Mission

To provide state-of-the-art orthopaedic sports medicine fellowship training to military orthopaedic surgeons; and provide evaluation and management (operative and non-operative) of patients with complex joint and soft tissue trauma injuries.

Vision

To provide cutting edge management of patients with complex joint and soft tissue trauma injuries; positively impact Army readiness by returning experienced, highly skilled, injured soldiers and cadets to full active duty; to maintain a premier ACGME training program; to conduct research on clinical outcomes and injury etiology and prevention; and to provide clinical and basic science research in conjunction with Academic Departments of the United States Military Academy and our Sponsoring Institution, The Hospital for Special Surgery.

Aims

• The fellowship strives to provide a positive impact for Army readiness by returning experienced, highly skilled, injured soldiers and cadets to full active duty.
• Attain a broad knowledge of orthopaedic sports medicine.
• Gain experience in clinical and basic science research in conjunction with Academic Departments of the United States Military Academy and injury etiology and prevention.
• Experience the art and science of being a Team Physician in addition to advanced surgical skills for treatment of complex injuries.

• Fellows Monday – virtual case conference with HSS
• Thursday MRI/CORE – virtual case conference with HSS
• Friday Grand Rounds

• KACH: Keller Army Community Hospital
• HSS: Hospital For Special Surgery

Fellows have a 1-week elective rotation.

Fellows are assigned a 1:7 home call schedule.

The John A. Feagin, Jr. Orthopaedic Sports Medicine Fellowship at West Point offers a military-unique curriculum focused on treating Disease Non-Battle Injury (DNBI), a leading cause of disability impacting mission performance. The curriculum is designed to equip fellows with advanced skills in surgically treating complex sports injuries to ensure servicemembers can return to full duty expeditiously.

The program emphasizes the importance of understanding the unique physical demands and stresses on military personnel. Training includes cutting-edge surgical techniques and post-operative care strategies tailored to the needs of servicemembers. Additionally, the curriculum addresses the treatment of servicemembers transitioning to the Veterans Affairs (VA) system, focusing on degenerative conditions such as shoulder and knee arthritis.

Fellows will learn to manage these chronic conditions with a combination of surgical and non-surgical approaches to enhance the quality of life and functional outcomes for transitioning servicemembers. The program integrates interdisciplinary collaboration, encouraging fellows to work closely with physical therapists, athletic trainers, and other healthcare professionals to provide comprehensive care.

By the end of the fellowship, participants will be proficient in diagnosing, treating, and managing a wide range of orthopaedic conditions prevalent in the military population, with a particular emphasis on returning injured servicemembers to duty and addressing the long-term needs of veterans. This holistic approach ensures that fellows are prepared to handle the unique challenges of military orthopaedics and contribute to the overall readiness and health of the force.

• BLS
• ALS or ACLS
• New York State Child Abuse
• New York State Infection Control
• AOSSM Fellows Exams

• Wet Lab on site
• Dry Lab
• Virtual Reality Surgical Simulator in office
• Weekly hip cadaver lab at HSS

Fellows have the opportunity to attend the Feagin Physician Leadership Program hosted at Duke University during or following fellowship.

During the course of training, fellows will learn the dynamics of leading in the operating room and team environment as well as have opportunities for leadership symposiums hosted by West Point.

This fellowship requires participation in scholarly research advancing the scope of Orthopaedic Sports Medicine knowledge.  Each fellow is expected to participate in a project over the course of the fellowship to develop a manuscript for national meeting presentation and peer-reviewed publication.  Additionally, we have a goal for each fellow to publish a case report/technique, systematic review, and/or invited book chapter.  Abundant resources exist at West Point for the research of sports related injury/rehab.  There are ongoing prospective studies as well as data available for retrospective review.

All fellows participate with quality and process improvement throughout the year. These include regular scheduled monthly Morbidity & Mortality as well as department quality improvement (QI) and process improvement (PI) functions.

Military and physician leadership is an essential function for a Military Orthopaedic Surgeon.  Throughout the year, fellows will be exposed to the West Point system of leadership development and can attend a course on physician leadership if scheduling is amenable.

Hospital for Special Surgery

Medical students are encouraged to rotate with us!  We seek to build not only an interest in Orthopaedic Surgery but also Ortho Sports Medicine at this premier fellowship training location. USUHS students and HPSP students on ADT orders are encouraged to contact the fellowship coordinator to verify calendar availability and will also coordinate with the hospital education department to ensure proper in-processing.  Non-ADT HPSP and Non-military students can rotate on a case-by-case basis and only if the hospital and your medical school have an agreement in place.

Applicants must interview for the open positions.  Prior to interviews, we ask for a copy of your Curriculum Vitae and personal statement. Interviews are conducted in the month prior to the closure of MODS. At a minimum, you will interview with the Program Director and core faculty members. We look for a variety of characteristics in our applicants, including fund of knowledge, scholarship, and professional citizenship. We also listen closely to input from residency staff and professional colleagues’ experience with each applicant, especially their ability to work well within the team.

All graduates are eligible to sit for the ABOS sports medicine subspecialty qualification examination 12 months after completion of fellowship if they are already board certified.  If not board certified, fellowship graduates must first pass ABOS Part II Oral Board examination and then become eligible to take the subspecialty examination.  This certification process also includes a surgical/non-surgical case submission for verification of sports medicine practice.

• Medical students
• Physician Assistant (PA) students
• Cadets

Orthopaedic Sports Medicine

Our program strongly believes in the importance of strong mentorship throughout the fellowship process as well as throughout practice as a lifelong learner. Mentorship is a personal decision and based on an individual fit. Mentor-mentee relationships are encouraged and formalized throughout fellowship for program participants (fellows and teaching faculty). Additional outside mentor-mentee relationships are also highly encouraged.

We support and strongly adhere to ACGME requirements as well as HSS and GME bylaws. We participate in regularly scheduled activities such as dinners, family days, and sporting events.