Our program encompasses the entire spectrum of clinical orthopaedic problems. Our program consists of 30 orthopaedic residents, receiving five years of post-graduate education training, which fulfills the training requirements for the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery.

Residency training is conducted across three clinical campuses. UAB’s University Hospital is the region’s largest level-one trauma center with a catchment area spanning five states. This large referral base ensures comprehensive exposure to a variety of musculoskeletal trauma.

Children’s Hospital of Alabama is the only state-verified pediatric level-one trauma center in the state. Residents rotating through Children’s Hospital have abundant exposure to both elective pediatric orthopaedics and pediatric trauma.

Our affiliations with the Andrews Sports Medicine and Orthopaedic Center and the athletic teams at UAB, as well as local high schools, allow residents the opportunity to treat patients, from weekend warriors to elite division-one and professional athletes.

Overview

Rotation Schedule

Training Centers

Training in orthopaedic surgery is provided at University Hospital, UAB Highlands, the Veterans’ Administration Hospital, Children's of Alabama and the American Sports Medicine Institute. These hospitals provided an average daily orthopaedic census of 90 patients and account for 4,000 operative procedures each year. Outpatient visits relating to orthopaedics at these hospitals total over 60,000 including 10,000 emergency room visits.

Faculty

UAB faculty members not only care for patients in their clinical practices, they are committed to educating medical students, residents and fellows and enhancing medical knowledge. Many of our faculty members are highly regarded in the orthopaedic field due to their research, published materials and extensive lecturing. At UAB, you will have direct and continuous access to these faculty members throughout your training. Some will become your mentors and advisors throughout your education. You will be encouraged to sit in and learn from renowned visiting professors and researchers as they give presentations throughout the year. Learn more about our faculty.

Research

In keeping with our mission of advancing orthopaedic care through quality research, our residents have unrivaled opportunities for research activity. Though our program only requires the completion of one scholarly project prior to graduation, the majority of residents have several publications and national presentations under their belts prior to graduation.

To facilitate resident research projects, full-time research fellows are available. These fellows assist with the IRB process, data gathering, and manuscript writing. Residents have created original basic science projects, developed protocols for prospective trials, and contribute book chapters and review articles. As part of a large academic center, several opportunities are available for collaboration on research projects. Common collaborators include the UAB School of Public Health, the Department of Biomedical Engineering, and the Center for Exercise Medicine.

Salary and Benefits

For information on salary by post-graduate year as well as benefits available to UAB residents, please visit the UAB Heersink School of Medicine resident site.

Contact

Program Director: Michael D. Johnson, M.D. 

Associate Program Director: Lisa Kafchinski, M.D.

Surgical Skills Director: Philip Ashley, M.D.

UAB Orthopaedic Specialties Building

1313 13th St.
Birmingham, AL 35205-5327

Email the program anytime at ortho_residency@uabmc.edu.