Pediatric Orthopedic and Deformity Research Fellowship

Overview

The Department of Orthopedic Surgery at Children’s Mercy Hospital is offering a one-year, funded research fellowship designed for medical students or unmatched medical graduates with an interest in orthopedic surgery. Children’s Mercy Hospital and Clinics of Kansas City is internationally recognized for its pioneering work in pediatric orthopedic patient care, education, and basic and clinical research. This tertiary-care hospital is the only pediatric Level I Trauma Center in the Kansas City area and boasts a catchment area spanning hundreds of miles including Kansas, Oklahoma, Nebraska, Iowa, Missouri and Arkansas.

The hospital is consistently ranked by U.S. News & World Report across multiple subspecialties. Our growing Department of Orthopedics currently has 12 pediatric surgeons, 5 non-operative sports medicine and general musculoskeletal physicians, and one pediatric sports medicine fellow, as well as 28 advanced practice practitioners. All disciplines, including general orthopedics, trauma, sports medicine, upper extremity, spine, hip, limb lengthening and deformity, cerebral palsy, and neuromuscular care are represented.

Our research program currently hosts over 50 various prospective and retrospective clinical studies.

We have close collaborative relationships with the UMKC School of Medicine, UMKC Dental School, KU Medical School, KCUMB and KU Lawrence School of Engineering.

This program will give students the opportunity to work directly with faculty members and orthopedic surgery residents to gain exposure to pediatric orthopedics, mentorship and guidance for residency applications, and practical experience in clinical and basic science research endeavors to aide in building foundational skills to become a successful clinician scientist.

• Receive direct mentorship from orthopedic faculty
• Gain practical experience in the formulation, execution, and presentation of a variety of successful research types across each research Level of Evidence tier
• Present research at regional and national orthopedic conferences
• Network with orthopedic surgery residents (from UMKC, KU, and KCU), fellows, and attending surgeons
• Participate in departmental didactics, grand rounds, journal clubs, and guest lectureships
• Obtain experience that supports the student to enter competitive orthopedic surgery residency programs
• Learn to teach research methodology to medical students and residents
• Develop lifelong learning and curiosity
• Grow your clinical knowledge base through continued involvement in the delivery of orthopedic care

Additionally, it’s important to us that we remain transparent with all potential job candidates. Because we value the safety of the patients and families we serve, as well as the Children’s Mercy staff, we want to let you know that the seasonal influenza vaccine is a condition of employment for all employees in our organization. New employees must be willing to be vaccinated if found non-immune to measles, mumps, rubella (MMR) and chicken pox (varicella) and/or without evidence of tetanus, diphtheria, acellular pertussis (Tdap) vaccination since 2005.

If you are selected for this position, you will be asked to supply your immunization records as proof of vaccination. If you and have any concerns about receiving these vaccines, medical and/or religious exemptions can be further discussed with Human Resources.

• Be organized
• Maintain clear, timely communication with faculty and residents
• Allocate 50% of time to spine research and 50% to general pediatric orthopedic research within the department
• Actively participate in 10-15 projects and author/co-author a minimum of 5 research manuscripts, abstracts, or posters/podiums over the course of the year
• Draft and submit IRB protocols for new research projects
• Recruit and obtain informed consent from patients/families for prospective research projects
• Manage data entry for involved research projects. Collect, organize, and analyze data using multiple software platforms (REDCap, Excel, SPSS, Graph Pad Prism)
• Draft manuscripts for publication
• Work closely with Department Research Coordinator(s)
• Participate…