Sports Medicine Fellowship Program

The Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at MedStar Union Memorial Hospital has a Surgical Technique and Technology (STAT) Laboratory. This facility encompasses nearly 5,000 square feet of space and includes a 2,500-square-foot surgical training area, a conference area capable of seating up to 30 people, and a biomechanics research facility. The laboratory facilities are supervised by Brent Parks, MSc Director of the STAT Lab.

The STAT lab facility will accommodate up to six surgical stations for arthroscopic training courses and up to four surgical tables for training in minimally invasive techniques. This facility is well equipped and staffed to handle all types of surgical training courses. We have six complete arthroscopic towers and a full complement of arthroscopic surgical instruments, as well as a full complement of basic surgical instrumentation.

Live, two-way interactive video conferencing is available between the conference area and the STAT lab, and between these areas and two of our operating rooms. Large flat-screen monitors are located throughout the surgical bays for displaying technique videos. The monitors are capable of displaying the same video at each station or display different videos at each station independently. Thus, a large group can be trained in the same technique, or different techniques can be taught at the individual stations.

The conference area is also equipped with a large flat-screen monitor and a computer for didactic lectures prior to entering the surgical skills area. A reception has space for displaying vendor goods as well as several computer stations with wireless connections. Course participants can monitor travel arrangements, flights, etc. A locker room with shower is available so that course participants and instructors can refresh after the courses.

Janet Yu-Yahiro, PhD, Director of Research, MedStar Union Memorial Hospital Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, instructs fellows in state-of-the-art online and computerized research and learning materials through the Medical Library at the MedStar Union Memorial Hospital. She also provides hands-on instruction in research design and literature critique.

Full-time specialists help with the research and publication process, in the following areas:

Technology accessible through the editorial and fellowship office include a digital projector, laptop computer, scanner, digital camera, and primal picture 3D anatomic software package.

All projects are submitted to the Orthopaedic Research Committee for review and approval before initiation. Adequate funds are available for all deserving sports medicine fellowship projects.

The Department has an ongoing working relationship with the Injury Prevention Center at the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, the National Collegiate Athletic Association, the U.S. Military, and other nationally placed sports and occupational epidemiologists.

A joint effort of the Orthopaedic Sports Fellowship training programs at the MedStar Union Memorial Hospital, weekly comprehensive multidisciplinary conferences cover a full range of sports topics. The program is designed according to requirements for graduate medical education in orthopaedic sports medicine as outlined by the ACGME, AAOS, ABOS, AMA, and the RRC.

A STAT Lab session is held the first Tuesday of every month. Cadaveric labs include:

Fellows also assist residents with basic knee and shoulder and advanced knee and shoulder labs, as well as cutting-edge cadaver labs.

Fellows attend shoulder and elbow lectures every other week. Topics include shoulder and elbow instability, rotator cuff, arthritis, and shoulder arthroplasty. Combined cases are presented monthly.

A major component of learning during the fellowship year will be the fellow’s cumulative portfolio, a repository of self-directed learning activities. It should serve as a foundation for career-long learning habits, a tool for self-assessment, and a means of fellow and program evaluation by the division staff. The fellow will meet with the educational director during orientation week to discuss the portfolio contents and at quarterly division meetings to discuss portfolio progression.

Regular trimester meetings bring fellows and core staff together to discuss areas of interest in the program, all fellow evaluations, case presentation, and other issues.