Orthopaedic Trauma Surgery Current Fellow and Alumni (Chattanooga)

Alumni

Fellowship Reviews

The orthopaedic trauma fellowship at University of Tennessee College of Medicine Chattanooga and Erlanger Health System is an exceptional hands-on fellowship. The attending surgeons that we have the opportunity to work with are all enthusiastic about teaching and are well experienced. They are extremely skilled in the OR and are also very thorough regarding clinical care outside of the OR. The case volume is excellent and leans much more towards complex, high energy trauma than geriatric fracture care. There are certainly more open fractures in Chattanooga than I was used to coming from a major level I academic hospital in residency, and pelvic/acetabular case numbers are routinely some of the highest in the country on a per fellow basis. The most difficult thing about the fellowship is choosing which OR room to operate in when there are multiple rooms going concurrently with complex cases. Chattanooga is also a fun, small city with plenty of outdoor activities - hiking, kayaking, rafting, mountain biking, boating/fishing - and plenty of bars and restaurants. I would certainly come back to Chattanooga if I had to do it again."
— Michael Yee, 2019-2020 Fellow

“The fellowship will prepare you to handle anything that you will see in practice and will allow you to step into any setting, academic, private, or hospital based, and be a leader in orthopaedic trauma and back it up with your knowledge and surgical skill. I truly believe the acetabular/pelvic exposure and teaching is second to none, and I was able to handle even the most difficult and complex fractures and patterns in my first week in practice. It should be listed in the top echelon of trauma fellowships in the country.”
–- Kevin Haddix, 2017-2018 Fellow

“The University of Tennessee College of Medicine Chattanooga is one of the top trauma fellowships in the country. It offers a high volume of complex pathology with excellent teachers and surgeons. I could not have been better prepared to start practice by training anywhere else.”
–- Jeff Sundblad, 2015-2016 Fellow

“I left my year in Chattanooga very eager to get out there and work. Everyone always talks about how stressful and difficult the first year in practice can be. I’m not saying there weren’t bumps in the road, but I can say that I was prepared for everything that came through the door from the standpoint of knowing what needed to be done and developing an appropriate plan. I was more prepared than I really knew when I left The University of Tennessee College of Medicine Chattanooga and that’s a testament to the pathology that comes through the door and the training you get. In retrospect, I couldn’t have had a better fellowship for the kind of surgeon I wanted to be.”
–- Jonathan Helms, 2014-2015 Fellow

“The variety and complexity of pathology was outstanding. I found it very helpful to work with all the faculty to learn different approaches/strategies to treat challenging injuries. I felt comfortable dealing with trauma cases out of the gate in practice”
— Ryan Ficco, 2013-2014 Fellow

“The mainstay of becoming proficient and confident in orthopedic trauma surgery is exposure to orthopedic trauma.  The case volume in Chattanooga is impressive and because there is only one fellow, the fellow’s operative experience is probably one of the best in the country.  The faculty are easy to work with and devoted educators.  My year in Chattanooga set me up perfectly for practice at Ben Taub in Houston:  there was nothing that I saw in my first year of practice that I did not feel confident taking on.  The ease of my transition into clinical practice enabled me to advance my career quickly in other areas, becoming heavily involved in our resident educational program and becoming both Chief of Orthopedics at Ben Taub within two years of starting.”
–- Jack Dawson, 2012-2013 Fellow