ORGANIZATION OF SHOULDER FELLOWSHIPS

There are three Shoulder Fellowships offered. These are the Intercontinental Shoulder Fellowship (I.C.S.F.), the Harvard Shoulder Fellowship (H.S.F.), and the International Shoulder Fellowship (Int.S.F.).

I. THE INTERCONTINENTAL SHOULDER FELLOWSHIP (I.C.S.F.)

The Intercontinental Shoulder Fellow is selected from a pool of applicants coming from around the world. Two fellows are accepted each year. This fellow spends six months each at the Balgrist Hospital of the University of Zurich in Switzerland and at the Massachusetts General and Brigham and Women's Hospitals. The fellowship commences with a fellow in each location on August 1, and the fellows change locations on February 1 of the following year. Drs. J.P. Warner and Christian Gerber are co-directores and seek to attract the highest level of candidates who demonstrate significant promise in the field of Shoulder Surgery. While absolute commitment to an Academic Career is not a requirement, a commitment to improve the quality of shoulder care is a desirable attribute of the successful candidate for this fellowship. We believe that "academia" is a state of mind rather than a title, and enthusiasm, wonder, and creative approach to management of difficult problems affecting the shoulder is a trait we seek.

Fellowship Guidelines-Harvard
Fellowship Guidelines-Zurich

II. THE HARVARD SHOULDER FELLOWSHIP (H.S.F.)

The Harvard Shoulder Fellow is selected from a pool of applicants applying from North America. This 12 month fellowship is based at the Brigham and Women's Hospital as well as the Massachusetts General Hospital. The fellow works under the supervision of Drs. Peter Millett, Thomas Holovacs, and Jon J.P. Warner. The fellow's clinical experience dovetails with the Intercontinental Shoulder Fellow and rather than competition or conflict for clinical case exposure, there is great opportunity for camaraderie and collaboration between the fellows due to the rotation schedule of each.

Fellowship Guidelines-Harvard

III. THE INTERNATIONAL SHOULDER FELLOWSHIP (Int.S.F.)

The International Shoulder Fellowship has been made possible through a generous grant from Mitek, Johnson and Johnson Co. Fellows are selected from an International pool of applicants who wish to have an in-depth exposure to management of shoulder problems, and who are also interested in academic advancement through research. Either one 12 month or 2 six months fellowship slots will be offered each year. Successful fellow applicants will demonstrate a potential for a promising academic career in shoulder surgery and leadership in their country of origin.

Beno Ejnesman, Brazil ('00)

IV. EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES

The Ether Dome at MGH

1. Fellow's Office with full computer support (Scanner, Video Editing Equipment)
2. Computer Database of all surgical cases organized by topic (Instability, RCT, etc.)
3. Video Library of approaches to Diagnosis and Treatment.
4. CD-ROM and DVD Library of Current and Classic approaches to Shoulder Surgery.
5. Virtual Reality Shoulder Arthroscopy Simulator for motor skills training.
6. Scheduled Cadaver labs. Approximately every 4-6 months.

7. Local and Regional Shoulder and Upper Extremity Courses and Mini-Shoulder Symposia:

New England Shoulder and Elbow Society (www.neses.com)

A.O. Upper Extremity Course (Newport, RI each Spring)

The Boston Sports Medicine and Shoulder Course (each fall)

The Harvard Arthroplasty Course (each fall)

The Val d'Isere Advanced Arthroscopy Course (Every other Winter)

Visiting Shoulder Professors during the year:
       " Christian Gerber, M.D. (2000)
       " Evan Flatow, M.D. (2001)
       " Stephen Burkhart, M.D. (2001)
       " Brian Cole, M.D. (2002)
       " Steven Snyder, M.D. (2002)
       " Joseph Iannotti, M.D. (2002)
       " Gerald Williams, M.D. (2003)
       " Charles Neer, M.D.(2003)
       " Ralph Hertel, M.D. (2003)
       " Laurent LaFosse, M.D. (2003)
       " Laurence Higgins, M.D. (2003)
       " Frederick Matsen, M.D. (2004)
       " Gilles Walch, M.D. (2004)
       " Russell Warren, M.D. (2004)
       " Peter Habermeyer, M.D. (2004)

Charles Neer, M.D.
Visiting Professor
Brigham and Women's Hospital
2003

Gilles Walch, M.D.
Visiting Professor
Massachusetts General Hospital
2004

8. Weekly Shoulder Conferences:

Shoulder and Sports Medicine Conference: Every Thursday, 8:00-9:00AM
Shoulder Indications Conference: Every Thursday, 5:00-6:00PM
Trauma Service Conferences: Every morning, 7:00AM
Shoulder Research Conferences: One Thursday each month (In place of indications conference), 5:00-6:00PM

V. RESEARCH OPPORTUNTIES:

If we knew what we were doing it would not be called research…
We cannot solve problems using the same kinds of methods used to create them…

- Albert Einstein

Shoulder Biomechanics Laboratory (S.B.L.): This laboratory is located in the Jackson Building on the 11th floor and is within the structure of the Massachusetts General Hospital. Access from both office and operating room is convenient. The laboratory is just below the Robotics Laboratory of Guoan Li, Ph.D., and is across from the Joint Research Laboratory of William Harris. This laboratory will be run by a Ph.D. dedicated to shoulder biomechanics research.

Prior research has focused on 3-Dimensional imaging and bone density analysis for fracture repair and anchor placement. Future studies will continue with these expertise; however, also develop an experimental robotic model which will allow real time analysis of the consequences of a variety of surgical procedures. Another planned area of development is the 3-dimensional in-vivo analysis or shoulder motion in the normal and abnormal shoulder.

Biological Investigation: Opportunities exist to collaborate with other excellent investigators in these areas within the Harvard academic community.

Virtual Reality Shoulder Arthroscopy Simulator: A "flight simulator" for shoulder arthroscopy is currently in use and ongoing study to validate it's role in improving resident and fellow skill in shoulder arthroscopy is ongoing. Opportunities for research are available.

Clinical Research: Many prospective studies are ongoing and a Shoulder Database will soon be in place which will permit meaningful review of cohorts of patients in order to determine outcome of certain procedures.