Foot and Ankle Fellowship

The Foot and Ankle Fellowship is a one year program designed to prepare an orthopaedic surgeon for a career in orthopaedic foot and ankle surgery, in either a full-time academic setting or private practice. Clinical training is provided in all aspects of foot and ankle surgery, with particular emphasis on lower extremity (knee, ankle, and foot) sports medicine injuries, Achilles tears and disorders, bunions and toe deformities, ankle and knee articular cartilage injuries, post-traumatic foot and ankle deformities, foot and ankle arthritis, diabetic foot disorders, and foot orthotic evaluation and management. Fellows will develop autonomy in the operating room, gain advanced foot and ankle arthroscopy and have a fellow’s clinic during each rotation. Foot and ankle fellows, along with the chief resident of the service are responsible for all aspects of patient care. Three junior residents also rotate on the service. Rotating schedules provide ample exposure in both inpatient and outpatient settings.

In addition to the academic clinical setting at the UC Davis Medical Center, the fellow will spend 6 months at the Reno Orthopaedic Clinic. In a private practice setting, the Reno Orthopaedic Clinic will educate the fellows on all aspects of business regarding orthopaedic trauma care. Upon completion of the fellowship, applicants should be prepared to enter the practice of the fellowship applicants should be prepared to enter the practice of orthopaedic trauma with management skills required to establish and sustain an orthopaedic trauma system. The fellowship will provide a unique graduate medical education experience for a fully-trained Orthopaedic Surgeon interested in advancing their experience in Foot and Ankle Orthopaedics. During the 6 month rotation at the UC Davis Medical Center, the fellow will spend 2.5 days per week in clinic, 2 days in the OR and .5 days will be dedicated or research under the supervision of the foot and ankle faculty, and research staff. Under the supervision of the research faculty, the fellow is encouraged to utilize the research laboratories and clinical database for clinical studies. The fellow will have one on one exposure to the Orthopaedic Surgery Foot and Ankle faculty and as the year progresses be expected to take on supervisory responsibilities of the residents in the clinical and operative setting. In addition, the fellow will participate in a combined clinic and teaching sessions held bimonthly at the UC Davis Department of Orthopaedic Surgery.

There are monthly morbidity and mortality care projects in which the fellow will be required to participate in each month. During their time at the Reno Orthopaedic Clinic, the fellow will continue to participate in these monthly projects. Quarterly, there is a complex foot clinic to discuss complex cases, and one per rotation, fellows attend a cadaver lab with Dr. Eric Giza

This fellowship program provides a comprehensive curriculum with in-depth exposure to the clinical management of orthopaedic foot and ankle patients and ample opportunity to perform basic science and clinical research. Fellows will participate in the preoperative, inoperative, and postoperative management of patient in both an academic setting and a private practice setting. The fellow will rotate between the UC Davis Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and the Reno Orthopaedic Clinic (Reno, Nevada) with six months at each location. Both locations will address the education objectives of the fellowship and the personal objectives of the fellows.

The fellowship begins Aug. 1 and ends July 31. Compensation for PGY6 is $89,112.03/year, with excellent benefits. All interested individuals should apply through the SF Match Program at: www.sfmatch.org.

For more information, please contact Rebecca Misner at rjmisner@ucdavis.edu or 916-734-5874. 

Foot and Ankle Fellowship interview dates for the 2022-2023 recruitment cycle will be held on Jan. 21, 2023 in Reno and Jan. 28, 2023 at the AOFAS winter meeting.