Department of Orthopaedic Surgery

Education and Training

The Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, in collaboration with the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, continues to be a national leader in education, research, and patient care, and it promotes a national and international reputation for teaching and developing recognized leaders in orthopaedics. Many important contributions to advanced understanding of orthopaedic diseases have emanated from the department. Our faculty are committed to providing excellence in clinical care, a focused education in various subspecialties, and cooperative participation in innovative research. Continued expansion of the basic science faculty and development of a large facility for studying biomechanical and development aspects of musculoskeletal diseases have made our program one of the premier programs in the country.

A diverse group of talented men and women are recruited and for our residency and fellowship programs. Our residency program matches for eight positions per year for a current complement of 44 interns and residents. Our program is one of a few in the United States that offers the opportunity for residents to participate in one year of dedicated research during their residency training. After completion of an internship year, the research-track residents (four of the eight residents) will experience one year in orthopaedic research laboratories, participating in publishable, cutting-edge scientific investigation while learning the research process in depth. Upon completion of this research-track year, these residents return to the clinical orthopaedic surgery curriculum.  Albert Lin, MD, was named the residency program director in October 2022.  John Fowler, MD serves as associate residency program director. The department also has 19 fellows pursuing specialty training in hand and upper extremity, pediatrics, primary care sports medicine, spine, sports medicine, and trauma.

Currently, the department is working to implement a new musculoskeletal curriculum that was developed with the Curriculum Committee and Pitt's School of Medicine. A multidisciplinary team of faculty, with representation from orthopaedics, physical medicine and rehabilitation (PM&R), radiology, and primary care musculoskeletal specialists was involved in the process of developing the curriculum.