The fellowship at the University of Chicago started in 1994 as a mentorship by Henry A. Finn, MD, FACS, who created the fellowship as an educational opportunity and a way to share the incredible clinical resources available for teaching at the University of Chicago. In 2019, Dr. Hue Luu took on the role of program director. The fellowship principles remains focused on education, critical thinking, experiential learning, and robust clinical experience. The Adult Reconstruction Fellowship at the University of Chicago is a one-year, ACGME accredited fellowship that accepts two (2) fellows per year.
Fellowship Faculty and Rotation Sites
The University of Chicago
Hue Luu, MD
Tessa Balach, MD
Sara Wallace, MD
Weiss Memorial Hospital
Henry Finn, MD, FACS
Rotations
Fellows spend 6 months rotating at the University of Chicago working with Drs. Hue Luu, Tessa Balach, and Sara Wallace. The other 6 months are spent at Weiss Memorial Hospital primarily under the direction of Dr. Henry A. Finn. Rotations are split into 3-month blocks. There are also 2 residents rotating on the Joints service at the University of Chicago and 2 residents on the Joints service at Weiss Memorial Hospital .
Didactics
While on service at the University of Chicago, the fellow attend daily morning sign-out and fracture conference. In addition, there is a weekly Grand Rounds lecture covering all aspects of orthopedic surgery. There is also a weekly templating / surgical planning conference with the fellows and residents on the service. There is also a monthly Quality Improvement conference.
There is a weekly conference with a set curriculum and is attended by both fellows, residents on the service, and the fellowship faculty. There is set rotation of lectures, case based discussion, and journal club.
While at Weiss, the fellow is responsible for the successful organization and administration of the weekly adult reconstruction conference which is held every Monday. All fellows, residents, attending surgeons, clinical and operating room nurses, in addition to discharge planners, social workers, physical therapists, and representatives of implant manufacturers attend the conference. The conference is designed to achieve several objectives related to patient care and fellow training and education, and provides the necessary environment for direct evaluation and improvement of the fellow's competency in regards to medical knowledge as well as practice-based learning. In addition, pertinent literature and morbidity and mortality are also reviewed.
The fellows attend the Joint University Meeting, which is a multidisciplinary group meeting during which monthly outcomes are discussed. The Joint University Meeting overviews monthly outcome data such as incidence of wound complications, surgical site infection, thromboembolic complications, hip dislocation, knee range of motion discharge, length of hospital stay, and readmissions.
At both sites fellows attend a weekly research meeting which allows the fellows to present their research ideas and plans, maintain focus on research tasks, and discuss project-related publications.
Fellowship Experience
The Department of Orthopedic Surgery at the University of Chicago is committed to a mission of excellence in patient care, education and research. By recruiting and retaining world-class faculty and residents, we strive for innovation and professionalism to accomplish these missions. Each and every faculty member, by virtue of their ongoing commitment to practice excellence in an academic environment, appreciates both the privilege and responsibility of education.
The combined efforts of the University of Chicago, the Pritzker School of Medicine, and the Department of Orthopedic Surgery have earned the Adult Joint Reconstruction Fellowship program a reputation of distinction since 1994. During this time, fellows have achieved the program’s goals and objectives, and successfully graduated to become specialists in adult reconstruction.
The University of Chicago takes pride in treating a large and diverse group of patients with a myriad of complex musculoskeletal disorders. The cornerstone to outstanding patient care and service excellence involves an interdisciplinary team approach specific to each individual patient. Effective guidelines and application of standards of care has become the vehicle for the achievement of all interdisciplinary efforts.
The University of Chicago Adult Joint Reconstruction Fellowship is designed to prepare the fellows to become independent, decision-making clinicians and orthopedic surgeons in the field of hip and knee arthroplasty. The goals and objectives of the program extend well beyond mastering primary hip and knee replacement to encompass difficult revision surgery. The fellow gains a unique exposure to the most difficult hip and knee reconstructive challenges through the integration of a wide array of clinical and surgical skills. The fellowship experience also provides generous exposure to the most cutting edge, minimally invasive techniques, including direct anterior total hip arthroplasty, Mako robotic-assisted total hip arthroplasty, and Mako partial and total knee arthroplasty.
The fellowship fosters insight, understanding, and creativity in the evaluation and treatment of relevant complex musculoskeletal issues, such as malunion, non-union, periprosthetic fractures, deformities, oncologic reconstruction and treatment of infection and provides the skill set to function independently in the three major components of care delivery, which include the outpatient clinic, the operating room, and inpatient care.
Call
The fellows cover call with the residents only at Weiss Memorial Hospital. This includes one weekend per month the entire year and one weeknight per week while on service at Weiss Memorial Hospital. Call includes coverage of inpatient questions on the Joints service and rare admissions or consults.
Travel
The University of Chicago provides the fellows with sponsored opportunities to attend one or two national conferences in the field of joint replacement, typically the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons (AAOS) and the American Association of Hip and Knee Surgeons (AAHKS).
Research
In the Adult Joint Reconstruction fellowship, each fellow will lead the preparation and submission of at least one clinical manuscript for publication in major peer-reviewed orthopaedic journals in the specialty of adult reconstruction surgery.
Sites
The University of Chicago Medicine and Biological Sciences, one of the nation's leading academic medical institutions, has been at the forefront of medical care since 1927, when it first opened to patients. Today, it comprises the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine; the University of Chicago Biological Sciences Division, a section committed to scientific discovery; and the University of Chicago Medical Center, consistently ranked among the best hospitals in the nation by U.S. News & World Report. Twelve Nobel Prize winners in physiology or medicine have been affiliated with the University of Chicago Medicine.
The University of Chicago Medicine physicians are members of the University of Chicago Physicians Group, which includes about 900 physicians and covers the full array of medical and surgical specialties. Our physicians are faculty members of the Pritzker School of Medicine.
Weiss Memorial Hospital is a 236-bed facility which includes the state-of-the-art diagnostic and treatment options administered by highly-trained, compassionate health care professionals. Weiss is a Joint Commission-accredited facility providing a full range of health care services to meet the needs of a diverse community. Weiss Memorial Hospital is one of the few hospitals in the state of Illinois to have JACHO certification for hip and knee replacement surgery since 2013.
How to Apply
This fellowship participates in the SF Match for candidates who are applying. There are two fellowship positions accredited by the ACGME. To register for the SF Match and apply to our fellowship program, please visit https://www.sfmatch.org/.
All applicants must be authorized to work in the United States on a full-time basis as of the program start date. If sponsorship is needed, J-1 visas are preferred.