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Indiana University School of Medicine
Indiana University School of Medicine
Orthopaedic Surgery

Orthopaedic Trauma Fellowship

The Orthopaedic Trauma Fellowship at Indiana University School of Medicine is a one-year program, accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) and the Orthopaedic Trauma Association (OTA). Funding sources include the Center of Orthopaedic Trauma Advancement, the AO Trauma North America Long-Term Fellowship Program and Medical Grants Association.

The fellowship offers trainees a dynamic experience that encompasses all aspects of orthopaedic trauma at Indiana’s most experienced Level I Trauma Center IU Health Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis. Fellows receive an unmatched level of engagement from IU School of Medicine faculty orthopaedic surgeons to enhance surgical technique and skill through individually tailored and focused training.

Hear testimonials from former fellows

View a recorded information session

Register for Fellowship Match

Requirements for the SF Match are completion of an Orthopaedic Surgery Residency Program. A $100 non-refundable registration fee and additional fees apply for applications sent by the match program to specific fellowship programs.

Attend the Virtual Information Session

Oct. 28, 2024 | 8–9 p.m. EST

Hear from faculty, staff and fellows and get answers to your questions during this session hosted on Zoom.

Video

Fellow testimonial: Malynda Wynn, MD

Learn about the unique and exciting orthopaedic trauma fellowship from a fellow! Wynn shares her favorite memory, why she loves the program and what makes Indianapolis so special.

Clinical Experience

Under the leadership of Anthony Sorkin, MD, from 2013-18, the program has rapidly ascended to become nationally recognized with an exceptional surgical experience and accompanying research opportunities. Roman Natoli, MD, PhD, now serves as the program director and works alongside seven fellowship-trained orthopaedic traumatologists, all of whom have trained at the busiest trauma centers in the United States. Dedicated to teaching, faculty orthopaedic surgeons treat the most complex injuries and train fellows with an emphasis on contemporary, evidence-based techniques.

Day-to-day clinical activities for fellows include participating in morning x-ray report and inpatient rounding to review trauma admissions from the previous afternoon, evening and overnight. Fellows also discuss diagnoses, surgical indications, surgical approach and anticipated outcomes. The advanced-practice provider staff, including physical therapists, discharge planners and nurses, then round as a team through the intensive care and inpatient units. Orthopaedic trauma fellows accompany the attending staff to the operating room or to the orthopaedic physician office.

Clinical training for the Orthopaedic Trauma Fellowship predominantly occurs at IU Health Methodist Hospital, one of the busiest and most experienced trauma centers in the country, seeing more than 3,400 trauma patients annually. IU Health Methodist is a top-ranked hospital in the country for quality and safety by University Health Consortium and has been ranked among the top 50 national programs in U.S. News and World Report’s “America’s Best Hospitals” guide for 10 consecutive years.

Professional Development

Orthopaedic trauma fellows are responsible for multiple education-related tasks, including indications and research conferences, morbidity and mortality conferences, and grand rounds presentations in addition to identifying three-to-four articles from peer-reviewed journals for discussion at monthly journal clubs. Fellows also attend one Orthopaedic Trauma Continuing Medical Education (CME) Meeting during their training for which they receive a stipend for registration, travel and lodging. Fellows in this program are required to present during the annual Garceau-Wray research symposium.

In addition, fellows gain research experience through the department’s initiatives related to improving patient outcomes through clinical and translational scientific research. In collaboration with IU Health Methodist Hospital, current research being conducted by IU School of Medicine’s Department of Orthopaedic Surgery spans a wide spectrum of orthopaedic trauma topics, including bone healing in space, the use of intramedullary nails versus plate fixation in proximal tibia fractures, and more. Orthopaedic trauma fellows are expected to conduct a research project that spans the duration of the fellowship program.

Administration

A full-time fellowship coordinator is available to assist fellows with onboarding, travel arrangements for conferences and daily administrative assistance as needed throughout the year.

Grant funding has also led to employment of full-time research coordinators and research assistants allocated solely to the orthopaedic trauma service. These coordinators assist with IRB development and processing, data collection (patient contact and assessment), and project organization throughout the year.

The orthopaedic trauma service is also comprised of multiple advanced practice providers (APPs), nurse practitioners and physician assistants, of which three to four work on service daily and one nightly. There is an APP or resident in-house 24 hours per day, 7 days per week to field all floor calls and respond initially to consults. The fellow then acts as the interface between the APPs/residents and the faculty.

Admissions

All applicants to the Orthopaedic Trauma Fellowship at IU School of Medicine must apply exclusively through the San Francisco Match. Match registration opens in June, and the deadline to apply is November 1st. Interviews are conducted between December and February. For more information, applicants can contact Hollyn Mangione.

Funding

The program gratefully receives education grant support through the Center of Orthopaedic Trauma Advancement and the AO Trauma North America Long-Term Fellowship Program. 

Committed to Wellness

IU School of Medicine is dedicated to creating an environment that fosters inclusion and wellness throughout the organization.

Fellowship Training Goals

Fellows graduate with an ability to excel as a clinician in the evaluation, diagnosis and management of complex injuries in severely injured trauma patients, including nonunion, malunion/deformity, pelvic ring injury, acetabular fracture, long bone fracture, and peri-articular fracture. The Orthopaedic Trauma Fellowship program strives to challenge trainees to consider different perspectives and various treatment strategies for unique problems.

The fellowship provides a comprehensive curriculum incorporating the six core competencies of Graduate Medical Education: practice-based learning and improvement, patient care and procedural skills, systems-based practice, medical knowledge, interpersonal and communication skills, and professionalism.

The program provides ongoing assessment and feedback to facilitate daily improvement in fellows’ skills and knowledge base. Additionally, there are quarterly Clinical Competency Committee reviews of fellow performance, which leads to subsequent development of targeted quarterly learning plans.

Fellows prepare to become proficient educators through teaching in the operating room, on rounds, in laboratory settings, giving grand rounds and through case reviews.

Orthopaedic Trauma fellows complete a year-long research curriculum to foster idea development, hypothesis generation, data analysis and manuscript preparation.

The program emphasizes the importance of multi-disciplinary communication to enact appropriate long-term and individualized treatment plans. This goal involves collaboration with trauma surgery, neurosurgery, intensivists, emergency room providers, radiology, nursing, therapy, case management, social work, vascular surgery and plastic surgery.

Fellows benefit from year-long mentorship to promote academic success and mental well-being. The program recognizes the rigor of trauma and seeks to provide fellows with mechanisms to deal with the physical, emotional and mental stresses of the occupation.