Program Review
Staff / Faculty / Chairman
The University of Pittsburgh has a rich tradition of orthopaedic education over the past 50+ years. <br />
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Dr. Fu is a great ambassador for the program and works hard to keep the program well respected nationally and internationally. He is famous for his sports medicine contributions and has served on the boards of ISAKOS, AOSSM, etc. Truly knows and cares about each resident of the program, he will go out of his way help a current or former resident achieve their goals.<br />
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The other faculty are very accomplished in their own right. Honestly, there are a few that could leave the program to become chairmen at other places. Many are nationally and internationally known clinicians and researchers. All are very good in what they do. These faculty come from diverse residency and fellowship programs bringing different perspectives on orthopaedic care to UPMC.
Didactics / Teaching
Present in every form. There is a dedicated half day on Wednesday mornings which include anatomy dissections in the summer, OITE reviews in the fall, nationally known and resident prepared grand rounds, faculty lectures, service specific conferences and journal clubs, etc. The program is known for its trauma conference which involves the junior resident or medical student presenting cases from the previous night which are then discussed. The residents try and teach each other as much as possible and are responsible for the anatomy dissections in the summer, the OITE reviews, grand rounds presentations and on the job training.
Operating Experience
By the time you graduate from the program you will feel comfortable doing the "bread and butter" orthopaedic cases and many of the cases in any specialty you choose to go into. In the past couple of years there has been a person from each class that has gone into general Orthopaedics which speaks to the strength of the operative experience. We get heavy doses of trauma, pediatrics, spine, and joints.
Clinic Experience
All of the orthopaedic subspecialties are covered, within 5-6 different hospitals, all within 10 minutes of each other (i.e. you don't leave town). You get enough exposure to everything so you can decide if that specialty is right for you, you can pass the boards, and you feel comfortable enough to become a general orthopaedic surgeon. All rotations involve at least a half of a day of clinic a week - some are 1-2 days of clinic.
Research Opportunities
If you want to do research I can't think of a better place. There are 5 different labs, each focus on some unique aspect of orthopaedic research (stem cell research is one of the more unique labs here). The ORS has accepted something like 70 abstracts from Pitt Ortho the past few years, we get millions in NIH funding, etc. Each orthopaedic class has 8 residents. 4 residents are in a 6 year academic/research track. Those 4 go to the AAOS/ORS in their research year regardless of production status and all have at a minimum a poster presentation. By the end of their year they will go to other subspecialty meetings (all funded) for presentations, get publications, get connected, understand how to write grants, etc. Research means more than churning out papers. Clinical research is also available to all residents. The department will pay for you to go to a meeting if you have a podium presentation.
Residents
We have 40+ residents; we are one of the larger programs. I find each and every one of my co-residents the smartest, funniest, and coolest person I have been blessed to meet, we are all so "tight". Let’s be real. We have a great group and everybody is accomplished and deserves to be here. We have social functions and do things as a group. If you want to meet us please come rotate or interview here.
Lifestyle
Pittsburgh is a medium sized city. It is not NYC, Philly, Boston, or LA. Rock stars and supermodels cannot routinely be found walking the street and most residents don't go clubbing all night long. Pittsburgh does have VERY affordable housing, a low crime rate, and great schools - it is consistently ranked among the nations most livable cities. We have fancy restaurants, opera, symphony, clubs, etc. We get all major and many indie music acts, etc. Pittsburgh is a GREAT sports town, especially for football. Most people from all the big cities are very surprised how much they love Pittsburgh and how much is available when they get here. There are great running/biking trails, some smaller ski resorts are in the area, great white water rafting, and fishing/hunting.
Location / Housing
See above. Most residents own their own houses because it makes financial sense. All hospitals are within the city. Pittsburgh is not hard to get around from a traffic stand point - it's actually very easy.
Limitations
Honestly, from an orthopaedic standpoint very little - no red flags. Dr. Fu and the faculty are very responsive to resident input to make the experience better.
Overall Rotation Experience / Conclusion
Unbeatable. I would come here again in a minute. I can't think of a better place to launch an academic career or be trained to go into private practice. I will stay in touch with many of the faculty and residents long after I leave this place and will always feel indebted to them for giving me the opportunity to train here.
