Overview | Faculty | Clinical Sites | Fellows | Research | Conferences | Application Process | Policies

Overview 

UCLA 2022 Graduate Medical Education Summary

The UCLA Sports Medicine Fellowship is accredited by the ACGME, enabling our eligible graduates to subsequently sit for the Sports Medicine sub-specialty board certification examination administered by the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery. The goals of the program are: (1) Development of clinical skills to facilitate excellence in the prevention and management of sport-related injuries; (2) Expanded understanding of basic science principles applied to sports medicine; (3) Enhancement of technical skills appropriate for advanced operative intervention; (4) Maturation of an understanding of the physician's role in the care of elite athletes.

UCLA Football player sitting on the bench talking to a sports medicine doctor.

The fellowship provides an opportunity for the fellows to participate under supervision in the care of UCLA athletes and patients of the UCLA Health System. The fellows also serve as a teacher for  resident and students in sports medicine. In addition, it is expected that the fellows will participate in research projects with faculty members.

The UCLA Sports Medicine Program participates in the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine's "San Francisco Match". As one of the participating programs, we agree to interview candidates during a specified time interval.

Fellowship Goals
The goal of the Sports Medicine Fellowship of the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery is to prepare physicians for an outstanding career in sports medicine, either as private-practice or academic surgeons. We strive to recruit outstanding men and women who want to become leaders in their community or in academic programs. The program provides a comprehensive exposure to sports medicine in a program that involves integration between the UCLA Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and the Sports Medicine Section of the Department of Family Medicine. Care is delivered at the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, a top ranked university hospital, and at the Santa Monica-UCLA Medical Center and Orthopaedic Hospital. This provides a high volume and diverse spectrum of sports medicine injuries.

UCLA residents and fellows receive individual teaching and supervision in the operating room and in the outpatient setting. Fellows progressively develop responsibility for patient care and assist with teaching of the residents. Weekly teaching conferences, journal club, and anatomical dissections of the upper and lower extremities enhance a strong academic environment. The program provides fellows with the opportunity to participate in clinical and laboratory research and to present that research either at local gatherings or at national meetings.

Our goal is to mentor our residents and fellows in their understanding of the practice of sports medicine, and to provide ethical standards through faculty example and discussion. It is our goal for the residents and fellows to be competent in the knowledge of the practice of sports medicine, to carry out this practice in a professional and ethical manner, to develop skills for continuing and self-reflective education in the field of sports medicine, and to understand sports medicine in the context of the healthcare system in which they will practice. It is anticipated that our trainees will be competent in the objectives as outlined on the UCLA orthopaedic website, uclahealth.org/ortho.

In summary, the UCLA Orthopaedic Sports Medicine Fellowship is designed to provide an excellent, comprehensive educational experience that will enhance career development in clinical and/or academic medicine.
For further details, please click here: Sports Medicine Fellowship goals - objectives >

Fellowship Organization
The fellowship stresses mentorship, with a "one-on-one" relationship between the fellow and faculty. The program is divided into two "blocks" that are each 3 months in duration, so each fellow experiences each block twice during the fellowship year.  The full spectrum of sports medicine problems are managed at UCLA, including a wide variety of knee, shoulder, ankle and elbow pathology. In addition to common disorders, fellows also see a variety of unusual and complex pathology including multiple ligament knee injuries, PCL reconstruction, articular cartilage procedures, revision ACL reconstruction, hip arthroscopy, and shoulder arthroplasty (including reverse shoulder replacement), ensuring broad exposure for the fellows.

Clinical Faculty


Clinical Sites

Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center

Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center exterior.

A large part of the fellowship occurs at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, which is on the UCLA campus in Westwood. The fellows are exposed to elective sports medicine surgeries that are performed in the outpatient surgery center located at 200 UCLA Medical Plaza. The fellows see patients in the sports medicine attending clinics of Drs. McAllister, and Jones, located at 100 UCLA Medical Plaza.

 

Santa Monica-UCLA Medical Center and Orthopaedic Hospital

Santa Monica UCLA Medical Center and Orthopaedic Hospital exterior

The majority of the UCLA departmental orthopaedic practice is centered in this facility, which recently underwent an extraordinary transformation/construction project as a center of excellence for musculoskeletal medicine. Most of the inpatient orthopaedic sports medicine surgery occurs at this location, in addition to some of our elective outpatient surgeries. A new ambulatory surgery center recently opened.

 

UCLA Arthur Ashe Student Health & Wellness Center

UCLA Arthur Ashe Student Health & Wellness Center exterior

The majority of UCLA students are seen here for their orthopaedic needs. This facility if located adjacent to the UCLA Book Store on campus. Currently, Drs. McAllister and Hame see patients here one-half day per week.

Acosta Center/UCLA Athletic Department Training Room

Our faculty are responsible for the care of over 700 Division I student athletes at UCLA. Our faculty and fellows see patients in the training room in the Acosta Center on Mon-Thurs evenings. This state-of-the-art facility is located adjacent to Pauley Pavilion on campus and is equipped with private consultation suites as well as a large rehabilitation space.

Los Angeles Lakers

UCLA is the exclusive provider of Medical Services for the Los Angeles Lakers (NBA).
Fellows assist with covering all home basketball games.


Research and Writing

Each fellow is required to complete one original research project that is suitable for publication in a peer reviewed journal prior to completion of the fellowship. These findings are also presented at the end of the year noon sports medicine conference. In addition, each fellow is required to complete a case report suitable for publication or a review article/book chapter.


Conferences

  1. Weekly Multi-Disciplinary Sports Medicine Conference. On Wednesdays at noon, this conference is held in conjunction with the Family Medicine Sports Medicine faculty and fellows. A resident or fellow will give a 30-45 minute didactic talk on a specific topic, followed by a lively discussion that involves medical students, residents, fellows, athletic trainers, physical therapists and attending physicians. The faculty will also each provide lectures on topics of special interest.
  2. Orthopaedic Sports Medicine Conference. Held every other Wednesday morning, the fellows will review 2-3 papers on a topic of interest. This will be followed by a lively discussion by all in attendance on how the topics discussed might be applied in the clinical setting.  In addition, MRI correlations are presented in conjunction  with our musculoskeletal radiology group.
  3. Grand Rounds-held once per month on the first Wednesday morning of the month.
  4. Journal Club. Held at the home of sports medicine attendings (3-4 Thursday evenings per year, 7:30-9:30 PM), this is attended by the UCLA faculty, sports fellows, and orthopaedic surgery residents. Five to seven selected articles are reviewed and discussed. This has proven to be a very enjoyable, interactive, and valuable format for both social interaction and informal learning.
  5. Orthopaedic Surgery Core Curriculum. Presented Wednesday mornings 6:45 AM to 8:15 AM, 2 lectures per week for 8 weeks are given on basic sports medicine topics to the orthopaedic surgery residents. Each fellow will usually give 2-3 of these lectures. This 8 week series of lectures takes place on a two-year cycle.
  6. Gross anatomical dissections. Each fellow and each resident on the service in July will demonstrate knee, shoulder and hip anatomy to all the orthopaedic surgery residents during one or two sessions.
  7. Arthroscopic Skill Laboratory. We have a well-equipped arthroscopic skills lab which has the same equipment utilized in our operating rooms as well as an ample supply of fresh cadaveric specimens.  A variety of instrument sets are available so that basic and advanced techniques can be practiced. Fresh shoulder and knee specimens as well as reusable models are available for use.  Our fellows participate in weekly teaching sessions in this lab.  This experience allows fellows to practice more advanced surgical techniques as well to teach basic arthroscopic techniques to junior residents and students.  Teaching sessions are held every Thursday evening.All residents, fellows, and students on the service attend. These sessions are supervised by the fellows. The goal is to teach the basic skills to those just beginning while fellows can refine more advance surgical techniques. Watch Video
  8. Local courses and lectures. The sports medicine fellows are encouraged to attend courses and labs at other nearby institutions. There are a number of cadaver course as well as an articular cartilage course that are held at the DonJoy lab in Carlsbad, California. In addition, fellows are invited to attend the Western Orthopaedic Association Los Angeles Chapter Dinner meeting free of charge 3 times per year.

Application Process

Applications are accepted via the San Francisco Match Program.  Applicants should have completed a residency in orthopaedic surgery.  A California license is a requisite for the incoming fellow. In addition to your application, we require a recent photograph.  After review of the applications, selected applicants will be invited for an interview.


Policies

For further details, please click here: Policies for Fellowship Program >

Salary, Vacation and Benefits

The fellows are paid at the PGY 6 level.  Each fellow receives 4 weeks of vacation / educational time.  For detailed information regarding benefits, please visit the Graduate Medical Education website at https://medschool.ucla.edu/gme 

Summary

The UCLA Sports Medicine Fellowship enjoys a solid national reputation. Our experience with collegiate athletes, strong didactic components, and very experienced faculty allow fellows to learn in an extraordinary and stimulating environment. UCLA is fortunate to have one of the nation's best intercollegiate athletic programs and a top-ranked academic medical center. We strive to prepare individuals to be team physicians and to be excellent orthopaedic surgeons for either private practice or academic careers.

We are accredited by the ACGME as well as by AANA, and we participate in the San Francisco match. We appreciate your interest in our program. However, in accordance with the match guidelines, we will not contact you following your interview.  We are happy to entertain questions about the program but we do not expect or require contact after the interview date.

Contact Information


Email: [email protected]
uclahealth.org/ortho 

Primary Care Sports Medicine Fellowship Program

More information on the primary care sports medicine fellowship program >