The curriculum allows the fellow to be involved with orthopaedic hand surgery faculty as well as plastic surgery faculty. The variety of styles in the management of upper limb problems, surgical indications, patient/physician relationships, charting/documentation and billing methods that exits in this broad spectrum of practices offer an experience that is truly mosaic.

Excellence in patient care, research, and education is the overall goal of the Department of Orthopaedics at The Ohio State University. The hand fellowship training program is committed to a process of maturation in the pursuit of knowledge, and the development of intellectual capacity leading to a lifelong commitment to the fundamentals of a career in hand and upper extremity surgery. Fellows will be exposed to the full spectrum of adult and pediatric clinical activities, teaching, and research.

The Department of Orthopaedics at The Ohio State University in collaboration with the Department of Plastic Surgery is committed to a Teaching Program that includes a comprehensive didactic program in which all areas of Hand and Upper Extremity are represented. The curriculum allows the fellow to be involved with all orthopaedic hand surgery faculty as well as plastic surgery faculty. The variety of styles in the management of upper limb problems, surgical indications, patient/physician relationships, charting/documentation, and billing methods that exist in this broad spectrum of practices offers an experience that is truly a mosaic. Fellows are treated as individuals, are encouraged to develop excellence, are held accountable for their personal professional development, and finally, have the great reward of knowing that they are part of an ongoing process of inquiry and discovery. Musculoskeletal health and well-being will continue to grow in demand, requiring practitioners committed to excellence in patient care, the quest to investigate and expand the ever-broadening horizons of technology. Upon completion of the program the fellow will be qualified to sit for the certificate of added qualification in Hand Surgery.

The fellowship program is affiliated with the Orthopaedic Surgery Residency Program and the Plastic Surgery Residency Program at The Ohio State University, which has a combined complement of 40 residents. The sponsoring institution currently supports 57 residency and fellowship programs. The medical center is affiliated with The Ohio State University College of Medicine. The hand center faculty consists of five core surgeons with expertise in all areas of hand and upper limb disorders, including shoulder and elbow. Additional faculty resources include surgeons specializing in microsurgery, free tissue transplantation, replantation, and pediatric hand surgery. The Hand and Upper Extremity Center provides fellows with a comprehensive experience in all areas of Hand and Upper Extremity Surgery. The Ohio State University and the Department of Orthopaedics has fully equipped state of the art research facilities and research personnel to assist with fellow research, which is a requirement of the program.

1. Graduate fellows who can work effectively in the practice setting of their choice.
2. Train fellows to serve a broad patient population, including those who are underserved.
3. Graduate surgeons who are capable of practicing competently and independently
4. Encourage and prepare fellows for roles in leadership organizations
5. Develop or train fellow to work in a comprehensive practice involving the upper extremity, from fingertip to shoulder
6. Train surgeons who are adept at a diverse skill set including soft issue, bony, nerve, tendon and congenital pathology

House officer salaries 2025 – 2026

• PGY6: $80,478
• PGY7: $81,153

The following benefits are provided by the Department of Orthopaedics to limited medical staff (residents and fellows):

• Three weeks paid vacation
• One week professional leave with pay for attendance at a national or international conference
• Reimbursement for attendance at above conference

Learn more about Ohio State benefits.

A year-long schedule of hand and upper extremity conferences has been established for the benefit of both the fellow and of the residents on the hand service. This schedule includes:

• Hand and Upper Extremity Lectures – every Monday, throughout the year, topics vary
• Hand Indications Conference – Weekly
• Hand Journal Club – Monthly
• Hand Morbidity and Mortality – four times a year

The fellow also participates in several department-wide educational activities. These include:

• Monthly departmental Patient Safety and Quality Conference
• Visiting professor presentations (four per year) representing various orthopaedic subspecialties
• Hand and upper extremity anatomy dissections
• Basic science and research methodology lectures
• Presentation on billing/coding

Research is an important component of the Hand Surgery Fellowship. Each fellow is required to complete, present and submit a book chapter or case report for publication in a peer-reviewed journal prior to completion of the fellowship. In addition, the fellow will collaborate on on-going research projects underway in the division. Research projects are presented at the annual Mallory-Coleman Research Day. Ample time is provided to the fellow throughout the program to complete the project.

Eligibility Requirements

1. Eligible applicants must be:
   
   1. Graduates of medical schools in the United States of America and Canada accredited by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME).
   2. Graduates of colleges of osteopathic medicine in the United States of America accredited by the American Osteopathic Association (AOA)
   3. Graduates of medical schools outside of the United States of America and Canada who have received a currently valid certificate from the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG), or have a full and unrestricted license to practice medicine in the Ohio
   4. Graduates of medical schools outside the United States of America who have completed a Fifth Pathway program provided by an LCME-accredited medical school.
   5. For entrance into ACGME-accredited subspecialty programs, completion of an ACGME-accredited core residency program in the field or equivalent is required.
2. All entering residents must have successfully completed USMLE Step 1 and Step 2 (CK & CS) prior to appointment to the limited staff of University Hospital and prior to official appointment to their training program.


3. Applicants must be eligible for either a training certificate or a permanent medical license as granted by the state medical board of Ohio. Prior to appointment into the program, applicants must have either:
   
   1. An acknowledgment letter of receipt of training certificate application
   2. A newly issued or renewed training certificate
   3. Proof of receipt of application for permanent Ohio medical license, or
   4. Permanent Ohio medical license.
4. Applicants must apply for and receive limited staff privileges at OSU Hospital as defined in the OSUH Medical Staff Bylaws and Rules and Regulations. The application will be forwarded to OSU East and the James Cancer Hospital for acceptance/approval. a. Prior to beginning the program the individual must have been granted either: i. Limited Staff Privileges ii. Temporary Limited Staff Privileges


5. Residents and fellows within graduate medical education training programs must sign the Limited Staff Agreement prior to beginning their resident or fellowship program. This agreement is uniform for all housestaff and is modified and approved annually by the Graduate Medical Education Committee with input from the Resident Advisory Committee. This agreement is updated each spring based on changes in university benefits, medical staff rules/regulations, and ACGME or other accreditation/regulatory requirements.

1. Applicants who are non-US citizens must meet one of the following:
   1. Permanent Resident Status: Applicants must have permanent resident status with a work authorization prior to being appointed to a position in a residency or fellowship training program
   
   
   2. J-1 Visa: Applicants to a residency or fellowship program must meet eligibility requirements for a J-1 Visa through the ECFMG Exchange Visitor Sponsorship Program. Application for the J-1 visa will be completed either after the match or after a position is offered to the applicant. Eligibility requirements can be found at www.ECFMG.org. A DS-2019 from the ECFMG must be received by the GME Office prior to beginning the program.
   
   
   3. H-1B Visa: Applicants may be eligible for an H-1B Visa if they are either:
      1. A medical student at an LCME/AOA accredited US medical school on an F-1 student visa or;
      2. A trainee in a GME training program at another institution on an H-1B Visa
      Approval to accept a trainee on an H-1B Visa must be received from the GME office prior to a rank list being submitted or a letter of offer being given to an applicant.

• Universal hand surgery fellowship application
• CV
• Personal statement
• Three letters of recommendation
• USMLE score report

Program dates:

• Start date: August 1, 2028
• End date: July 31, 2029

Applicants selected for interview will be notified the week of December 7, 2026. Interviews will be held on February 5, 2027 and February 19, 2027. All interviews will be in person in Columbus, Ohio.

View interview brochure

For more information, please contact:

Julia Panzo
Director of Graduate Medical Education – Dept. of Orthopaedics
Julia.Panzo@osumc.edu

Gabby Ford
Administrative Assistant
Gabrielle.Ford@osumc.edu

Phone: 614-293-6194

Department of Orthopaedics
241 W. 11th Ave.
Suite 6081
Columbus, OH 43210