Explore Our Fellowship Opportunities

We are home to ACGME-accredited fellowship programs in the subspecialties of Hand and Upper Extremity, Sports Medicine and Trauma. Our fellowship programs feature a diverse array of perspectives and operative approaches from the range of faculty in each division.

Our programs offer prospective fellows the opportunity to hone their operative and clinical skillsets in a competitive with attention paid to ACGME’s Milestones for each program. Our fellows’ educations are bolstered by their participation in research, and the expectation that they finish their year with us published in at least one peer reviewed journal.

The Sports Medicine fellowship is designed to further prepare an orthopaedic surgeon to diagnose, treat and rehabilitate athletes with both routine and complex sports medicine injuries. The fellows learn advanced surgical techniques from the division’s six fulltime faculty members, and will gain extensive experience in both arthroscopic and open procedures involving the knee and shoulder as well as ample exposure to hip and elbow arthroscopy. The fellows will actively participate in the care of a Division I athletic program including training room clinics and event coverage, interacting with athletic trainers, physical therapists, coaches and administrators in caring for athletic teams. The fellowship has a comprehensive curriculum with weekly case-based conferences that include participation from musculoskeletal radiologists and primary care sports medicine physicians. A monthly journal club discusses current sports medicine literature. Educational leave is allowed for fellows to attend regional and national sports medicine conferences, and arthroscopic courses hosted by members of the Sports Medicine faculty. Our curriculum adequately prepares our fellows to pass the Sports Medicine Subspecialty Certification Examination.

The Hand & Upper Extremity fellowship is well balanced between congenital problems, arthritis, trauma and microsurgery. We have a large volume of peripheral nerve injuries, both acute and chronic. We have a busy adult practice of acquired hand pathologies ranging from bread and butter hand surgery to more complicated and delicate procedures. Fellows are exposed to a pediatric clinic once a week at Carrie Tingley Children’s Hospital. Elective training in shoulder and elbow procedures is available if scheduled operative/clinical responsibilities are covered. Our fellows participate in a weekly, supervised microsurgical laboratory session. The hand program has access to the department’s active biomechanics research lab run by our PhD faculty and graduate students. Our fellows have the opportunity to work on clinical hand and biomechanics research projects, and are expected to produce a publication from a peer-reviewed journal during their time with us. Our fellows work closely with attendings on the Hand Service and are expected to be the surgeon/first assistant on approximately 700 hand procedures. During the week, our fellows participate in a case-based conference to discuss unique cases or M&M issues, and a didactic lecture covering all aspects of hand surgery. Graduated responsibility gradually increases during the year as our fellows become the primary surgeon on an increasing number of procedures.

Our Trauma fellowship is a good balance of acute and reconstructive trauma, isolated and complex cases, clinical care, didactic learning, and clinical responsibility with an eye toward independence. We are the only Level 1 trauma center in the state of New Mexico and have an excellent integrated relationship with the Trauma Service of the Department of General Surgery. There is extensive orthopaedic faculty support in the trauma-related subspecialties of spine, hand, foot, sports medicine and pediatrics. Our fellow will treat approximately 100 pelvic fractures per year. The fellowship coordinates closely with the residency program. There are ongoing funded research projects focused on clinical issues, the basic sciences, and quality care with a good track record of publication and presentations. The fellow works closely with attendings on the Trauma Service, and is expected to be surgeon/first assistant on over 600 cases. Our fellow is able to participate in a voluntary protected call coverage experience at our satellite hospital, the Sandoval Regional Medical Center. The academic curriculum includes two conferences per week devoted solely to the Trauma fellowship, combined with the trauma components of the residency curriculum. Fellow responsibility increases during the year, and the fellow becomes the primary surgeon on an increasing number of procedures. The primary feature that distinguishes our program from other trauma fellowships is our unequalled ability to modify the experience based on the skills and objectives of the fellow throughout the year. Research is encouraged with completion of a project involving presentation at the Alumni Conference in June, as well as a publication in a peer-reviewed journal. The fellow will also present at one Grand Rounds and participates in the SouthWest Orthopaedic Trauma Association PGY1 Trauma Motor Skills Course as a table instructor. Educational leave is allowed for the fellow to participate in the annual OTA conference, and educational courses throughout the year as appropriate.