The University of Louisville Department of Orthopaedic Surgery residency program is a 5 year program that revolves around a vibrant medical community in downtown Louisville, KY. We offer a well-rounded exposure to all subspecialties of orthopaedics, a strong educational curriculum, and a vast surgical experience. Residents have graduated responsibility with a broad and early operative experience and robust surgical volume at an Academic Level I Trauma Center. In addition to our stable and committed full time University faculty, we have numerous gratis clinical faculty who are dedicated to postgraduate medical education and offer our residents significant exposure to operative and non-operative subspecialty orthopaedics in a private practice setting.

First and foremost, orthopaedic residents help care for the more than 3,000 trauma admissions annually; providing complex fracture care as part of the regions only Level 1 Trauma Center at University Hospital. Residents also spend time at the Norton Leatherman Spine Center, a nationally renowned center that attracts patients from around the region and country, giving residents a chance to experience both basic and extraordinarily complex pathology. The final downtown tertiary referral center is Norton Children’s Hospital which now boasts 4 fellowship trained orthopaedic surgeons. All within three blocks of each other, these centers of excellence deliver hands on education and unique pathologies on a daily basis.

Outside of downtown, residents do spend some time at several community hospitals and private practices with a variety of fellowship trained physicians to learn both basic and complex foot and ankle surgery, reconstruction, arm and hand surgery, arthroscopy, and joint preservation techniques. Working one on one with local physicians, education and technical skills are emphasized.

At the University of Louisville, education is a top priority and protected time for grand rounds, block conference, fracture conference, basic science review, OITE review, arthroscopy skills development, and fresh tissue dissection is provided to residents. This ensures that residents graduate with both the technical skills and orthopaedic knowledge to succeed in fellowship and beyond.

Fresh Tissue Dissection Laboratory

A great asset for all at the University of Louisville, the nationally recognized Fresh Tissue Dissection Laboratory provides students, residents, fellows, and faculty fresh tissue specimens for a variety of educational and research purposes. Developed by Dr. Robert Acland and now under the direction of Dr. Nicole Herring, the laboratory continues to remain dedicated to teaching anatomy, training surgeons, and promoting research within all surgical fields. The University of Louisville Department of Orthopaedic faculty and residents alike utilize the lab both day and night to learn and relearn essential anatomical relationships, perfect surgical approaches and pioneer new surgical techniques.

Microsurgery Course

Developed by University of Louisville anatomist and microsurgery pioneer Dr Robert Acland and now taught by Dr Gustavo Perez-Abadia, the Microsurgical Techniques course is provided to all residents. This intensive 5 day course begins with microsurgical principles and includes arterial and venous end to end anastomoses, end to side anastomoses, and interpositional grafts. Although designed to teach students with no prior microsurgical experience, physicians and fellows from around the world use this course to develop or perfect their microsurgical skills.