The Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at Carilion Clinic is accepting applications the Medical Student Research Fellowship position for the academic year 2025-2026.
This fellowship is intended for a MS3 or MS4 who is interested in a year of orthopaedic research prior to graduation from medical school.
At Carilion Clinic, we believe that a research year for a medical student should be a developmental time, intended to 1) teach the fundamentals of orthopaedic research, 2) foster personal growth and maturity, and 3) deepen knowledge of clinical orthopaedics. The overarching goal of the research year is to develop the student into a place where they are better prepared to apply for / enter orthopaedic residency and with the skills gained from the research year, eventually go on to become a practicing clinician-scientist.
Medical Student Research Fellows are expected to conduct the day-to-day operations of research, including study design, enrollment, data analysis and manuscript preparation. Fellows will also participate in the educational curriculum of the This includes all didactics, educational conferences, workshops and guest speaker presentations.
The Medical Student Research Fellowship is designed to be one year in Roanoke, VA performing research on a full-time basis. Because of the timing of the research process (it takes time for projects to flow through the data analysis / publication process), it is expected that during the student’s clinical MS-4 year (after their fellowship), they will continue to be in communication with their research team to complete manuscripts that were started at Carilion Clinic. For the student who desires 2 years of research, this is available on a case-by-case basis.
The is the largest academic orthopaedic department in Virginia with over 48 faculty and clinical fellows in spine (1), joints (2) and hand (1). Additionally, the Department has an orthopaedic research fellowship for MD-graduates (2 fellows) and an orthopaedics residency (4 residents per year).
The research fellowship program director is (hand surgery and pediatric orthopaedics). and Youngjae Lee, PhD oversee and assist with day-to-day operations of MERC. Areas of research encompass various aspects of orthopaedic surgery including trauma, adult reconstruction, hand, spine, sports and pediatric orthopaedics. Research is largely clinically oriented, with both prospective and retrospective studies and other research projects that focus on clinical aspects of health care delivery. Fellows are assigned to 2-3 specific areas to allow for focus and in-depth development / mentorship.
The Medical Student Research Fellowship position is a paid full-time research position hired as a Clinical Research Coordinator through Carilion Clinic. This offers a salary and benefits package that allows for reasonable living in Roanoke, VA. Roanoke is the center of operations for Carilion Clinic and will be where nearly all research and educational activities will be conducted. Candidates will be selected based on personal attributes, including work ethic, motivation for orthopaedic surgery and the likelihood of future success in the Match.
At the time of starting the fellowship, candidates are required to be enrolled in an LCME-accredited U.S. medical school. To assess competitiveness for eventual entry into orthopaedic surgery residency, candidates must submit MCAT and USMLE score transcripts, medical school transcripts and letters of recommendation. While the goal of the fellowship is to prepare the applicant to enter orthopaedic residency, there is no promise or guarantee of admission into the
The research fellowship program director is Peter J. Apel, MD, PhD. Inquiries should be sent to
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Interviews will be conducted by phone or Zoom on a rolling basis. Positions will be offered on a rolling basis.
