The USF Health General Surgery residency is a five-year, non-pyramidal, ACGME-accredited program that is approved to graduate seven residents each year. The goal of the residency program is to produce a well-rounded, competent general surgeon, fully trained in the principles and techniques required of a general surgeon. We are dedicated to the growth and maturation of residents toward the end objectives of not only certification by the American Board of Surgery but also independent practice. Our mission is to provide exceptional patient care, educational excellence, and outstanding research. 

Assistant Professor of Surgery
Program Director, General Surgery

Dr. Saad graduated with honors from Austin College in Texas. His medical school training was at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio. He then completed his General Surgery residency training and research fellowship in Thoracic surgery at University of Texas Health in San Antonio. After residency, he practiced as a General Surgeon in Guam for almost five years. Following his time in Guam, he completed a Fellowship in Advanced Minimally Invasive GI and Bariatric Surgery at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. He joined the University of South Florida surgical faculty in 2017 and quickly showed interest in surgical education.  He has earned several teaching awards in his tenure here at USF. In addition to his role as General Surgery Program Director, he is also Associate Program Director of the Foregut/Bariatric fellowship.  His clinical practice is comprised of benign and malignant diseases of the Upper gastrointestinal tract where he serves as faculty in the USF Joy McCann Culverhouse Center for Swallowing Disorders https://health.usf.edu/medicine/internalmedicine/swallowing) as well as Abdominal Wall Reconstruction/Hernia where he serves as Director of the USF Hernia Center.

Assistant Professor of Surgery
Assistant Program Director, General Surgery 

Dr. Beard is originally from Jefferson City, MO and completed her undergraduate degree in Biology at the University of Missouri.  She then moved to New Orleans, LA to obtain a Master’s degree in Cell and Molecular Biology at Tulane University.  After finishing her training there, she returned to Missouri, where she earned her MD from the University of Missouri. She completed her General Surgery training at the University of South Florida, where she gained a strong clinical foundation.  She developed her passion for treating patients with breast cancer after working with Dr. Charles Cox and, after her surgical residency, continued to work with him during her breast fellowship.  Her practice includes the care of benign and malignant breast diseases as well as patients who are at high risk for breast cancer.  Since joining the USF faculty, she has been honored to help further the resident experience in her role as assistant program director.  

Assistant Professor of Surgery
Assistant Program Director, General Surgery 

Originally from Fairfield, CT, Dr. Bennett completed his undergraduate degree in Biology at Quinnipiac University in Hamden, CT where he was a member and captain of the Division I baseball team.  He subsequently completed a Master’s degree in Physiology and Biophysics at Georgetown University before earning his M.D. from SUNY Buffalo. Dr. Bennett completed his General Surgery training at the University of South Florida where he was twice named Outstanding Resident of the Year and also served as Administrative Chief Resident.  During residency he spent two years in the lab doing research on angiogenesis and lung regeneration at Brigham and Women’s Hospital/Harvard School of Medicine.  After graduating from residency, he completed a colon and rectal surgery fellowship at the University of Louisville, gaining extensive experience in robotic surgery, and complex surgical management of inflammatory bowel disease, colorectal malignancies, anorectal pathology and pelvic floor dysfunction.  Throughout his training and professional career, Dr. Bennett’s research has been recognized with two prestigious awards, including the John A. Mannick Harvard University Research Award and the Larry Carrey USF Surgery Resident Research Award.  He has authored several peer reviewed papers and book chapters to date.  Current research interests include inflammatory bowel disease, colon and rectal cancer, and minimally invasive surgery. Dr. Bennett’s clinical work incorporates a comprehensive practice of colon and rectal surgery, with special interest in colorectal cancer and inflammatory bowel disease.  He serves on several local and national committees, and is board certified by the American Board of Surgery and the American Board of Colon and Rectal Surgery.  He is currently serving as Vice Chief of Surgery for Tampa General Hospital and Assistant Program Director for the USF General Surgery program.   

Associate Professor of Surgery
Assistant Program Director, General Surgery

Dr. Docimo graduated from the New York College of Osteopathic Medicine, completed a surgical residency at NYU Langone Hospital Brooklyn, and a fellowship in Minimally Invasive Surgery at Penn State Hershey Medical Center. Dr. Docimo previously served as faculty at Stony Brook Medicine where he directed the Gastroparesis Center and co-directed the Center for Abdominal Core Health and Complex Hernia Repair. Dr. Docimo has contributed to over 50 peer-reviewed journal articles and is the Co-Editor of Clinical Algorithms in General Surgery: A Practical Guide. He is a fellow of the American College of Surgeons and the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery. Dr. Docimo is also actively involved in the Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons and the Americas Hernia Society. He currently is the Co-Chair of the AHS Education Committee. His clinical and research interests are in the areas of robotic bariatric surgery, complex abdominal wall reconstruction (AWR), and advanced therapeutic endoscopy.

Assistant Professor of Surgery
Assistant Program Director, General Surgery

Dr. Timothy Nywening, MD, MS, MPHS, FACS is a surgeon-scientist with a clinical focus on hepatopancreatobiliary (HPB) surgery and general surgical oncology. He is an assistant professor of surgery at the University of South Florida (USF) Morsani College of Medicine and is honored to serve as an assistant program director for the general surgery residency program. He is on staff at the university-affiliated Tampa General Hospital (TGH) and a member of the TGH Cancer Institute. Dr. Nywening is certified by the American Board of Surgery (ABS) in both general surgery and complex general surgical oncology and has been awarded a certificate in pancreas and hepatobiliary (HPB) surgery training from the Americas Hepatico-Pancreato-Biliary Association (AHPBA). Dr. Nywening obtained his general surgical training at Washington University in St. Louis, where he also completed a research fellowship in tumor immunology and a master’s degree in population health sciences (MPHS).  He pursued further clinical training with fellowships in both complex general surgical oncology and HPB surgery at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC). Dr. Nywening is passionate about treating patients with cancer and offers a broad range of open and minimally invasive surgical oncology services for the treatment of gastrointestinal cancers, peritoneal surface malignancies, soft tissue sarcomas as well as both benign and malignant conditions of the pancreas, biliary tree, and liver. He has a particular interest in the management of advanced metastatic disease and has expertise in cytoreduction (CRS)/ hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) for peritoneal surface malignancies and works with a multidisciplinary team to provide a patient-specific treatment for patients with liver metastases. In addition, Dr. Nywening serves as the surgical director of the sarcoma program at TGH Cancer Institute, which has established a multidisciplinary team of experts for patients with soft tissue sarcomas.  He is a member of several professional organizations including the AHPBA, SSO, AACR, and a fellow of the American College of Surgeons (ACS). He has won several awards for his research and dedication to teaching and has been named a 2023 “Top Doctor” in surgical oncology by Tampa Magazine. Passionate about translational research, Dr. Nywening’s work has been published in high-impact journals including Lancet Oncology, Nature Medicine, and GUT. Currently, his laboratory has received grant support to investigate the metabolism of immune cells in the tumor microenvironment to identify novel treatment modalities for cancer patients.