Adult Joint Reconstruction Fellowship

OrthoCarolina's Adult Joint Reconstructive Fellowship offers advanced training and education for joint replacement surgeries, providing fellows with hands-on experience and mentorship from leading orthopedic surgeons. Through a comprehensive curriculum and exposure to diverse cases, fellows gain the expertise needed to excel in the field of adult joint reconstruction.

CLASS OF 2025

Taylor D'Amore, MD

Evan Dugdale, MD

Joseph Serino, MD

Nattaly Greene, MD

CLASS OF 2024

Alexis Matrka, MD

Jeffery Frandsen, MD

Matthew Shirley, MD

Nicholas Johnson, MD

Previous Fellows

Clinical Faculty

• Brian Curtin, MD
• Keith Fehring, MD- Fellowship Directors
• Thomas Fehring, MD
• Bo Mason, MD
• John Masonis, MD 
• Jesse Otero, MD, PhD
• Benjamin Wooster, MD- Fellowship Directors
• Jadene D'Angelo- Fellowship Coordinator

Fellows Research

Research is an integral part of the Adult Reconstruction Fellowship at OrthoCarolina. Each fellow is expected to produce one publication quality research project that will be submitted to the annual meetings of AAHKS and AAOS. Fellows may also do additional projects either independently or with an attending sponsor. Fellows have full support and access to the OrthoCarolina Research Institute (OCRI). www.orthocarolinaresearch.org

It is important to establish a project early to get timely IRB approval. Susan Odum, Senior Research Scientist, and Amy Roznowski, Project Manager, are available to assist you.

FELLOWS WILL BE RESPONSIBLE FOR:

• Literature reviews
• Providing Attending and Research Department (OrthoCarolina Research Institute- OCRI) with a research plan for each project
• Assisting with IRB submission – IRB submissions are due within the first two months of the start of the fellowship
• Requesting charts/x-rays (note: requests must be made 1 week in advance)
• Chart review
• Data collection
• Assisting with data entry
• Assisting with phone surveys if applicable to study
• Assisting with contacting patients for return visits if applicable to study
• Assisting with consenting patients for the study
• Planning clinic time to see returning study patients
• Submitting drafts of abstracts/manuscripts and completed two weeks prior to the deadline to allow proper time to review and edit
• Providing electronic copies of all work to the research department for permanent filing. Correspondence to research staff will be done using OC e-mail only. No outside email addresses will be used.

THE RESEARCH STAFF WILL ASSIST IN:

• In-servicing proper procedures for the above-listed responsibilities
• Providing tools and resources to assist Fellows through the study process
• Protocol design and power analysis
• IRB final submission
• Contacting medical records staff to pull charts/x-rays
• Contacting and consenting patients
• Database/spreadsheet design
• Data collection form design
• Data/statistical analysis
• Final manuscript editing

RESEARCH TIMELINES:

August 1 – Selection of research project
August 15 – Background/Rationale complete
August 15 -31 – Meet with OCRI to design protocol
September 1 – Protocol draft completed
Sept-Oct – IRB submission
Nov-May – Data Collection
May 15 – Abstract data due to OCRI for review
May 25 – Abstract draft due to OCRI for review
June 1 – AAOS, AAHKS, Knee and Hip Society abstract deadlines
June 1-July 31 – Write manuscript and prepare for Fellows Research Day

Fellowship Education

Friday Morning Adult Recon Conference:

Every Friday morning at 7 am, a clinical conference is held in the 3rd-floor conference room at the Hip and Knee Center. The Fellows are responsible for putting together pre-operative and post-operative cases for presentation. All cases are kept electronically in a database and cataloged by the Fellows. The conference is attended by all Hip and Knee Center Attending Surgeons, other OrthoCarolina and Community Surgeons with an interest in hip and knee arthroplasty, several PAs, and all industry representatives. The conference is 1 hour in duration. 

Fellows Lecture Series: Attached Example of Lecture Series Schedule:

Following the 7 am conference, there is a 1-hour didactic conference given by one of the Hip and Knee Center Attendings. It is mandatory for all of the Fellows to attend – this is protected time for the fellows. Each Attending will rotate through the schedule which reflects the annual curriculum. All topics covered in these lectures are associated with a reading list from OKU 3 – Hip and Knee Reconstruction. 

Product Exposure:

On the first Friday of every month, in lieu of the Fellows Lecture, one of the industry representatives will spend time reviewing the produce on Primary or Revision Hip or Knee Arthroplasty. This will give fellows the opportunity to spend time evaluating and asking questions about all arthroplasty products that are on the market. 

Core Curriculum Articles:

A collection of core articles in Adult reconstruction has been formulated into a library of reading materials for fellows to have as a reference throughout the year. The fellows are expected to add to this collection as they see fit during the year to expand the library both for themselves, and the attending as the new incoming fellows. 

Fellows Educational Opportunities: 

The fellows have multiple educational opportunities throughout the year for education. Below are listed a few of the educational events for the fellows that occur during the fellowship year
John Insall Travelling Fellows Educational and Social Activities (October)
Visit to Dr. John Collier's polyethylene implant at Dartmouth(October or Nov)
Adult Recon Journal Club (occurs approx every 6 weeks)
Anderson Clinic Fellows Symposium

Educational Meetings:

• American Association of Hip and Knee Surgeons
• American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons
• International Congress of Joint Replacement
• Industry Plant Tours (Depuy, Stryker etc)

Fellows Graduation:

Fellows graduation is a special and exciting time of year for the current fellows and alumni. The two-day event held in July is a combination of didactic and social events. Each current fellow will present their research from the current year. In addition, a distinguished visiting professor will spend time both lecturing and in the operating room with the current fellows. Past visiting professors have included: Thomas Thornhill, Chit Ranawat, Larry Dorr, and Aaron Rosenberg.

Fellows Clinic

Fellow’s clinic is scheduled weekly on Friday afternoon and each Fellow will rotate through this clinic on a monthly basis. One fellow will staff the clinic on a weekly basis. New patients as well as Fellow (call-case) post-operative visits are scheduled during this clinic. 

Call Hospital Responsibility

Call is voluntary; Fellows are not required to take call. However, Fellows may wish to take call at two different hospitals, Charlotte Orthopaedic Hospital, and Atrium Health-Mercy. Call at both hospitals is compensated directly to the fellow. In addition, each clinical Fellow is considered a Junior Faculty member and can book and bill for cases performed while on-call. Fellows on call will be supervised by the attending for whom they are taking call for.

The fellow is responsible for assisting with rounds for the service in which he/she is rotating. In addition, every attending has a physician assistant (PA) who will help with rounding responsibilities when needed. On weekends, one fellow will cover rounds at Charlotte Orthopaedic Hospital on a rotating basis (1 in 4 weekends). The fellow will round on all adult reconstruction inpatients on both Saturdays and Sundays.

Vacation Meetings

A total of three weeks beyond standard OrthoCarolina holidays is granted. This is to be used for job hunting, vacation, or educational meetings. Any time off must be approved by the Fellowship Director. All fellows should not be off at the same time.

EDUCATIONAL MEETINGS

One domestic meeting will be paid for per year. The meeting must be approved by the Fellowship Director

Applications

• All applications must be submitted using SF Match.com
• Our deadline is posted on the website of SF Match. This is monitored with AAHKS.

Annual Stipend:

• H&K $60,000

Excellent Benefits:

• Health & Dental Insurance for Fellow and dependents
• Short & Long Term Disability
• Basic Life Insurance, equivalent to 2x annual salary
• Retirement Plan, eligible first of the quarter, following ninety (90) days of service
• Flexible Spending Accounts
• Up to three weeks of PTO; which includes sick time and vacation days
• Provide coverage under OrthoCarolina’s professional liability plan, with tail coverage provided at the end of the fellowship.
• Paid Call

John N. Insall Traveling Fellow

John N. Insall's profound contributions to knee surgery were driven by his dedication to excellence in clinical research and patient care. Central to his life's work was the international education of knee surgeons. In recognition of his achievements and to preserve his legacy, The Knee Society, with support from the Insall Foundation, established the Insall Traveling Fellowship in 2002. This annual initiative sends groups of four international surgeons on a month-long journey across North America to visit Knee Society members' programs, fostering education, research, and the exchange of ideas and techniques among fellows and members.

OrthoCarolina's own Dr. Mason and Dr. Kevin Stanley are all fellowship-trained Insall Fellows.