Wake Forest

Interviewed there...seemed like a really great program. Female-friendly. Very nice, approachable staff. The thing I really liked about it was the clinic you start running yourself as a PGY-3. Operate early. The only drawback may be Winston-Salem, but I really liked the city. Ranked it #2 overall. One minus...I heard the G-Surg program is going to go on probation for hours violations and that is really screwing up the trauma service. Could be just a rumor though.

My perspectives about the program are based on a 4 week rotation several months ago as an MS4...I cannot say enough great things about this program. The faculty are smart, approachable and value teaching. If you are looking for a program where the faculty will respect you as a person, look no further. Great autonomy in the OR, but the attending takes the time to demonstrate technique before turning you loose. Prepare to work hard, this is more of a hands on residency. EXCELLENT Trauma experience. You will likely feel comfortable with anything trauma related leaving residency. The ancillary staff are competent and fun to be around (i.e. do not take themselves too seriously). The program only offers a hand fellowship (i.e. more cases for residents). They are in the process of adding some more faculty and already have a solid core. If research is your thing, you will receive again, EXCELLENT support from the PhDs in the department whose job is to support the research interests of the Department. In summary, a well rounded program, you will work hard, you will leave with excellent training in all aspects of orthopedics, the people were great fun to work with. If you are thinking strongly about rotating, I would recommend it without any reservations. Best of luck.

Spent a month there and thought it was a very good program. It is definitely academic focused and the PD there is a pretty hard core young spine guy, but the residents and faculty are all super-friendly. Winston-Salem was a little small for me and out there, but I was able to roll over to UNC and Duke to hang out after my rotation. They have some great residents and there are several women in the program.

I just read the post from mdforhire and with the recent changes in our program; it is time to update some information. As of July 1st, we have had some major changes in the program:

Dr Koman, took over as the new chairman of the department. In addition, Dr. Wiesler was named the new residency director. Under the new leadership and with the expansion of our program, we added fellowship-trained attendings in sports, tumor, pediatrics, and joints. Future expansion to the faculty will include trauma, spine, foot & ankle. Overall, considering the quality of the faculty here at Wake, this is probably one of the most underrated programs in the country:

Koman-Incoming President Hand Society, Editor-in-Chief Journal of Surgical Orthopaedic Advances
Poehling-Past President ISAKOS, Editor-in-Chief Arthroscopy
Curl-Past President AOSSM
Ward-Past President Musculoskeletal Tumor Society
Jinnah-Past President ISTA
Webb-Chairman OTA Committee Bylaws and Hearings

Indeed, the program is female friendly. We currently have 4 females. It is a fantastic group of residents that stick together and help each other out. The outgoing class of chiefs got fellowships at HSS (Trauma), Pittsburgh (Sports), and Wake (Hand). The incoming class of chiefs secured fellowships at Wash U (Sports), Rothman Institute (Shoulder), and Union Memorial (Foot & Ankle).
We have several fellows: One in trauma, two in hand, and are planning to start a joint fellowship in 2008/2009. Everyone interested in rotating here, please contact Kathy Hermance, the resideny coordinator. We have 3 5-year spots and on 7-year spot and are planning to apply for a program expansion at the next ACGME review. Over the last few years, the 7-year spot is getting more competitive and the Research Director is presently working on a curriculum to establish a Ph.D. program for the 7-year residents. To date, the past two residents were enrolled in Graduate School to obtain their degree but no formal program is in place. This is a great thing for someone who wants to stay in academics and who is willing to take some course work. It is a great CV builder and definitely not an easy way to get into an orthopaedic residency. Applicants interested in the 7-year spot are encouraged to spend at least a week in the lab when arranging a formal rotation. Another great achievement is that the last four 7-year residents were able to obtain OREF, OTA, AOSSM, AANA, and other funding. The Ph.D.s in the program will assist the 7-year residents writing grants. Research work from our laboratories has won numerous awards and was published in great journals such as JBJS, JOR, Tissue Engineering, and Biomaterials.
If anyone has questions, please feel free to PM me.

Anyone interested in the 5-year residency spot should contact our residency coordinator

Kathleen Hermance
Department of Orthopaedic Surgery
Medical Center Boulevard, Box 1070
Winston-Salem, NC 27157-1070
[url=mailto][email protected][/url]
(336) 716-3946 phone
(336) 716-3861 fax

Applicants interested in the 7-year spot should contact

Thomas L. Smith, Ph.D.
Department of Orthopaedic Surgery
Medical Center Boulevard, Box 1070
Winston-Salem, NC 27157-1070
[url=mailto][email protected][/url]
(336) 716-2093 phone
(336) 716-7310 fax

Our website is . If you are interested in either one of the program, I recommend you rotate at Wake Forest. If you are in particular interested in the 7-year spot, please contact Tom Smith to obtain more information about ongoig projects and schedule a visit at our program.