Orthopedic Sports Medicine Fellowship

History

The Congress Medical Associates Sports Medicine and Shoulder & Elbow Fellowship is located in sunny Pasadena, just south of the Rose Bowl. The fellowship was founded in 1999.

Mission Statement

The goal of the Sports Medicine and Shoulder & Elbow Fellowship at Congress Medical Associates is to educate and develop a clinician-scientist within the field of sports medicine. The fellow will be trained in basic science, research, clinical management, surgical technique, and the rehabilitative process, as it relates to the treatment of athletes and sports injuries. The fellow will be an integral team member in the operative treatment of complex knee, shoulder, elbow, and hip injuries, with a focus on arthroscopic technique and ligamentous reconstruction. In addition to patient care and management, the fellow will also be involved with basic science research through the Congress Medical Foundation Orthopedic Biomechanics Laboratory. Graduates will begin their practice as leaders in their academic community and providers of the highest level of care to their patients.

Fellow Education

Fellowship education is integral to developing the fellow into a successful surgeon and leader in the field of sports medicine. The fellow will assist in approximately 15 cases per week and participate in the pre-operative clinical evaluation of patients. The weekly and monthly schedule includes the following didactic sessions:

Journal Club - Every Monday, the fellow will briefly present three articles chosen by Dr. Thay Q. Lee and discuss the relevance and application of the literature to clinical practice.
Radiology Conference - Every Thursday, the attendings and fellow will review the clinical presentation, radiographic evaluation, and operative indications of upcoming cases. On the first Thursday of each month, the conference will be run by a musculoskeletal radiologist, who will prepare a lecture on sports medicine topics.
Congress Medical Foundation Lecture Series - Every third Thursday, the CMF will host a guest speaker to present on clinical sports medicine, research updates, and relevant topics in sports medicine. In lieu of a guest speaker, the fellow may choose a relevant sports medicine topic to review through the AANA or AOSSM lecture series.

In addition to these weekly didactics, the fellow is also encouraged to participate in local and national sports medicine training courses hosted by professional societies and industry sponsors. Such courses include the AOSSM Fellows Course, the Southern California Fellows Course, and the Arthrex Sports Medicine Fellowship Forum.

Surgical Facilities

Congress Medical Surgical Center - Pasadena, CA
Huntington Memorial Hospital - Pasadena, CA
Huntington Ambulatory Surgery Center - Pasadena, CA
USC Arcadia Hospital - Arcadia, CA

The fellow will primarily complete cases at the Congress Medical Surgery Center in Pasadena, CA. In-patient cases will be completed at both Huntington Memorial Hospital and USC Arcadia Hospital. In addition, the fellow will be expected to assist with trauma cases within the field of sports medicine.

Team Coverage and Training Rooms

Team and training room coverage includes Occidental College, Pasadena City College, Citrus College, and Eagle Rock High School. During the Fall, the fellow is expected to assist with Saturday football game coverage for both Pasadena City College and Citrus College with an attending surgeon present. The Fellow is also expected to cover football games for Eagle Rock High School home games on Fridays during the Fall. The primary training room experience will be through Occidental College where the fellow will evaluate, diagnose, and treat student-athletes. Congress Medical Associates has in-house access to radiographic and MRI imaging for prompt evaluation of athletic injuries. The fellow will assist in the operative treatment of patients he has evaluated in the training room.

Schedule, Call, and Coverage

While on call, the fellow will take no emergency department trauma call but will cover for the Congress Medical Associates Pasadena office. On weekends, their call obligations will be to round on in-house patients on Sunday, and to manage patients of the practice who need urgent care. The fellow will be on call one weekend each month but has the option to take additional call for compensation.

Research

Fellows are expected to participate in ongoing and original research in sports medicine. Clinical research may be pursued through chart review and data collection of pre-operative and post-operative patients, collected by current attendings and previous fellows. The fellow may also contribute to ongoing research started by former fellows. Throughout the year, the fellow will have access to the Congress Medical Foundation Orthopedic Biomechanics Laboratory. This state-of-the-art laboratory will allow the fellow the opportunity to practice surgical techniques and evaluate surgical constructs in cadaveric specimens. Investigators from around the world fly to Southern California to utilize the testing environment provided by the lab, serving the fellow a unique opportunity for camaraderie and networking within the field of sports medicine. The laboratory also hosts cadaver sessions funded by industry sponsors to trial new implants in both arthroscopy and arthroplasty. The fellow is expected to complete one project for presentation at the annual Kerlan-Jobe Alumni Research Conference.

Past Fellow Case Logs

717-1042, with an average of 820 cases per year over the past 10 years

Salary, Vacation, and Stipends

The salary for the fellowship year is $72,000 and includes two weeks of vacation in excess of educational meetings and conferences. The fellow is allowed $4,000 in expenses for educational meetings and conferences. The fellow may take additional weekend calls for the Pasadena office for an additional $800-$1200 per weekend.

Application Process

The Congress Medical Foundation Sports Medicine and Shoulder and Elbow Fellowship is an ACGME-accredited fellowship program with one position available for the 2023-2024 fellowship year. The length of the program is one year, from August 1st through July 31st of the following year. The program participates in the San Francisco Match Program. All applicants are expected to have completed a residency in orthopedic surgery at an ACGME-accredited program

Interview Dates

TBD for 2023-2024 application cycle

Program Director

Gregory J. Adamson, MD

Attending Surgeons

Associate Professors

Contact Information

Congress Medical Foundation
800 S. Raymond Ave.
Suite 201
Pasadena, CA 91105

Susan Disalvo, LVN
Program Manager

(626) 396-1206
susan@congressortho.com