Chief Resident Profile: Claire L. Griffin, MD

Claire_Chief Resident_Hugh Walters WinnerGriffin was born in England and moved with her family to Ocala, Florida at age 10. She attended Florida State University for college and majored in Spanish with minors in English, chemistry and biology. Griffin earned her medical degree from the University of Florida.

Q: What drew you to UF for residency?
A: I loved the personality of the residency program and the camaraderie between faculty and residents. The residents were confident and competent, and it felt like a family.

Q: What has stood out to you about the surgical residency program here?
A: Overall, the faculty is genuinely invested in our education. The range of cases that we are exposed to is excellent and the complexity of pathology is unmatched.

Q: Which people have been most influential in your time at UF and why?
A:  It really is not possible to list all the amazing faculty who have had a huge impact on me throughout my training, but I want to give a special shout out to Dr. Huber and Dr. Feezor. They were my first role models in surgery when I was a wide-eyed third year medical student, and they have continued to support and influence me over the ensuing journey. A huge thank you to Dr. Lottenberg and Dr. McDonald, whose constant confidence in me helped me to grow both personally and as a surgeon.

Q: In what type of surgery do you plan to specialize?
A: Vascular Surgery

Q: What motivated you to pick that specialization?
A: The first operation I saw as a third year medical student was a distal bypass. Palpating the pulse at the end of the case struck me as an amazing thing and stuck with me during residency. The creation of something new, rather than just taking something out, really appealed to me.

Q: Do you plan to complete a fellowship?
A: Yes, in vascular surgery at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center