{"id":40343,"date":"2026-04-28T12:03:44","date_gmt":"2026-04-28T16:03:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/health.uconn.edu\/graduate-medical-education\/?page_id=40343"},"modified":"2026-10-19T13:44:09","modified_gmt":"2026-10-19T17:44:09","slug":"faculty","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/health.uconn.edu\/graduate-medical-education\/waterbury-general-surgery-residency-program\/faculty\/","title":{"rendered":"Faculty"},"content":{"rendered":"

Current forecasts predict that with the aging of the population, in the near future there will be an enormous shortage of general surgeons. At Waterbury Hospital we take the responsibility of training the next generation of surgeons very seriously. Our training philosophy is that the residents and students are here for education, not service. It is understood that this educational activity is best attained through a combination of clinical care and classroom learning.<\/p>\n

Being a busy community hospital with only one surgical training program, our residents have several advantages for their education. This unique aspect offers our residents the opportunity to participate in operations on patients with a variety of clinical problems beyond general surgery including ENT, plastics, gynecology, neurosurgery, urology and orthopedics. In addition, as a small program with a resident to faculty ration of less than 2:1 we can individualize our education. We have eight dedicated full-time faculty who are all involved in the structure and design of the program. Our surgical faculty take all of the trauma and general surgery call.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

Surgical Faculty<\/h3>
<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>
\"Peter<\/div><\/div>

Peter Zdankiewicz, M.D., FACS
\n<\/strong>Program Director, <\/em>University of Connecticut School<\/em> of Medicine, Waterbury Hospital General Surgery Residency Program<\/em><\/p>\n

Dr. Zdankiewicz joined the Waterbury Hospital General Surgery Residency Program as a faculty member in 2000. He received his B.A. in Biology at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri and his M.D. at The University of Maryland Medical School, Baltimore, Maryland. He completed his General Surgery Residency at St. Mary\u2019s Hospital in Waterbury, Connecticut in 2000.<\/p>\n

Dr. Zdankiewicz is the Trauma Program Medical Director at Waterbury Hospital as well as the Medical Director of the Operating Room.<\/p>\n

He holds an academic appointment as Assistant Professor, UConn Department of Surgery and is a Clinical Instructor, Department of Surgery University of Connecticut School of Medicine.<\/p>\n

Professional Societies<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n

Eastern Association for the Surgery of Trauma (EAST)<\/p>\n

Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons (SAGES)<\/p>\n

Fellow American College of Surgeons<\/p>\n

Diplomate American Board of Surgery<\/p>\n

Advisory Boards<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n

Board of Directors Connecticut Trauma Conference<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

\"David<\/div><\/div>

David C. Knight, M.B., B.Ch., B.A.O., L.R.C.P.S.I., FACS
\n<\/strong>Chair, Department of Surgery
\nAssociate Program Director<\/em><\/p>\n

Dr. Knight earned a B.A. from Harvard and his M.B., B.Ch from the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland. He completed his General Surgery residency at Waterbury Hospital in 1986.<\/p>\n

Dr. Knight is founder and President of \u201cLoupes Around the World\u201d a charitable foundation which provides loupes to surgeons in developing countries who do not have the means to obtain them. He has also developed a recycling program (\u201cRecoup The Loupes\u201d) through which surgeons are able to donate their old loupes and the parts are then used to create new loupes for designated surgeons at a significantly reduced cost. \u201cLoupes Around the World\u201d has provided 900 pairs of loupes to surgeons in more than 50 countries around the world.\u00a0 For more information, please visit\u00a0www.loupesaroundtheworld.org<\/a><\/p>\n

Dr. Knight traveled to JFK Hospital in Liberia twice a year beginning in March 2010 on a charity surgical mission with the HEARTT Foundation (Health Education and Relief Through Teaching). Two residents accompanied Dr. Knight for one of these two-week missions each year. His last trip was in March 2025.<\/p>\n

Dr. Knight received Waterbury Hospital\u2019s 2011 Humanitarian of the Year\u00a0Award. He was recognized at the hospital\u2019s Annual Gala on November 19,\u00a02011.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

\"Zhongqiu<\/div><\/div>

Zhongqiu Zhang M.D. Ph.D., FACS, FASCRS
\n<\/strong>Surgical Residency Program Faculty
\nClinical Instructor<\/em><\/p>\n

Surgical Residency Program Teaching Faculty, Waterbury Hospital
\nAssistant Professor, Department of Surgery, University of Connecticut School of Medicine<\/p>\n

Professor, Department of Surgery
\nFrank H. Netter MD School of Medicine at Quinnipiac University<\/p>\n

Dr. Zhang received his Ph.D., Department of Pathology from the Medical College of Ohio and his M.D. from Capital Medical University in Beijing, P.R. China. He completed his General Surgery Residency at Waterbury Hospital in 2009. Dr. Zhang then completed a Colorectal Surgery Fellowship at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation in Cleveland, Ohio.<\/p>\n

Dr. Zhang is a member of the American College of Surgeons, American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons and the American Association for Cancer Research.<\/p>\n

Zhongqiu John Zhang, MD, PhD, is a Staff member in the Department of Surgery at Alliance Medical Group and Waterbury Hospital. He is board certified by the American Board of Surgery and by the American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons. Dr. Zhang\u2019s specialty interests include all aspects of colorectal cancer and polyps, molecular genetics of colorectal cancer, functional colorectal and anal problems including constipation and incontinence, perianal and perineal infections, mucosal ulcerative colitis, Crohn\u2019s Disease, diverticulitis, pelvic pouch procedures for mucosal ulcerative colitis and familial adenomatous polyposis, sphincter-saving operations, surgery for carcinoma of the colon and rectum re-operative abdominopelvic surgery.<\/p>\n

Dr. Zhang earned his medical degree from Capital Medical University in Beijing China. He completed his general surgery residency at Waterbury Hospital in Connecticut and has completed a fellowship in the Department of Colorectal Surgery at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Ohio. Dr. Zhang has an extensive clinical, research and teaching background. He earned his PhD in cancer genetics from the Medical College of Ohio in 1999. He is a member of a number of medical societies, including the American College of Surgeons, the American Society of Colorectal Surgeons, and American Association for Cancer Research.<\/p>\n

Dr. Zhang is actively involved in a series of teaching assignments at the University of Connecticut. He also collaborates with researchers at the University of Connecticut Cancer Center on basic science research involving colorectal cancer and is currently participating in a National Cancer Institute project on \u201cIdentification of Biomarkers for Predicting Response to Preoperative Chemotherapy in Patients with Rectal Cancer\u201d.<\/p>\n

Dr. Zhang is the only colorectal surgeon to practice in the Greater Waterbury Area. In close collaboration with Cleveland Clinic, Dr. Zhang has been running the endorectal and endoanal ultrasound lab. He has acquired the first anal manometry and biofeedback equipment in Waterbury Hospital. Another first is the center acquiring the defecography equipment in Department of Radiology at Waterbury Hospital.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

\"Juan<\/div><\/div>

Juan Diego Holguin, M.D., FACS
\n<\/strong><\/em>Surgical Residency Program Faculty
\n<\/em>Assistant Professor, UConn Department of Surgery
\nDirector, The Comprehensive Weight Management Center
\nUConn Health Waterbury Hospital<\/em><\/p>\n

Juan Diego Holguin, MD, FACS, specializes in minimally invasive, robotic and weight loss surgery.<\/p>\n

Dr. Holguin graduated Magma Cum Laude from Western Connecticut State University and received his medical degree in 2009 from University of Connecticut School of Medicine. He completed his General Surgery Residency at Waterbury Hospital in 2014.<\/p>\n

Dr. Holguin then went on to completed a fellowship in Advanced GI Minimally Invasive at Jackson South Community Hospital in Miami, Florida, focusing on robotic and weight loss surgery.<\/p>\n

A native of Colombia, Dr. Holguin, came to the United States as a child and grew up in Norwalk with his extended family. Fluent in Spanish, Dr. Holguin maintains strong ties to his extended family and believes in helping patients improve their health through surgical weight loss.<\/p>\n

Dr. Holguin hobbies include soccer and lacrosse. A former college soccer star, he plays in a local adult league.<\/p>\n

\u201cI enjoy helping patients who have medical issues related to weight. When they lose weight they basically eliminate a lot of their medial issues and which helps them and to live better lives. \u201d
\n\u2013 Dr. Holguin.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

\"Gregory<\/div><\/div>

Gregory M. Ricketts, M.D., FACS
\n<\/strong><\/em>Surgical Residency Program Faculty
\n<\/em>Assistant Professor, UConn Department of Surgery
\n<\/em><\/p>\n

Dr. Gregory Ricketts specializes in colon and rectal surgery.<\/p>\n

Dr. Ricketts completed his medical training at the Universidad Autonoma de Guadalajara in Mexico and the New York Medical College in Valhalla, NY. He completed his residency training in general surgery at Waterbury Hospital, and a colon and rectal fellowship at the Colon and Rectal Clinic of Orlando in Orlando, FL.<\/p>\n

Dr. Ricketts is fluent in both English and Spanish languages.<\/p>\n

Dr. Rickett\u2019s medical interests include general and colorectal surgery and he is trained in laparoscopy, robotics and hand-assisted colorectal techniques. He has a particular interest in the treatment of malignant diseases of the colon and rectum.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

\"Elizabeth<\/div><\/div>

Elizabeth C. Riordan, M.D., FACS
\n<\/strong><\/em>Surgical Residency Program Faculty
\n<\/em>Assistant Clinical Professor
\n<\/em>UConn Department of Surgery
\n<\/em><\/p>\n

Dr. Elizabeth C. Riordan is board certified in general surgery and specializes in breast surgery.<\/p>\n

Dr. Riordan received her medical degree from the University of Connecticut Medical School, in Farmington, Conn. and her residency training in general surgery at SUNY at Stony Brook, NY.<\/p>\n

Dr. Riordan has been practicing medicine since 1996. She is a member of the American Board of Surgery, the Connecticut Chapter of the American College of Surgeons, and the American Society of Breast Surgeons.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Current forecasts predict that with the aging of the population, in the near future there will be an enormous shortage of general surgeons. At Waterbury Hospital we take the responsibility of training the next generation of surgeons very seriously. Our training philosophy is that the residents and students are here for education, not service. It […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5287,"featured_media":0,"parent":38352,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-40343","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-11-04 08:26:39","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/health.uconn.edu\/graduate-medical-education\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/40343","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/health.uconn.edu\/graduate-medical-education\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/health.uconn.edu\/graduate-medical-education\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/health.uconn.edu\/graduate-medical-education\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5287"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/health.uconn.edu\/graduate-medical-education\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=40343"}],"version-history":[{"count":19,"href":"https:\/\/health.uconn.edu\/graduate-medical-education\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/40343\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":40409,"href":"https:\/\/health.uconn.edu\/graduate-medical-education\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/40343\/revisions\/40409"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/health.uconn.edu\/graduate-medical-education\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/38352"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/health.uconn.edu\/graduate-medical-education\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=40343"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}