The hand and upper extremity surgery fellowship at Johns Hopkins is a one-year training program for surgeons who have completed a residency in plastic surgery or orthopaedic surgery. The program is ACGME accredited, and is led by hand-fellowship trained faculty from the Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery and Department of Orthopaedic Surgery.

Program goals

We believe that the best training in hand and upper extremity surgery comes from integrated orthopaedic and plastic surgery hand training to create the “complete” hand surgeon, who is comfortable in the management of bones and joints, tendons and muscles, skin and soft tissue coverage, blood vessels, and nerves.

The majority of the faculty members themselves are products of this cross-training model. With that philosophy, we have structured our program to expose fellows to the full spectrum of hand and upper extremity surgery, with some flexibility based upon their individual interests.

Fellows will become well-versed in all aspects of hand and wrist surgery, with a stronger emphasis on elbow/shoulder or microsurgical procedures, depending on their interests. Fellows will also participate in patient care in the clinic, operating room and emergency room, and engage in weekly educational conferences with faculty members, residents and students. They will have multiple opportunities to participate in research, and one completed project is required during the fellowship year.

Rotations

Hand fellows rotate through the busy hand surgery clinical practices at Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center, where the majority of the plastic surgery hand service is located, as well as The Johns Hopkins Hospital and associated facilities where the majority of the orthopaedic hand surgery services are provided. Fellows also have the option to work on unique cases with participating clinical faculty members outside of the Johns Hopkins Health System. Fellows will participate in the care of patients of all ages with acute and chronic disorders across the entire spectrum of hand surgery. Patient care rotations will include the clinic, the emergency room and the operating room.

Advanced Solutions for Limb Loss

Fellows who are interested in solutions for limb loss will have the opportunity to participate in evaluation and treatment of patients for vascularized composite tissue allotransplantation (hand/upper extremity transplantation) as well as more advanced prosthetic based solutions and the surgeries that can help enhance their function (Targeted Muscle Reinnervation, Osseointegration, etc.). Participation in this program is voluntary.

Prerequisites

The program is ACGME-accredited and accepts one fellow per year. All fellows must be board eligible at the time they begin the fellowship. All graduates of the program will be eligible to apply for the certification exam in surgery of the hand through their individual board. The program considers candidates of accredited U.S. and Canadian orthopaedic and plastic surgery training programs.

How to apply

Our fellowship participates in the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP), under the Combined Musculoskeletal Matching Program. Interested individuals should prepare a completed application on the ASSH Hand Fellowship Application portal, and provide three letters of recommendation and their curriculum vitae.

Contact information

Program Director: Sophie Strike, MD, 
Program coordinator: Helena Johnson
Phone number: 410-955-9471
E-mail: [email protected]

The 2022-2023 Hand and Upper Extremity Surgery Fellowship is generously supported by Acumed, LLC and OMeGA Medical Grants Association. We are grateful for their partnership in developing the bright future of hand and upper extremity surgery at Johns Hopkins.