Dr. Yalif excelled in academics and his accomplishments continued to be recognized during his surgical training. He earned a bachelor’s degree in biology at Rutgers University and obtained his medical degree at Rutgers’ Robert Wood Johnson Medical School as part of the university’s prestigious combined degree program, one of the few such programs in the country. Dr. Yalif then completed a 5-year general surgery residency at Beth Israel Medical Center, where he served as chief resident and earned several awards for academic achievement and clinical excellence.