Research is a critical component of surgical training. Clinical and basic science research is a major focus of the surgical faculty and residents who are involved in diverse laboratory and clinical research projects. Faculty members participate in many national and international cooperative groups. Residents may carry out basic science research in the Department laboratories, in other NYU School of Medicine Departments and in other medical centers in the United States or abroad. Research periods generally last for two years. The Department also supports resident participation in some element of clinical research during the course of their residencies.

Active departmental research groups include the Developmental Biology Laboratory, the Localio Laboratory and Ranson Laboratory for General Surgery research, the Bogert Microsurgery Laboratory, the Cardiac Research Laboratory, the Oncology Research Laboratory, the Institute of Reconstructive Plastic Surgery, the Mary Lee Johnson Richards Transplantation Center and the Vascular Surgery Laboratory.
At present, 50 percent of residents elect to take two years of bench research. In addition to the laboratories at NYU, residents in recent years have pursued research in laboratories at the National Cancer Institute, Cedars Sinai Medical Center, University of Toronto, University of Michigan, Harvard University, Memorial Sloan Kettering and University of Southern California.