Thank you for expressing
an interest in the shoulder and elbow fellowship. It is operated under the auspices
of a non-profit organization called The Foundation for Orthopaedic, Athletic and Reconstructive Research. The fellowship begins on August 1 and ends on July 31 of the following year.
If you have never been to
Houston,
let us begin by describing a little about the city. It is the fourth largest
city in the United States and as such, has many social and
cultural activities. The Museum District is conveniently located near the Texas
Medical Center and offers fine and contemporary
arts, sculpture and natural science exhibits. The area includes the city's major
museums as well as art galleries, theaters, three universities, and a large public park.
Hermann Park contains the world
famous Houston Zoo and an eighteen hole golf course.
Visitors to Houston
who arrive by air may choose from one of the city's two commercial airports, George W. Bush International or William P. Hobby. GWB International is the larger of the two and is approximately thirty to forty-five
minutes from the Medical Center while
Hobby is about twenty to thirty minutes away. The Houston
airport system is the thirteenth largest in the world and tenth largest in the United States. The airports provide service to over one hundred U.S.
cities and twenty-eight cities abroad. Rental cars, limousines and taxicabs are
easily accessible.
The temperature in Houston
is considered temperate with winters being mild averaging only three to four weeks of chilly weather between December and
February. Spring and autumn temperatures range from sixty to eighty degrees and
the summer climate is hot. Fortunately, everything in Houston
is air-conditioned! Rain is frequent and often unpredictable so an umbrella is
handy.
Houston
is proud of both its professional and intercollegiate athletic programs. Minute
Maid Park is the home for the Houston Astros in
the National Baseball League (Dr. Mehlhoff is a Team Physician). The two-time
NBA Champion Houston Rockets are the professional men’s basketball team (Dr. Elkousy is the Team Physician) and the
Houston Comets are the professional women’s basketball team and the four time WNBA Champions. Both teams play at the Toyota Center
that is conveniently located in downtown Houston.
The Houston Aeros are the professional hockey team and the Hotshots are the professional soccer team. The Houston Texans are the new NFL football team that play in another new stadium in Reliant
Park. Rice University, Texas Southern
University, and the University of Houston offer a full range of NCAA Division I athletics and showcase many world class athletes
in both men's and women's sports.
Recreational opportunities
abound with golf, tennis, cycling, and horseback riding available year-round. The
Gulf of Mexico and Galveston are forty-five minutes south
of the Medical Center. Numerous beaches and excellent fishing make this a popular tourist resort.
Fresh water lakes for skiing and fishing are a short drive away.
The Texas Medical Center
(TMC) is now recognized the world's largest medical complexes. The University
of Texas and Baylor College of Medicine both provide medical schools and large
research facilities within the TMC. There are fourteen hospitals in the TMC: eight offering full service and six providing specialized care. M. D. Anderson
Hospital is world-renowned for its advancements in the treatment of cancer. The Methodist Hospital
and the Texas Heart Institute house the cardiovascular teams of Drs’ DeBakey and Cooley respectively. The Shriners Hospital
for Children, University Children's Hospital at Hermann and Texas Children's Hospital are outstanding pediatric facilities.
Memorial Hermann Hospital
operates one of the first Life Flight programs in the nation and serves as the primary teaching facility for the University
of Texas – Houston Medical
School. Space does not permit a more
detailed picture of the TMC, but hopefully the opportunity it offers for medical education is already evident.
As mentioned, the shoulder
and elbow fellowship is a part of the Foundation for Orthopaedic, Athletic and Reconstructive Research which is a non-profit
corporation designed to fund educational and research opportunities in the field of orthopaedics. Because of the large number
of educational opportunities available, there is some flexibility. This allows
the individual fellow to create an experience best suited to their future practice.
It also means that the fellowship is dynamic and subject to change when it is felt that the change will add to the
training program.
The Foundation provides a
salary of forty six thousand dollars a year as well as malpractice insurance, in addition to health and dental insurance for
the fellow. Housing is not provided, but is available nearby. In addition to the daily clinic and surgical work, the fellow is responsible for occasional lectures. The curriculum requires the completion of one research paper, which must be presented
to the staff and submitted to a peer-reviewed journal within one year of the completion of the fellowship.
A Texas
medical license is required prior to beginning the fellowship as well as a Drug Enforcement Agency number and a Texas
Narcotics Commission number. Assistance will be provided to obtain these. In order to obtain a Texas medical license
you must have passed one of the following licensing exams: FLEX, SPEX, NBME,
NBOME, USMLE, COMLEX, LMCC or a state board examination. For more information
about Texas medical licensure please consult the Texas State Board of Medical
Examiners web site at www.tsbme.state.tx.us. All graduates of foreign medical
schools should visit this web site and pay particular attention to Chapter 163, especially 163.3. Foreign students must also be able to obtain a free trade visa in order to participate in our program.
Enclosed you will find an
application form. Please complete this and return it along with a recent photograph,
a copy of medical school transcripts and your curriculum vitae. Three letters
of recommendation must also be sent including one from your residency program director.
Please have the letters faxed to (713) 790-0505 before the hard copy is put in the mail. Once your application is complete, the fellowship coordinator, Michele Byrne, will contact you, if an interview
is required. If you have any questions, please contact her at (713) 799-2429. Thank you once again for your interest.
Best Regards,
Gary M. Gartsman, M. D.
Fellowship Director
