my skill level. These were foundational experiences and because the faculty at Utah demanded excellence but also offered mentorship, I grew. Other programs are not like this and I just feel so lucky to have been given equal parts autonomy and support. I’m thinking about Dr. Scaife forcing me to be on the left side of the table in a Whipple, Dr. Nirula letting me keep the sticks for a 630am case he was planning on doing alone, Dr. Savarise and Dr. Ray Price watching me struggle through my first Nissen after 2 years off for research, Dr. Young eternally prioritizing Maximum Resident Benefit. The list goes on. Utah is a unique place and it prepares residents very well for whatever comes next.
Most importantly, after 7 years of long distance relationship-ing and 2 years of raising our son Micah as pseudo-single parents, my partner Sharon and I are finally living in the same country, city, and house! We wouldn’t have made it without Sharon being tough enough to be apart from Micah intermittently, or my parents flying out to help me in Toronto every month, or the countless friends and other family who offered up weeks of their time to help raise Micah. He is loved by so many people and he is better for it.
