Cleveland Clinic Foundation Program

Overview of the Cleveland Combined Hand Fellowship

The Cleveland Combined Hand Fellowship is an ACGME-accredited one-year program offered by the Cleveland Clinic and MetroHealth Medical Center. Established over 25 years ago, the fellowship is designed to provide a robust training experience to a total of four fellows each year in an academic environment. The program is structured to allow fellows to spend six months at each institution, ensuring a diverse and enriching clinical exposure.

Both teaching sites are recognized as dynamic academic centers, where fellows are exposed to a comprehensive range of clinical cases, including trauma, congenital deformities, arthritis, tumors, and microsurgery. The clinical experience aims to enhance candidates' analytical skills, surgical judgment, and research creativity.

Curriculum

The curriculum of the Cleveland Combined Hand Fellowship is meticulously crafted to ensure a thorough understanding of hand and upper extremity surgery. Key components include:

• Clinical Rotations: Fellows will rotate through different specialties, including orthopaedic and plastic surgery, providing insights into various surgical approaches and patient management strategies.
• On-Call Responsibilities: The fellows will work on-call at a junior staff level and are supported by in-house residents and faculty supervision.
• Academic Activities: The academic schedule features online reading materials, weekly clinical conferences, and monthly journal clubs, fostering a rigorous academic environment.
• Research Opportunities: Fellows engage in either clinical or laboratory research projects, with dedicated time allocated to foster research work.

Additionally, a unique aspect of the curriculum is a one-week microvascular laboratory course, complemented with cadaver labs to sharpen surgical skills further.

Training Sites

The fellowship includes rotations at two prominent institutions:

• Cleveland Clinic: An international referral center known for its research and innovation.
• MetroHealth Medical Center: A Class I trauma center offering vast exposure to traumatic injuries and complex patient cases.

This dual-site training ensures that fellows receive a comprehensive education across varying clinical settings and patient demographics.

Faculty

The fellowship features a distinguished faculty consisting of orthopaedic and plastic surgeons who are leaders in the field. Each faculty member specializes in different aspects of hand surgery, providing a wealth of knowledge and mentorship opportunities.

Application Process

Applicants must hold a MD or DO degree from an accredited medical school, possess valid ECFMG certification for international medical graduates (IMGs), and have completed an orthopaedic surgery residency accredited by the ACGME or comparable bodies. IMGs must also be eligible for a J1 Exchange Visitor visa or H1-B Temporary Worker visa.

The application requires several materials, including:

• A curriculum vitae.
• A medical school transcript.
• A personal statement.
• Scores from the USMLE or alternative exams.
• Four letters of recommendation; one must come from a hand surgeon familiar with the candidate's work, and another from the residency program director.

The application deadline is set for November 15, one year prior to the desired fellowship start date.

Competitiveness and Support

The fellowship is recognized as highly competitive, primarily due to the program's esteemed reputation and the rigorous training it offers. DO and IMG applicants are considered, and the program has provisions for visa sponsorship, specifically for J1 and H1B classifications.

Diversity and Inclusion

Diversity and inclusion are fundamental elements within the fellowship. The Cleveland Clinic actively promotes a diverse learning environment and addresses the importance of inclusion in graduate medical education programs.