Overview
The Emory Orthopedic Trauma Fellowship at Grady Memorial Hospital is a 12-month fellowship at Georgia’s first and busiest ACS certified level I trauma center. This fellowship offers a broad experience with pelvic/acetabular fractures, peri-articular fractures, management of poly-traumatized patients, and nonunion/malunion surgery. The Emory Ortho Trauma Faculty represent a wide range of trauma fellowship training themselves, which creates an ideal learning environment for fellows, with daily board rounds serving as a forum for diagnostic, management, and research-based discussion. The impressively wide range of faculty involvement in national and international societies and committees also serves the fellows in terms of professional contacts around the country.
Clinical Schedule
Grady serves as the Level 1 trauma center for metropolitan Atlanta and the surrounding areas and serves as a referral center for complex traumatic injuries, including fracture nonunion and malunion. The hospital has approximately 15,000 trauma activations with over 9,500 trauma admission per year. The Orthopedic trauma service is one of the busiest services in the operating room and often works together with the General Surgery Trauma, Vascular, Plastics, Critical Care and Neuro-Surgical services.
The Orthopedic trauma fellows work with the 10 trauma fellowship trained faculty. There are also Arthroplasty, Hand and Sports trained faculty that care for acute trauma and post traumatic conditions that the fellows are welcome to work with. The 9 or 10 Orthopedic residents on service at any given time at Grady Hospital also benefit from fellow teaching and interaction. The fellows spend up to one day a week in an Orthopedic Trauma Clinic of their choice learning the intricacies of non-operative care of musculoskeletal injuries and providing follow-up care. The fellows will enjoy a process of graduated autonomy in both the OR and clinic settings.
Education
Fellows participate actively in daily board rounds, engaging in high-level diagnostic and management discussions alongside faculty and residents. A key focus of the fellowship is progressive surgical and clinical leadership, with fellows mentoring junior residents during operative procedures, polytrauma care, and non-operative decision-making.
Conferences & Didactics:
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Weekly Indications Conference: Fellow-led case presentations and discussions designed to instruct residents and rotating medical students.
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Weekly Journal Club: Tuesday morning sessions analyzing current literature and landmark orthopedic trauma publications.
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Didactic Series & Skills Labs: Thursday morning faculty-led lectures covering core trauma topics, complemented by a department-wide resident curriculum that includes a trauma-specific cadaver lab. Fellows are encouraged to contribute as lecturers and lab instructors based on their academic interests.
Research
Fellows are expected to complete at least one publishable research project during their training, supported by dedicated academic time throughout the year. Emory University provides robust research infrastructure, including dedicated clinical coordinators and assistants within the Orthopedic Trauma Division who assist with protocol execution, IRB compliance, and project feasibility within the fellowship timeframe.
For fellows seeking broader investigation, the division maintains active interdisciplinary partnerships with a dedicated biomechanics lab, basic science facilities, the Rollins School of Public Health at Emory, and the Georgia Institute of Technology School of Bioengineering.
Other
The fellowship participates in the SF match program.