This fellowship emphasizes a didactic educational experience. Each week there are several conferences, including:

• Problem Conference: This consists of case presentations by fellows, residents, and staff using a PowerPoint format.
• SCS: This conference is given at the University by Dr. Stern and consists of Socratic discussions of problem hand cases.
• Selected Readings: Each week 6-7 classic articles are reviewed with staff on a specific topic. Every 6th week, there is a Journal Club.
• Didactic Conference: Specialty lectures are given by the staff from Hand Surgery Specialists and the University of Cincinnati.
• Gross Anatomy Laboratory: Once a month, we have an anatomy laboratory conference. After reading about the anatomy of an upper extremity region, the fellows dissect a fresh specimen. The attendings and fellows then spend a morning reviewing the dissection and discussing areas of clinical importance.
• Visiting Professors: Two or Three times each year, a visiting professor joins us for a day of case presentations and lectures.
• Annually there is a one-day meeting with the Louisville and Indianapolis Hand groups (Tri-State Hand Meeting). The fellows make at least one presentation and there are 2-3 faculty panels.

As the fellow gains experience in the management of hand and upper extremity problems, he/she is given progressive responsibility. This is accomplished by teaching through exposure to a large volume of surgery (approximately 5,000 cases annually) as well as exposure in the outpatient clinic (approximately 32,000 visits annually).

At the Hand Surgery Center, the fellows are exposed to the management of fractures and dislocations, inflammatory disorders, reconstruction (hand, wrist and elbow), flexor tendon repair and reconstruction, and acute and reconstructive management of joint disorders. During the University of Cincinnati rotation, there is a broad exposure to congenital hand surgery, brachial plexus surgery, complex trauma, and microvascular surgery. Experience in burn reconstruction is also available at the Shriners Burn Institute.

It is expected, upon completing the fellowship that the fellow will have finished a manuscript which can be submitted for publication in a peer review journal.

• Annual ASSH meeting
• A hand meeting of his/her choice
• Annual Cincinnati-Louisville-Indianapolis meeting

Fellows will be on call approximately once every fourth night.