OVERVIEW

The Department of Orthopedic Surgery at Columbia University has a legendary history of excellence in orthopedic surgery. Founded on the outstanding, pioneering work of Drs. Harrison McLaughlin, Russell Hibbs, Frank Stinchfield, Robert Carroll, and Charles Neer, the Department exemplifies the very best in orthopedic education and surgery. Under its current Chairman, Dr. Louis U. Bigliani, a world-renowned shoulder surgeon, the historic legacy of the Department continues to thrive, surpassing all expectations. Indeed, during his tenure as Chairman, Dr. Bigliani has expanded the Department to include an impressive list of attending surgeons with impeccable credentials in the fields of sports medicine, pediatrics, orthopedic oncology, foot and ankle surgery, hip and knee arthroplasty, and, most recently, hand and pediatric orthopedic surgery.  

Dr. William N. Levine has served as the Department's Residency Program Director since 2002, and has helped create an exciting and dynamic program that is fast becoming the gold standard in residencies. Fully committed to resident education, Dr. Levine has invigorated the Department's educational curriculum by instituting not only a rigorous series of resident-centered, attending-led conferences, but also a series of meaningful resident-organized sessions, such as OITE review and anatomy. Dr. Levine has further strengthened the program by ensuring that every proposed departmental change has as its prime focus, the interests and experience of the residents. For example, clinic and office experiences have become more streamlined and efficient under Dr. Levine's tutelage, benefiting both patients and residents. Resident research experience has undergone dramatic improvements, manifested in the prolific collaboration between attendings and residents during our 2 month dedicated research rotation. And, the operative experience has been enhanced both in intensity and quality by the addition of several outstanding attending surgeons and operative sites. A culture of education and excellence permeates the entire Department under the leadership of Drs. Bigliani and Levine, and we believe firmly that the Department of Orthopedic Surgery at Columbia University offers one of the strongest and richest orthopedic surgery training programs in the country.

THE RESIDENTS

The residents of our program are diverse in every respect: educational background; previous work experience; age; gender; ethnicity; extracurricular interests; and talents. Musical interests range from classical piano and violin to professional DJ. Our resident athletes include marathon runners, ironman triathletes, high-level gymnasts, swimmers and volleyball players. With our free time some residents travel the world while others choose to stay close to home to enjoy the greatest city on earth.  While of course a strong educational background and work ethic is critical to succeed in orthopedic surgery residency training, equally important is the ability to share a diverse set of experiences and interests with one another.

THE SERVICES

The Center for Shoulder, Elbow & Sports Medicine, the flagship service of our Department, offers unparalleled exposure to the field as we have the great benefit of working with attending surgeons who are at the forefront of the specialty. Dr. Bigliani is truly a leader in shoulder surgery and Drs. Ahmad and Levine are wholly dedicated to continuing the great traditions of Columbia. The Center for Pediatric Orthopedics offers an equally impressive experience for residents. Dr. David Roye, together with a young, ambitious faculty consisting of Drs. Hyman, Lee, Vitale and Benjamin Roye , care for pediatric patients with an astounding diversity of conditions, including spine deformity, limb deformity, hip dysplasia, bone tumors, and trauma. The Center for Hip & Knee Replacement has achieved impressive regional and national notoriety under the leadership of Dr. Macaulay, a leader in the field of hip resurfacing arthroplasty. Divisions in Hand Surgery, Foot & Ankle, Spine, and Orthopedic Oncology complete the broad expertise of our Department.  

The Columbia University Medical Center is a level II facility, and offers a comprehensive trauma experience with exposure to basic trauma in every anatomic distribution. The Children's Hospital, a level I facility, offers experience in caring for children who have sustained high energy or penetrating trauma, or multiple injuries. With a rotation at the R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center in Baltimore, we gain unparalleled experience in adult level I trauma. Additionally, our residents complete a rotation in Spine Trauma at the Shock Trauma Center, further underscoring the wide-range of training in orthopedic trauma.

RECENT CHANGES

All of the changes that are continuing to take place reflect a commitment to enhancing the educational and operative experience of the residents.  Dr. Bigliani has continued his recent trend of growth with the addition of Dr. Peter Tang, a Hand Surgeon, and Dr. Benjamin Roye, a Pediatric Surgeon.  Edwin Cadet, a recent graduate and chief resident of our program, will also be returning on staff after completing a sports fellowship at HSS.  He will further strengthen our shoulder and sports experience.  In 2008, our attendings began to operate in a new ambulatory surgery center located 5-miles from our main campus.  Additionally, construction of a new outpatient surgery center adjacent to our main operating rooms is in its final stages of development.  The new rotations in level I trauma and spine trauma at the Shock Trauma Center have created one of the most comprehensive trauma experiences available.  A research rotation has been included in our third year to allow residents to focus exclusively on academic pursuits with minimal clinical responsibilities.  Our arthroscopy lab was recently renovated and now includes four fully functional arthroscopic stations where residents are encouraged to hone their skills on cadavers and arthroscopy models.  Starting this year, our senior residents will have the opportunity to design a personalized international orthopedic elective that is fully funded by the department.  The elective aims to enhance resident education by complementing the didactic and operative experiences as well as fostering a spirit of participation and volunteerism in global orthopedics. 

FELLOWSHIPS

Our residents continue to secure the best fellowships in the country across all specialties.  

Class of 2010

              Sports – Steadman Hawkins

              Sports – HSS

              Foot and Ankle – HSS

              Spine – Wash U

              Spine – Rush University, Chicago

              Spine – The Spine Institute, Santa Monica CA

Class of 2009

              Sports – Kerlan-Jobe

              Spine – Wash U

              Trauma – Shock Trauma Center, Baltimore MD

              Deformity – Sinai Hospital, Baltimore MD, Tumor – Sloane Kettering

              Peds – L.A. Children’s Hospital

              Hip and Knee – HSS

Class of 2008

              Sports – HSS

              Sports – Kerlan Jobe

              Sports – Lenox Hill, Shoulder/Elbow – Wash U

              Spine – Thomas Jefferson

              Spine – Emory University

              Hand – Duke University

Class of 2007

              Hand – Duke University

              Hand – UC Davis

              Spine – NYU

              Spine – Louisville Spine Institute

              Spine – HSS

              Spine – New England Baptist

              Sports – Insall Scott Kelly

CONFERENCE SCHEDULE

Our weekly conferences are combined into a Block Curriculum on Tuesday mornings. The Block Curriculum is composed of the Core Conference and Sports Core Conference lectures given by attendings.  Fracture Conference with topics lead by residents are held Thursday mornings before Grand Rounds.  Incorporated in to the Block Curriculum during the summer are anatomy / surgical exposures lectures with corresponding dissections the following Tuesday evenings, and OITE review. Grand Rounds, held every Thursday at 7:20am following fracture conference, consists of presentations from the attending staff, residents and fellows as well as visiting professors who are leaders in the field of Orthopedics. In addition to the curriculum, weekly service-specific conferences offer the opportunity to discuss preoperative and postoperative cases and review the current literature.

CLINICS

We have weekly clinics in all major orthopedic subspecialties, including Trauma, Spine, Joints, Hand, Foot & Ankle, Pediatrics, Tumor, Shoulder, and Sports Medicine. Our clinic population generally consists of Medicaid patients from the surrounding communities, and the clinic system is a great benefit to these patients. Here they have access to high-quality orthopedic care at a major academic medical center, and the residents are able to develop and hone their clinical and surgical skills under the supervision of senior residents and attending surgeons. In addition, the clinics offer an opportunity for longitudinal care and post-operative management of individual patients, through a close working relationship with the outstanding Physical and Occupational Therapy departments located in the same wing.

VACATIONS

4 weeks per year, with bracketing weekends included. Back to back weeks are not allowed and there are no vacations in June or July.

PERKS

Outstanding training alongside a fantastic group of colleagues is among the benefits of our training program.  As mentioned, the department offers an incredibly comprehensive training experience, with every major subspecialty represented by attending surgeons of impressive pedigree with a commitment to our education.  Additional perks include completion of a basic and advanced microsurgery course; this course, developed in our internationally renowned Microsurgery Lab, attracts students from around the world.  The department funds travel to meetings to present research, attendance of a comprehensive pathology course twice during the residency, the Basic AO course for the junior residents, and a board review course for the senior residents. All PGY-5 residents attend the AAOS meeting. Additionally, the department provides several important resources such as Hoppenfeld's Surgical Exposures and a comprehensive sub-specialty syllabus comprised of 6 binders of highly referenced articles. Finally, our Orthopedic Library provides unparalleled access to the printed orthopedic literature, electronic journals and DVD collections. The collection is meticulously maintained by our full time librarian who regularly solicits recommendations for new additions to our library.

SOCIAL ACTIVITIES 

We work hard and play even harder.  The academic year kicks off with a summer BBQ in upstate New York at Dr. Roye’s house.  This is an opportunity to meet all the new incoming residents, fellows, research staff, as well as all the summer sub-interns.  Our annual golf tournament hosted by Dr. Levine, our program director, follows later in the summer.  The department holiday party is held in mid December and is a fantastic celebration with family and friends.  The Columbia annual pre-interview dinner at Ruby Foo’s in Times Square is well known on the orthopedic residency interview trail.  Residents and applicants enjoy great food and drink without the watchful eye of the attendings.  Every other year, we host the Columbia Alumni Reunion with a stimulating academic program in the spring, followed by an alumni gala at the New York City Yacht Club.  Graduation wraps up the year with an exciting golf tournament and dinner.  Numerous informal gatherings occur throughout the year such as our girls-night-out dinner in one of the fabulous downtown NYC restaurants, pickup basketball games in the park, and happy hours in the upper west side.

NEW YORK CITY

Unquestionably, New York is it.  From Washington Heights to the Upper West Side, to Chelsea, to the West Village, every neighborhood, while unique, has it all - anything and everything you would want to see, hear, or taste.  Entertainment abounds in every form, ranging from the family-friendly to the cultural to the hip to the decadent.  Several parks are a mere walk, run, or bike ride away, including the Cloisters, Van Cortland Park, Riverside State Park (with tennis, swimming, ice rink, softball, track), and Central Park. The number and variety of restaurants in every neighborhood is astounding - ethnic foods abound. The culturally-inclined may venture to Carnegie Hall or Lincoln Center to see the New York Philharmonic or the New York City Ballet or Opera.  Alternatively, one can travel to the Village to hear any style of music ranging from world renowned jazz at the Blue Note, to the hottest stars at the Roseland Ballroom.  And of course, there’s Broadway.  Or, perhaps the velvet rope awaits for a late night at the clubs in the Meatpacking district.  Those seeking quiet reflection with the works of masters can visit the Met, MOMA, Guggenheim, Frick, or Whitney.  A favorite for residents with families is always the Natural History Museum.  Professional sporting events abound with Yankees Stadium moments from the hospital and Madison Square Garden a short subway ride away. New York City is unique and spectacular, and having had the chance to live it has been priceless.

SUMMARY

We feel fortunate to have had the opportunity to benefit from the unparalleled training at the Department of Orthopedic Surgery at Columbia University. Our mentors are leaders in the field, with a deep commitment to our education and success as orthopedic surgeons. The rich balance of clinical, surgical, and academic training is outstanding, and the collegial environment and great location make this much more than just an enjoyable work experience. Our graduates are competent, confident surgeons who, once they have completed their fellowships of choice, inevitably go on to positions of leadership in the orthopedic community, assuring the tradition of excellence.

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