Medical Student Summer Research Fellowship

The Medical Student Summer Research Fellowship is an 8-week program of mentored research designed to introduce students who have completed their first year of medical school to research opportunities in orthopaedic basic science, translational science, and clinical research in orthopaedics.

The fellowship program is built around summer research project that is directed by an orthopaedic surgeon or scientist at the Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS). Both clinical and basic science projects are offered, and these are detailed below.

The fellowship program includes the opportunity for weekly observation of orthopaedic surgical procedures with a variety of clinical faculty. In addition, a weekly seminar series and discussion group provides the opportunity for students to expand their understanding of the fundamentals of medical research and clinical orthopaedics.

The 8-week program runs from June 30 to August 22, 2008, and includes a $2400 stipend.  Up to fifteen (15) fellowship awards will be granted.

To apply for the program, eligible students should first contact an orthopaedic surgeon or scientist who is offering a research project that is of interest (see list below). Once the student has been accepted by the surgeon or scientist, the student and mentor may apply for the fellowship together. Alternatively, if a student has an established working relationship with a faculty member, projects not listed can be submitted for consideration.

Students who have completed their first year in an accredited US medical school are eligible to apply.  Preference will be given to those students attending Weill Medical College of Cornell University.

Download the Fellowship Application Form.

The applications must be sent to Lizandra Portalatin  (portalatinl@hss.edu) by April 14. Students and mentors will be notified of the award by May 1.

For questions, contact Chisa Hidaka, MD, Assistant Scientist, Hospital for Special Surgery, at hidakac@hss.edu or 212.774.2384.

Fellowship Coordinators:

Chisa Hidaka, MD and Jo A. Hannafin, MD, PhD

Basic Science

• Transcriptional Regulation of Chondrocytes in Osteoarthritis
• Prevention of Cell Death and Matrix Degradation after OATS
• Anti-Catabolic Role of Mechanical Load
• Hypoxia-Induced Transcription in Bone Cells

Translational

• Minimally Invasive Anterior Spinal Fusions: Optimization of a Rat Model
• Tendon to Bone Healing

Biomechanics

• Dynamic Load Transfer Characteristics of Meniscal Substitutes: An In Vitro Model
• Retrieval Analysis of Mobile Bearing Knee Replacements
• Improving the Clinical Performance of Total Elbow Replacements
• The Relationship between Implant Design and Joint Stability after Total Knee Replacement
• Tracking Wrist Motion with a Novel Wrist Joint Coordinate System

Clinical

• CHArm Center Registry
• The Role of a Topical Hemostatic Agent in Reducing Blood Loss in Unilateral Total Knee Arthroplasty
• Effect of Weight on Lower Extremity Function and Development - A Pilot Clinical Study
• Characterization of Insufficiency Fractures of the Pelvis
• The Effect of Hip Resurfacing on Anterior Femoral Offset in Patients with Cam Impingement
• Analysis of Thrombogenic Markers Released during Hip Arthroplasty: A Comparison between Hip Resurfacing and Total Hip Replacement