Shoulder and Elbow Fellowship
The OrthoCarolina Shoulder and Elbow Fellowship has been created to cultivate the next generation of shoulder and elbow surgeons. OrthoCarolina has a rich history of creating world-class fellowship education, and we are excited to add Shoulder and Elbow to this list of incredible educational opportunities.
Our one-year clinical fellowship will offer comprehensive exposure to disorders of the shoulder and elbow. From “bread and butter” to the most complex procedures, our expectation is that graduating fellows will feel confident managing all musculoskeletal disorders of the shoulder and elbow. The faculty will teach surgical skills, but more importantly, will teach fellows how to think critically and problem-solve while always keeping the patient first. We teach with a “one patient, one teacher, one learner” model meaning one-on-one mentorship throughout the fellowship. This teaching model creates a steep learning curve for fellows with rapid acquisition of surgical autonomy. Our fellowship faculty have been involved in surgical training (medical students, residents, upper extremity fellows, and sports/shoulder fellows) for many years. We are now excited to create an unparalleled learning experience for fellows seeking a career focused on shoulder and elbow surgery.
The core strength of our fellowship is the clinical experience. Our fellowship faculty is comprised of four high-volume surgeons that have deeply established referral practices. Our faculty performs varied niche procedures. Fellows will have exposure to core shoulder and elbow procedures with all faculty but will also participate in specialized procedures such as shoulder girdle tendon and nerve transfers, brachial plexus explorations, intra-operative GPS navigated shoulder arthroplasty, custom revision total elbow arthroplasty, arthroscopic bone-block instability procedures, and much more. Fellows will be exposed to varying styles and techniques during the year, but will also have the opportunity to travel internationally for a visiting surgeon rotation at the tail end of the fellowship.
Our fellowship is fortunate to be in the amazing city of Charlotte, NC. As the 15th largest and third fastest-growing city in the US, Charlotte has something for everybody. From professional sports and microbreweries to the fine arts and world-class cuisine, Charlotte offers energy, diversity, character, and a place for all.
The fellowship strives to provide the perfect balance of education, service, research, and recreational time to enjoy the beautiful area of Charlotte. Fellows become members of ourOrthoCarolina family which overflows with life-long friends, invaluable mentors, and remarkable experiences.
Our fellowship’s strength is its clinical experience. In 2023 the four clinical faculty members performed the following number of cases:
- Shoulder Arthrscopy: 799
- Arthroscopic rotator cuff repairs: 451
- Elbow Arthrscopy: 66
- Shoulder Arthroplasty: 530
Fellows can expect to have exposure to the following procedures:
Shoulder:
- Anatomic Arthroplasty (stemless, stemmed, all poly and hybrid glenoid designs, patient-specific guides)
- Reverse Arthroplasty (inlay and onlay systems, intra-operative GPS navigation)
- Revision arthroplasty (allograft prosthesis composites, custom implants)
- Arthroscopic rotator cuff repair (multiple repair techniques)
- Arthroscopic rotator cuff repair with graft augmentation
- Superior capsule reconstruction
- Arthroscopic bone block instability surgery
- Arthroscopic labral repair and remplissage
- Acromioclavicular ligament reconstruction
- Tendon transfers about the shoulder (latissimus, lower trapezius, pectoralis)
- Fracture fixation (Scapula, glenoid, clavicle, humerus)
- Scapulothoracic and glenohumeral fusion
Elbow:
- UCL ligament- Primary repair, Internal brace, and ligament reconstruction
- Total elbow arthroplasty
- Revision Total elbow arthroplasty
- Elbow arthroscopy- arthroscopic management of elbow osteoarthritis, lateral epicondylitis, capitellar OCD
- Open elbow contracture release and Heterotopic bone resection
- Fracture fixation (elbow fracture/dislocations, olecranon, radial head, distal humerus)
- Repair-Biceps/Triceps acute repair and chronic reconstruction
Nady Hamid, MD, Fellowship Director
Dr. Hamid serves as the fellowship director for the shoulder and elbow fellowship. He completed his fellowship training in shoulder and elbow surgery at the Shoulder and Elbow Center at Washington University in St. Louis, MO. He also traveled to Nice, France for further training in advanced arthroscopic shoulder surgery and complex shoulder reconstruction. He holds an academic appointment with Wake Forest School of Medicine and serves as Associate Program Director and Director of Surgical Simulation for Carolinas Medical Center Orthopaedic Surgery Residency. Dr Hamid is well-published in the field of shoulder and elbow surgery. He has been the senior author on two studies that were finalist papers for the Charles S. Neer Award for outstanding clinical research and has received nearly $3 million in grant funding for previous and ongoing clinical research.
Dr. Patrick Connor obtained his fellowship training at the Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center, New York Orthopaedic Hospital Shoulder Fellowship Program and spent additional time at the Mayo Clinic focusing on elbow surgery prior to starting his shoulder and elbow practice in Charlotte in 1996. In addition, he has an active sports medicine practice as he served as Team Physician of the NFL's Carolina Panthers for 24 years, is Past-President of the NFL Physicians Society, has been elected to Emeritus status by his peers within the NFL Physicians Society, and continues to provide orthopedic treatment to athletes at all levels. He has trained hundreds of orthopedic residents and fellows through his positions as Professor and Chief of Shoulder and Elbow Surgery and Sports Medicine at the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Atrium Health, and Clinical Faculty of OrthoCarolina's Sports Medicine Fellowship program. He has been chosen as one of Charlotte's Top Doctors by his peers for 15 straight years and has received numerous other clinical awards and honors. He was the inaugural Chairman of the Board of the OrthoCarolina Research Institute (OCRI), one of the country's most prolific private practice orthopedic research institutes, and still sits on their Board of Directors. He has published over 100 peer-reviewed journal articles and book chapters focused on shoulder and elbow surgery and sports medicine, and he has been very involved in the development, research, and design of shoulder arthroplasty, elbow arthroplasty, and rotator cuff repair implant and techniques.
Dr. Loeffler specializes in the entire spectrum of hand and upper extremity disorders from the fingertips to the shoulder. He has a special interest in complex elbow conditions and peripheral nerve injuries. Dr. Loeffler has been awarded multiple research grants to fund various clinical studies as well as a basic science study on biologic solutions to improve rotator cuff healing. He has authored numerous book chapters and peer-reviewed articles on topics ranging from forearm injuries to shoulder and elbow replacement. Academic honors and achievements range from excellence in surgery to resident teaching awards. He has also participated in two international medical missions, providing orthopedic surgical care in underserved areas. Dr. Loeffler is a former NCAA Division I wrestler at the University of Maryland, and he remains active by running and spending time with his wife, Jennifer, and their three children.
Dr. Schiffern serves as an attending physician and faculty member for the OrthoCarolina Shoulder & Elbow and Sports Medicine/Shoulder Fellowship programs. He developed his interest in shoulder surgery as a medical student while doing research with Dr. Frederick A. Matsen, III at the University of Washington. Following his Orthopaedic surgery residency at the University of Utah, he completed a Shoulder & Elbow Surgery fellowship at the Carrel Clinic in Dallas, TX with Dr. Buz Burkhead, Jr. and Dr. Sumant Krishnan. He has been an active faculty member in both the OrthoCarolina Shoulder & Elbow fellowship as well as the OrthoCarolina Sports Medicine/Shoulder fellowship; as well as a clinical faculty member for the Carolinas Medical Center Orthopaedic Surgery residency program. Dr. Schiffern currently serves on the OrthoCarolina executive committee. He has a full-time shoulder & elbow practice, participates in clinical research efforts within the OrthoCarolina Research Institute, and also serves as the head team physician for Providence Day School in Charlotte, NC.
- Mentorship model
- Weekly schedule: approximately 3 OR days, 1 Clinic day, 1 Research/Lab day, Misc
- Protected research and lab time
- Access to wet lab for cadaveric work and multiple scheduled cadaver labs throughout the year
- Access to VirtaMed Surgical Simulator
- Fellows will have teaching opportunities with medical students and our nationally ranked Atrium Health Carolinas Medical Center residency
- Fellows will have the opportunity to staff uninsured clinic surgical cases
- Fellows will take paid call and will have the opportunity to staff call cases. OrthoCarolina fellows frequently collaborate to provide optimal care for call patients.
- OrthoCarolina Research Institute (OCRI) is a non-profit, comprehensive research organization with 18 full-time employees. In 2024 OCRI produced 80 peer-reviewed publications. Shoulder and Elbow fellows will work closely with OCRI on clinical research throughout the fellowship.
- Fellows will be required to produce at least two high-quality peer-reviewed publications during their fellowship. Fellows are expected to cultivate an original research question through study design, regulatory process, study execution, data analysis, and manuscript preparation. Fellows will work closely with faculty, research scientists, research coordinators, and biostaticians at OCRI.
Recent Peer-Reviewed Publications
- Annual Salary: $ 70,000
- Paid Call
- Excellent Benefits:
- Medical, Dental, and Vision Insurance for Fellow and dependents
- Medical, Dental, and Vision Insurance for Fellow and dependents
- Short & Long Term Disability
- Basic Life Insurance, equivalent to 2x annual salary
- 401(k) Retirement Plan, eligible first of the month, following thirty days of employment
- Employer 401(k) Safe Harbor contribution, eligible first of the quarter following three months of employment
- Health Savings Account/Flexible Spending Accounts
- Up to four weeks of PTO; which includes sick time and vacation days
- 8 Company paid holidays
- Provide coverage under OrthoCarolina’s professional liability plan, with tail coverage provided at the end of the fellowship
- Two paid courses per year including the Shoulder and Elbow Society Annual Meeting
- International Rotation
All application materials must be submitted through the San Francisco Match program. More details of this process can be found in the following link: https://sfmatch.org/
- Rebekah Tsung: judith.tsung@orthocarolina.com, 704-323-3885
- Dr. Nady Hamid, fellowship director: nady.hamid@orthocarolina.com