Tufts-Affiliated Hospitals Orthopaedic Residency Program - Rotations

Education in pediatric orthopedics occurs during all post-graduate years (PGYs) of the residency program, with dedicated three-month rotations during the PGY-3 and PGY-4 years. The PGY-3 dedicated rotation takes place at Boston Children’s Hospital while the PGY-5 rotation take place at Newton-Wellesley Hospital/Massachusetts General Hospital with Zabrina Shabin, MD, and Nora Cao, MD.

Residents gain exposure to hip and knee arthroplasty at each of the three major sites. At Tufts MC, the mentorship environment facilitates continuity of care in the management of arthritis of the hip and knee. Residents learn how to evaluate patients in the office and to explain the spectrum of treatment options available. Additionally, residents engage in preoperative planning, participate actively in the surgery and follow patients postoperatively.

At Newton-Wellesley Hospital (NWH), residents have the opportunity to learn community-based orthopedic surgery in a state-of-the-art environment. Residents gain experience in the anterior surgical approach to the hip and hip resurfacing.

At the New England Baptist Hospital (NEBH), the surgical exposure to hip and knee arthroplasty is intensive. The NEBH is a national leader in the management of complex reconstruction of the hip and knee and a major spine surgery center. Here residents have the extraordinary opportunity to study primary joint replacement and revision arthroplasty with nationally renowned orthopedic specialists. Additionally, NEBH provides orthopedic sub specialty education in hand, sports, foot and ankle and arthritis, and the campus houses a state-of-the-art bio-skills laboratory.

Residents rotate to NEBH for a total of 12 months, distributed during PGY-2, PGY-3 and PGY-4 and as a chief resident. The PGY-3 rotation includes an experience dedicated to the foot and ankle as well as protected time for orthopedic research. Additionally, NEBH provides orthopedic subspecialty education in hand surgery, sports medicine and spine surgery. The NEBH campus also houses a state-of-the-art bio-skills laboratory.

This rotation features education in the diagnosis and treatment of hand and upper extremity disorders, including congenital malformations, acute and reconstructive trauma and rheumatic diseases. Residents gain invaluable exposure to the spectrum of disorders of the elbow, including sports injuries, trauma and arthritis. They learn how to perform ligament reconstructions, peri-articular fracture surgery, elbow arthroscopy and elbow arthroplasty. Residents also are exposed to the basics of microsurgery.

Dedicated exposure to hand surgery is gained during two separate 3-month rotations – as a PGY-2 at Newton-Wellesley Hospital and again as a PGY-4 at Tufts MC. Our Orthopedics Department also offers an ACGME-accredited fellowship in hand surgery, which includes training at Tufts MC and NEBH.

Education in the pathophysiology and management of sports-related injuries is provided by orthopedist at Tufts MC, Newton-Wellesley Hospital and NEBH. Residents have hands-on experience in the management of acute injuries, complex reconstructions and the conditioning and rehabilitation of injured athletes. Residents gain experience in arthroscopy of the shoulder, hip, knee and ankle in a variety of settings, ranging from the academic center to off-site ambulatory surgery centers.

A dedicated sports rotation takes place during PGY-2 and PGY-5 at Tufts MC. The experience includes the opportunity to cover at area high school sports programs. Additionally, residents have the opportunity to work with team physicians for the Boston Celtics and Boston Red Sox (hand) at NEBH and Newton-Wellesley Hospital, respectively.

Tufts Medical Center, a Level 1 Trauma Center as designated by the American College of Surgeons, has a robust trauma program including four full-time trauma surgeons. At Tufts Medical Center, Scott Ryan, MD, Chief of Orthopedic Trauma, is a graduate of the R. Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Fellowship in Baltimore, and oversees the orthopaedic care of our trauma patients. Atsushi Endo, MD, is a graduate of Hughston Orthopaedic Trauma Fellowship in Columbus, GA, and Chief residents have the opportunity to work closely with both Dr. Ryan and Dr. Endo in managing the trauma service. Dr. Ryan’s scope of practice includes complex pelvic/acetabular fractures. Dr. Endo’s scope of practice includes shoulder fractures, and foot & ankle reconstruction.

The trauma experience is complemented with a dedicated PGY-4 orthopedic trauma rotation at Rhode Island Hospital, where residents are mentored by Roman Hayda, MD and Andrew Evans, MD, both fellowship-trained in Orthopedic Trauma. This Level I trauma center is one of the country’s busiest and teaches residents how to care for some of the most severely injured orthopaedic patients. At the other end of the spectrum, residents learn how to manage “bread and butter” fractures at Newton-Wellesley Hospital.

Both physiatrists and rheumatologists interact closely with the Department of Orthopedics at Tufts MC and orthopedics at NEBH. Residents receive education in spine and sports rehabilitation and in the management of multiple musculoskeletal and rheumatologic disorders in the outpatient setting.

Experience in the management of spine disorders is gained at Tufts MC, NEBH and Newton-Wellesley Hospital.

NEBH offers an intensive experience in surgical management of degenerative disorders of the cervical and lumbar spine during the PGY-2 and PGY-4 years. Additional exposure to spine surgery occurs with four fellowship-trained spine surgeons at Newton-Wellesley Hospital. At these two institutions, residents learn anterior and posterior surgical approaches to the spine, as well as contemporary surgical spine fixation techniques. Weekly didactic conferences in spine surgery are also provided at both NEBH and NWH.

Residents receive education in disorders of the foot and ankle at NEBH, Newton-Wellesley Hospital and Tufts MC. These institutions manage a broad spectrum of disorders, including degenerative diseases, such as chronic arthritis and trauma. A dedicated PGY-3 foot and ankle rotation takes place at NEBH.

We recently expanded the foot and ankle service at Tufts Medical Center, and residents become involved in foot and ankle care in the office and operating room at both sites. A collaborative podiatry service complements the foot and ankle coverage at both sites.

Residents gain an understanding of the diagnosis and management of benign and malignant tumors of soft tissue and bone in children and adults at Tufts MC. In addition, residents rotate at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Boston Children’s Hospital for a dedicated six-week Orthopedic Oncology rotation during the PGY-3 year. This intensive 6-week operative and ambulatory tumor rotation includes complex limb salvage procedures, and multi-disciplinary musculoskeletal oncology.

While rotating at Newton-Wellesley Hospital, residents are exposed to a wide range of orthopedic conditions and trauma encountered outside of the tertiary-care and specialized-care hospital.Residents learn the latest treatments in arthroplasty, spine surgery, sports medicine, and hand surgery, which makes this rotation an outstanding educational experience in a high-volume, academically active community hospital setting.

Newton-Wellesley Hospital is a teaching hospital of Tufts University School of Medicine and Harvard Medical School and manages a high volume of orthopedic cases. A core group of faculty committed to enriching post-graduate education has formed the Tufts Academic Orthopedic Service at Newton-Wellesley Hospital. Residents spend a total of 12 months at Newton-Wellesley Hospital during PGY-1, PGY-2, PGY-3 and PGY-5 years.