Hand Surgery Fellowship

Overview

Mass General Brigham's Department of Orthopedics has two Hand Surgery Fellowships - one at Brigham & Women’s Hospital and one at Massachusetts General Hospital. In the future, this fellowship will be integrated into one Mass General Brigham Hand Surgery Fellowship, but in the meantime, the programs are separate.

After reviewing the website below, if you have any questions, you can reach out to our Program Coordinators at each hospital:

• Brigham & Women’s: Nancy Alessi (nalessi@bwh.harvard.edu or 617-732-9551])
• Mass Genera: Francesca Viazzoli (fviazzoli@mgh.harvard.edu or 617-724-8801)

The Hand Surgery Fellowships at Mass General and Brigham & Women’s provide a broad exposure from the shoulder to the fingertip. They are designed to provide a comprehensive experience in hand surgery and to prepare our fellows for independent practice at the completion of their training. Our fellowships afford a substantial amount of clinical responsibility and autonomy while also emphasizing the benefits of senior mentorship and teaching. Throughout the year, fellows are given the opportunity to manage myriad clinical problems under the direction of our faculty and to pursue academic endeavors such as clinical and basic science research. Our program is intended to attract mature, motivated surgical trainees who are interested in becoming leaders in hand surgery.

Our strengths are high case volume and a comprehensive exposure to all aspects of elective, acute, and reconstructive hand surgery. We offer ample research opportunities and provide integration with our Orthopaedic Surgery, Plastic Surgery and Occupational Therapy Departments.

MGH

We offer four fellowship positions: two for surgeons trained in orthopedic surgery and two for surgeons trained in plastic surgery. We believe that this provides a rich and diverse educational experience for our fellows.

BWH

Four positions are offered in two tracks; three positions are for orthopedics-trained applicants and one for a plastic surgery-trained applicant. The fellowship is oriented toward those wishing to make a significant commitment to treatment of problems of the hand and upper extremity.

Curriculum

Graduated responsibility is a key element of training. Beyond direct mentorship, fellows have an independent clinic for care of their own patients on Friday afternoons. Fellows are responsible for decision-making and the execution of treatment. Fellows have attending privileges and admit patients to their service. After an initial training period, fellows perform operative cases independently with attending back-up whenever needed. There is tremendous development and maturation that comes with progressive autonomy. Fellows take home call 1:3. The role of the fellow during call is to direct patient care in coordination with an in-house resident. Fellows also communicate with attending surgeons to ensure proper delivery of care, especially for complex injuries. By the end of the year, fellows can perform some replantation and revascularization independently and develop a high level of proficiency in the surgical treatment complex hand trauma. A special part of the fellowship is working with other fellows. Fellows clinic is on Friday afternoons where a great sense of camaraderie is developed while thinking about clinical problems together. These unique settings have created lifetime bonds among our alumni.

We aim to teach the philosophy and principles of hand surgery and ultimately develop the basis for lifelong learning There are structured didactics every morning that are each led by an attending. On Tuesday is the Weekly Conference where the hand service as a whole, meets and discusses complex cases, debates controversial topics, or reviews interesting surgeries from the past week. Lectures are intended to give a comprehensive view of hand surgery fundamentals, advanced topics, soft tissue reconstruction, and practice management.

Research Experience

We have a dynamic research environment. Fellows can engage in various opportunities throughout their year.

Our research group has several arms:

• Clinical outcomes in hand surgery
• Nerve injuries and targeted muscle reinnervation,
• Advanced imaging
• Kinematics
• Composite tissue transplantation

Infrastructure

Our research infrastructure helps facilitate our efficiency. We have a set of global IRBs intended for low-risk studies that evaluate straightforward outcomes. We have a great research team consisting of our research coordinator, PhD students, visiting physicians, and medical students who come from around the world.

International Collaboration

We have several ongoing collaborations including Osaka University, University of Texas at Austin, the University of Michigan, and several centers in Europe and South America.

Fellow Expectations

Fellows will engage in a project during their academic year to learn research methods as well as gain insight into critically reading the literature. Their work is presented in May at the Richard J Smith Memorial Lectureship.

How to Apply

MGH and BWH

Both programs participate in the National Residency Matching Program (NRMP). Please complete the ASSH Online Hand Fellowship Application in order to apply. One of your three letters of recommendation should be from the Chief of Service under whom you are currently training. Please note: We do not accept candidates who have completed a general surgery residency only.

Application Deadline:
November 15, 2026.

Interview Dates:
Winter 2027, dates to be determined.

If you have any questions or need further information about the application process, contact Fellowship Coordinator Nancy Alessi