Program Overview

The Emory Upper Extremity Center prides itself on the complexity and diversity of pathologies treated across our entire faculty, the core of which is our Hand and Upper Extremity Fellowship. Each year, we treat more than 10,000 patients and perform more than 4,000 surgeries. Although most of our surgeons see and treat most of the common hand and wrist pathologies and treatments, the following represents a list of the unique specializations within our faculty:

• Athletic and Wrist, Elbow, and Shoulder Injuries for Professional and Collegiate Athletes
• Arthroplasty of the Shoulder, Elbow, Wrist, and Fingers
• Arthroscopy of the Shoulder, Elbow, Wrist, and Thumb
• Brachial Plexus Reconstructions
• Congenital Hand and Upper Extremity Reconstructions
• Microvascular Reconstructions (replants, revascularizations, free flaps)
• Spasticity Clinic in the Shepherd Center for Brain and Spinal Cord Rehabilitation
• Trauma of the Shoulder, Elbow, and Hand at the Grady Level 1 Trauma Center 
• Ultrasound guided procedures and diagnostic maneuvers of the upper extremity

Clinical Schedule

Fellows will work alongside the faculty in the care of patients within the operating room and clinic in addition to assisting in the education of Emory, Duke, and Atlanta Medical Center orthopaedic and plastic surgery residents. Given the high volume of patients and pathologies as well as the large number of faculty in the fellowship, the fellows will work in a mentorship model with a one-on-one experience with the faculty each month.

While there will be overlap in educational opportunities, there will be no overlap among fellows and residents for surgical cases. During the fellows’ home calls once a week and one weekend per month, they will work with orthopaedic and plastic surgery residents from Emory to care for patients at the Emory and Grady Trauma Centers.

Education

Fellows will learn from the Emory faculty during weekly complex case conferences (Wed morning), topic specific educational conference (Mon evening), a weekly research conference, monthly SAE question review, weekly orthopaedic surgery grand rounds, monthly upper extremity journal club, monthly industry-sponsored labs, quarterly city-wide journal club, and monthly cadaveric lab dissections. The fellows will participate in a microsurgery course at the Mayo Clinic at the beginning of their fellowship.  They will also participate in a flap and upper extremity arthroscopy course the first week of their fellowship. Furthermore, fellows will be paid to attend the ASSH and either the AAOS, ASPS, or AAHS meeting the year of their fellowship.

Research

The Emory Upper Extremity Center surgeons and scientists publish more than 50 peer-reviewed articles each year, with more than double that number of presentations at regional, national, and international conferences. This provides the fellows with an excellent foundation to participate in meaningful scientific investigations. Between one-half day to one full day per week will be set aside for clinical or translational research throughout every rotation of the fellowship.

Fellows are expected to complete at least one original research project with the goal of a publication in a peer-reviewed journal indexed on PubMed. Given the diverse and rich research resources available in the upper extremity department at Emory, fellows will have ample opportunity to publish many more articles if they so choose. The Emory Upper Extremity Center has multiple clinical research coordinators, research assistants, biomechanics, and translational science experts as well as other staff to help the fellows carry out any investigation they wish to complete.

Please check out our faculty research covered in media

Smart Phone Usage and Thumb Pain

Motorized Scooter Research on Broken Bones

Avocado-related Hand Injuries

Other

The fellowship is ACGME-accredited and participates in the NRMP match program.