Hand Surgery Fellowship

Our one-year Plastic Surgery Hand Fellowship is one of only a few hand surgery fellowships in the country that truly integrates both Orthopedic and Plastic Surgery approaches to the diagnosis and treatment of upper extremity problems. The fellowship has been in existence since 1995 and is accredited by the ACGME.

Fellowship Information

Program Co-Directors

Joel Solomon, M.D., Ph.D. (Plastic Surgery)
Adam Mirarchi, M.D. (Orthopaedic Surgery)

Coordinator

Amanda Kotsovos

Contact

Address
OHSU Hand Fellowship
3181 S.W. Sam Jackson Park Rd.
Mail Code: L352A
Portland, OR 97239

Phone
 503 494-7824

Fax
 503 494-5615

Email

Number of Fellows (per year; August 1 to July 31)

1

Number of Faculty

Four full-time faculty and many additional highly-involved hand surgeons

Application Process

The Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery and the Department of Orthopaedics and Rehabilitation welcome you to apply for our Hand Surgery Fellowship Program which begins August 1. Anyone who is board-eligible in General Surgery, Plastic Surgery or Orthopedic Surgery when the hand surgery training begins may apply for the fellowship.

It is important that you apply as early as possible for the processing of your application. The deadline for applications is December 1. Interviews will take place in Portland, Oregon in March. Candidates will match with the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP).

If you are interested in our one-year Hand Surgery Fellowship Program, please apply through the online ASSH Fellowship System. Applications require a CV, three exam score documents and three recommendation letters signed on letterhead.

Salary/Year

Dependent on PGY level. 2018-2019 salary: $69,800 - $73,500

Case mix/number of cases

Fellows have an in-depth exposure to common hand surgery procedures with additional emphasis on complex hand/wrist reconstruction, microsurgery and pediatric hand surgery under the supervision of upper extremity surgeons in both Plastic Surgery and Orthopedics. In addition, we also provide a wealth of exposure to treatment of all aspects of upper extremity pathology, including elbow and shoulder arthroscopy and arthroplasty.

Program Strengths

At OHSU, a broad array of upper extremity problems is managed by leaders in the field. As one of only two Level I trauma centers in the state, OHSU is a major referral center for replantation and complex upper extremity reconstruction for Oregon, Southern Washington, Northern California and Idaho. Due to being a one-fellow program, we are able to tailor our program to the desires of the fellow to allow for additional exposure to any upper extremity interest. We feature one of the Nation's few multidisciplinary brachial plexus and peripheral nerve centers which allows for the fellow to acquire skills in nerve repair, nerve grafting, nerve transfers, tendon transfers and free muscle transfers. Additionally, with our combined approach of plastics and orthopedics, fellows can acquire greater familiarity with shoulder and elbow complex reconstruction, shoulder and elbow arthroscopy and shoulder and elbow arthroplasty, including reverse shoulder arthroplasty.

Interaction with general surgery residents

The Hand Fellow will be part of an integrated surgical team and thus will be interacting on a daily basis with plastics and orthopedic residents and medical students. The fellow will be expected to participate in teaching opportunities during the daily care of surgical patients.

Conferences

The Hand Surgery weekly conference takes place on Thursdays from 6:45 - 7:45 a.m. and is the centerpiece of the fellowship's weekly didactic program. The conference is attended by the orthopedic and plastic surgery residents, the program faculty, and community hand surgeons and hand therapists. The curriculum covers the breadth of hand surgery. Conference topics are presented by the hand fellow, the residents, the program faculty and invited guest experts. Presenters can avail themselves of a library of PowerPoint presentations covering all major topics in hand surgery. Several other special conferences also take place during this same time period, including cadaver prosections, journal clubs, and case presentations. Additionally, a formal didactic and practical curriculum is available in our microsurgery training laboratory for those who seek additional microsurgical skill. Our twice-monthly hands-on cadaveric orthopaedic skills lab allows for greater familiarity with fracture reduction management and hardware/implant systems. Combined with our high surgical volume, these labs eliminate the need for any off-campus training in microsurgery or fracture management techniques.

View the 2018-2019 Hand Surgery conference schedule

Research opportunities

Fellows are encouraged to participate in research activities during their training. The abundant clinical material allows for variety of projects. In addition, biomechanics projects are supervised by the Department of Orthopedics and by the hand surgery faculty at the VA Medical Center.

Additional Hospital Experience

The fellow's exposure to upper extremity cases is further augmented by several affiliated institutions that are located on the OHSU hilltop campus, including a busy Veterans Hospital, Doernbecher Children's Hospital and Portland Shriner's hospital. A two-month off-campus rotation at nearby Providence St. Vincent's Hospital and at Kaiser Hospital's ambulatory surgery center and fracture clinic occurs in the middle of the fellowship year. This allows the fellow to gain greater experience in wrist and hand fracture care and a private practice group setting all while staying in the city of Portland. During the two-month Off-Campus rotation the fellow is relieved of all call responsibilities.

Requirement for paper

We encourage the fellow to participate in research during their fellowship year as there are many ongoing interesting projects they can contribute to. A formal publication is not a requirement for graduation.

International applicants
Graduates of international medical schools who are applying for medical internships, residencies or fellowships must have a valid certificate from the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG). Applicants who are not U.S. citizens must be legally able to work in the U.S. or eligible to obtain authorization to work. The most common visa types are J-1 and H1B.
For further information, contact the OHSU Graduate Medical Education office at .