Sports Medicine Surgery Fellowship

Program Overview
Application Process
Application Requirements
ACGME Additional Requirements
Foreign Medical Graduates
Visa Sponsorship
Interview Selection Criteria
Interview Dates
Contact us

Program Overview

Program Training Director: Jonathan Dickens, MD
Associate Program Director: Brian Lau, MD
Associated faculty: Annunziato “Ned” Amendola, MD; Dean Taylor, MD, Alison Toth, MD; Richard Mather III, MD; Oke Anakwenze, MD, MBA; Jocelyn Wittstein, MD; Tally Lassiter, MD, MHA, Kendall Bradley, MD, Liz Scott, MD

Fellowship Dates: August 1 through July 31
Number of fellows: Four (ACGME accredited)

AOSSM Web Site

The mission of the Duke Sports Medicine Surgery Fellowship is to prepare fellows to be outstanding clinicians and surgeons, dedicated researchers, skilled educators, and effective, ethical leaders in orthopaedic sports medicine.

Clinical Experience

Emphasis will be placed on developing diagnostic skills in treating knee, shoulder, ankle, and other sports injuries. These skills include:

  • Arthroscopic and open intervention
  • Knowledge of the principles and practice of the physiology of human performance as it relates to training
  • Prevention and rehabilitation
  • Daily management of athletic injury
  • Development of knowledge of the scientific basis of injury mechanisms, treatment, and prevention

Fellows will be exposed to complex knee reconstruction, including multi-ligament knee injuries and chondral surgery. The program also emphasizes diagnosing and treating acute and degenerative conditions of the shoulder, including rotator cuff injury, instability, fractures, and arthrosis. Fellows will receive an excellent educational experience in hip preservation and arthroscopy and sports foot and ankle surgery.

The satisfactory completion of the clinical experience requires the following:

  1. Outpatient office experience: Fellows will be expected to rotate with assigned attending at all outpatient office visits that the attending has scheduled, which average two to three times weekly. Fellows will be responsible for evaluating new and returning patients, performing comprehensive physical examinations, ordering and interpreting appropriate radiographic tests, and providing a well-organized and thorough patient assessment and plan. In addition to the history and physical examination fellows, the assessment and plan will be discussed with the attending contemporaneously with the patient’s visit. The examination with the fellow by the attending, will further facilitate the fellow’s education.
  2. Surgical experience: Fellows will rotate with their assigned attending approximately two times weekly for surgical cases. They will receive increasing responsibility under direct supervision in the operating room with fellowship faculty. They will gain comprehensive experience after rotating with each attending.
  3. Training room and event coverage: Fellows must attend the training room clinic approximately two to three times weekly. The training rooms are held at Duke University and North Carolina Central University. The injured athletes will be evaluated under direct supervision and independently over the fellowship year. Fellows will care for athletes of all levels—high school through professional teams—in various training rooms throughout the year. Essential skills, including the team approach to athletic care, will be emphasized, which involves good communication between physicians, trainers, parents, family, and coaches. Team coverage includes opportunities from high school to Division 1 college teams at Duke and NC Central University. Coverage sports include football and basketball during the year; however, each fellow will be assigned an Olympic-style sport based on their particular interest. These include baseball, soccer, lacrosse, field hockey, etc. Home and away game coverage will vary depending on the school and sport. Fellows will work closely with the athletic training staff to triage orthopaedic injuries and provide medical coverage for the athletes at the various levels of competition. Injury clinics will be held on Sundays during the football season in the Fall.
  4. The 80-hour workweek limit will be enforced throughout the year. This usually limits your ability to moonlight. The program director will oversee your work hours per week.

Research Experience

The research experience is divided into both clinical and basic science components. Fellows will be provided, on average, one day per week or two half-days for research. Opportunities exist for clinical, basic science, and translational research. Fellows are expected to complete five manuscripts during the year, with an opportunity for additional research work as desired. There is protected time for research, available funding, and support through research coordinators, medical editors, medical librarians, and statisticians. Fellows can also use world-class facilities such as the Coach K Human Performance Lab.

Fellow research participation will be monitored through monthly research meetings with the sports medicine faculty and the other fellows. At that point, the progress of each clinical and basic science project will be ascertained, criticisms and advice given, and aid in the completion of all projects with the appropriate faculty member facilitated. These meetings occur monthly. In addition, fellows will participate in a weekly Sports Medicine Conference and Human Fresh Tissue Skills Lab. Fellows can customize their cadaveric skills lab experience and utilize this time to help build their teaching and mentoring skills with the residents.

Leadership Experience

Fellows will be given the unique opportunity to apply to the annual John A. Feagin Jr., MD Leadership Program. This year-long curriculum brings together selected members of the medical profession with leadership development opportunities based on core ethical leadership principles. The program culminates in a capstone Feagin Leadership Forum where the Feagin Scholars present their team projects and interact with key leaders from all professions (for example, past speakers have included Coach Mike Krzyzewski, Johnson and Johnson CEO Alex Gorsky, and former Army Surgeon General Eric Schoomaker). Learn more about this program.

With this exceptional leadership experience, you will accumulate a network of mentors and role models to help guide your medical career.

Goals and Objectives

There are several critical educational goals of the Duke Orthopaedic Sports Medicine Fellowship:

  • Obtain a broad knowledge base of medical issues surrounding exercise and athletic competition.
  • Develop skills in evaluating and treating common orthopedic injuries.
  • Experience team physician duties at many levels, from high school to Division 1 College. Experience will often include caring for professional athletes who seek out Duke Sports for their care.
  • Become proficient in standard orthopedic office procedures.
  • Examine and critically evaluate current orthopedic and sports medicine literature.
  • Gain experience in performing, writing, and publishing research.
  • Prepare and participate in weekly sports medicine conferences and attend one to two national orthopaedic conferences.
  • Cultivate leadership skills necessary for future success in medicine.

Application Process

Accepting applications: 2025-2026 (Fall 2023)
Match participation: SF Match (Program #4430)
ACGME program number: 2683631091
Application deadline: November 1

We accept applications through the Central Application Service (CAS), a service provided through SF Match that distributes applications to training programs. Using CAS assures that applications are uniform, complete, and distributed orderly. You must register with the SF Match and pay an additional fee to access CAS. Please refer to SF Match for more information.

Application Requirements

Applicants must apply through the SF Match by completing an online fellowship application form, submitting the program application list, and providing the following documentation.

Submit the following documentation online through the Central Application Service (CAS); for details, refer to the CAS Applicant Instructions.

  • Fellowship Application Form
  • Personal Statement
  • Curriculum vitae
  • Letter of Good Standing
  • Three letters of recommendation:
    • Letters must be on official letterhead and may not be older than six months
  • USMLE/COMLEX (or equivalent) transcript - all three steps; passed within three attempts – NCMB requirement
  • ECFMG Certificate (applicable to international graduates)

ACGME Additional Requirements

To be eligible for ACGME-accredited fellowship training, you must adhere to the following application requirements:

  • You must have completed an ACGME-accredited, ACGME International-accredited, RCPSC-accredited, or CFPC-accredited residency program. Exceptions may apply for exceptionally qualified applicants (institutional GMEC approval is required). For details, refer to the “Fellowship Appointments – Eligibility Criteria” included in the ACGME Common Program requirements.
  • You must provide proof that you have taken and passed all three steps (within three attempts) of appropriate medical licensure examinations (USMLE/COMLEX). The North Carolina Medical Board requires this and is a Duke institutional policy for all graduate medical trainees—whether U.S. or international medical school graduates at the PGY-3 level or higher; as well as, qualify for a resident training license in the state of North Carolina to be eligible for employment at Duke University Hospital.

Foreign Medical Graduates: Additional Requirements

Foreign medical graduates must hold a valid and current ECFMG certificate and meet the above requirements. Your ECFMG Certificate must be valid as of the program's start date. For foreign nationals who are medical graduates of LCME-accredited schools in the U.S., Canada, and Puerto Rico, copies of the diploma will suffice instead of an ECFMG certificate.

Visa Sponsorship

The Department of Orthopaedic Surgery will provide visa sponsorship for a J-1 Clinical House Staff Visa (ECFMG sponsored); which is sufficient for clinical fellowship training for individuals participating in an ACGME accredited fellowship. 

As standard practice, the department does not sponsor an H1-B visa for a couple of reasons; 1) the H1-B isn’t required for accredited fellowship training and 2) the H1-B comes with fees of approximately over $3000 where the division does not have the funding. For extenuating circumstances, applicants that are invited to interview may wish to request an exception to this rule when accepting the offer to interview.

For more visa information, please visit Duke Visa Services.

Interview Selection Criteria

Fellow applicants are selected for an interview based on preparedness, ability, aptitude, academic credentials, communication skills, and personal qualities such as motivation and integrity. In particular, we consider:

  • Educational accomplishments
  • Letters of Recommendation
  • Experience
  • Research

Important intangibles that are fundamental to the selection process include:

  • Leadership
  • Work ethic
  • Communication skills
  • Enthusiasm

Additional attributes that our committee considers:

  • Determination
  • Strength of character
  • Overcoming obstacles

Fellow applicants are selected for appointment to our program based on their interview and review of the above-listed criteria.

Interview Dates

For interview date(s), please refer to "Fellowship Progams At-A-Glance" => Click Here.

Interviews are extended to applicants either late Fall or early Winter for interviews occuring in the preceding Winter months.

Contact us

Cheryl DePaolis, Fellowship Program Coordinator

Wendy Thompson, C-TAGME, Senior Program Coordinator, Medical Student Sub-Internship and Residency Training

Tyranicia Green, Program Coordinator, Residency Training and CME Associate for Orthopaedics