Advanced Microsurgical Skills Training
Microsurgery Training and Research Laboratory
The Microsurgery Training & Research Laboratory at NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia University Irving Medical Center was established in 1980 by Harold M. Dick, MD, former Chair of the Department of Orthopedic Surgery, with the goal of making microsurgery an integral part of a surgeon's training in various fields and specialties.
Originally offered only to orthopedic residents, the microsurgical training has been expanded to numerous surgical specialtie from more than 45 participating programs from across the United States, and from more than 50 countries around the world. Under the direction of Dr. Melvin P. Rosenwasser, Robert E. Carroll Professor of Hand Surgery, and with the teaching expertise of Dr. Yelena Akelina, the Microsurgery Laboratory has become an internationally recognized state-of-the-art teaching facility in microsurgery training and research. We train more than 200 surgeons a year, offering courses in basic and advanced microsurgery.
Dr. Akelina, Director of the Microsurgery Laboratory, put her nearly 30 years of teaching experience into a textbook published in 2024 by Springer Nature. Microsurgery 101: Tips and Tricks for Microvascular and Peripheral Nerve Repair Techniques, co-edited by Alberto Ballestín of the Institut Curie Research Center in Paris, offers detailed training for microvascular and peripheral nerve surgery with step-by-step instructions and practical tips for a variety of microsurgical techniques.
Specialties we teach:
- Orthopaedic Surgery
- Neurosurgery
- Hand Surgery
- Podiatry/Foot and Ankle
- ENT/Head and Neck Reconstructive Surgery
- Veterinary Surgery
- Oral and Maxiofacial Surgery
- Ophthalmology
- Plastic Surgery
- Urology General and Vascular Surgery
- OB/GYN