Hand Surgery Fellowship

Surgical Training

The Washington University Medical Center campus includes three facilities: Barnes-Jewish Hospital, Center for Advanced Medicine and St. Louis Children’s Hospital. The hand, nerve and microsurgery fellowship encompasses operative cases and outpatient clinics at all three facilities.

Trauma volume is high within Barnes-Jewish Hospital, a large tertiary facility, thus providing exposure and proficiency in the treatment of distal radius fractures, carpal pathology and microsurgery for soft tissue coverage, as well as with pediatric hand trauma and congenital pediatric hand disorders such as polydactylism and syndactylism at St. Louis Children’s Hospital. 

Your fellowship education at Washington University School of Medicine also includes a strong brachial plexus and peripheral nerve component. As a fellow, you will have access to our faculty, whose knowledge and expertise make them world leaders in nerve transplantation, peripheral nerve surgery and hand/upper extremity and lower extremity surgery, as well as surgeries to treat carpal tunnel syndrome, tarsal tunnel syndrome, thoracic outlet syndrome, brachial plexus, cumulative trauma disorder, nerve transplant, nerve compression, facial palsy and hand and upper extremity disorders and injuries.

Our faculty will be closely involved in your training, while giving you the opportunity to gain confidence and independence. You will participate not only as a trainee, but also as a teacher, working closely with plastic surgery residents and medical students.

Research

The Washington University Medical Center campus includes three facilities: Barnes-Jewish Hospital, Center for Advanced Medicine and St. Louis Children’s Hospital. The hand, nerve and microsurgery fellowship encompasses operative cases and outpatient clinics at all three facilities.

Faculty in the Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery have a wide range of research interests and publications. Fellows have the opportunity to collaborate with faculty on projects, which can result in an impressive number of publications and presentations at national conferences. Despite the relative length of the program, past fellow achievements show what can be accomplished in just one year.

Some current areas of interest most pertinent to the fellows in this program include:

• Improving upper-extremity function in spinal cord injury
• Advancing nerve transfers, peripheral neuropathy and nerve imaging
• Addressing pediatric replantation outcomes

You will need the following documents to apply:

• Your current CV/resume: It must include a listing of your publications, presentations, research and grant experience, activities with professional societies and any other relevant information about your education or experience
• Personal statement
• USMLE (or alternate scores)
• Headshot photo of yourself in .jpg format
• Three letters of recommendation: These should be from physicians or faculty members who are familiar with your work, including the chief of your residency training program and a hand surgeon. Authors should address your professional, academic and personal qualifications, including their opinion of your potential success in the field of hand, nerve and microsurgery

Prerequisites

Prior to the fellowship beginning in August, all candidates must have:

• Completed residency in plastic surgery, neurosurgery, orthopedic surgery or general surgery 
• Demonstrated interest in peripheral nerve pathology and surgery

Program Credentials

The Hand Surgery Fellowship is sponsored by the Washington University/Barnes-Jewish Hospital/St. Louis Children’s Hospital Graduate Medical Education Consortium and is fully accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME).

International Candidates

We offer visa sponsorship to international fellows accepted into the Hand Surgery Fellowship.

Learn More

If you would like the opportunity to attend a Hand Surgery Fellowship didactic session to learn more about our faculty, staff and fellows, please contact Maddie Hodous for more information.

Teaching Faculty

Current Fellows

Previous Fellows

2023 – 2024

2022 – 2023

2021 – 2022