Through the Hansjörg Wyss Department of Plastic Surgery’s Hand Surgery Fellowship, we cultivate a new generation of innovative hand surgeons who are experts in the management of the full range of hand anomalies, injuries, and infirmities. Our fellows are passionate about providing our patients with the best care possible.

Jonathan L. Bass, MD, program director, strives to provide a rich learning environment in which you can fine-tune your diagnostic skills; formulate treatment plans; and explore, evaluate, and execute new approaches to hand surgery. Microsurgical techniques are integral to this program.

Following training guidelines established by the American Society for Surgery of the Hand, our program prepares you to serve patients with hand diseases and injuries and congenital anomalies in the most ethical manner possible.

Clinical Training

As a fellow, the level of acute trauma experience you acquire is unmatched. At NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue, you rotate on the hand replantation team. Primary and secondary reconstructive cases arising from rheumatoid arthritis, degenerative joint disease, tumors, Dupuytren’s contracture, and congenital deformities come from a large multistate referral base.

At NYU Langone’s Tisch Hospital and Kimmel Pavilion, reconstructive cases are often elective. Fellows have opportunities to develop their clinical acumen, hone systematic diagnostic skills, formulate innovative approaches to care, manage complex treatment programs, and master the art of creative problem solving.

Additional training at NYU Langone Hospital—Brooklyn covers the gambit of upper extremity care as well as complex distal radius, hand trauma, and elective hand surgery. This hospital is also certified as a Level 1 Trauma Center, where you may perform traumatic brachial plexus explorations and have the opportunity to participate in lower extremity reconstruction. Furthermore, this is the main center for our amputation care team, where patients are treated for residual limb and phantom limb pain with advanced nerve techniques. 

As part of our comprehensive, team approach to caring for the hand, our fellows participate in preoperative evaluations, including electrodiagnostic testing, and provide postoperative care in collaboration with occupational therapists, hand therapists, and upper and lower extremity prosthetists. Fellows also provide follow-up care in the clinic.

Your teaching responsibilities include helping residents in the operating room and on the wards. You also have the opportunity to participate in a rotation with the Division of Hand Surgery, a part of the Department of Orthopedic Surgery.

Didactic Training

Fellows participate in journal clubs, meetings, clinics, conferences, teaching rounds, and other activities, such as an academic program run by the New York Society for Surgery of the Hand. In addition, you attend a weekly combined conference with the Department of Orthopedic Surgery and a separate hand conference at Bellevue Hand Conference.

You are invited to attend grand rounds and resident educational conferences. Fellows also assist residents in presenting cases from the week during morning indication conferences.

Research Activities

We strongly encourage you to pursue your clinical science research interests while you are a fellow and to present your findings at national and international meetings.

Educational laboratory facilities are available to explore techniques in a variety of fields from fracture care to microsurgery. We have monthly cadaver labs that are open for surgical and scientific research.

Length of Training

Appointments are for 12 months, from July 1 through June 30 of the next year.

Acceptance Requirements

The program is accredited to train two fellows each year. Candidates for the fellowship must first complete plastic, general, or orthopedic surgery training in an accredited program in the United States or have had comparable training and experience in an international medical center. We should receive your application no later than 12 months before the start of the fellowship.

Application Process

Applicants must submit the American Society for Surgery of the Hand common application through the organization’s website. All applications need to be submitted by February 1.

Applicants are required to file with the National Residency Matching Program (NRMP).

State Licensure Requirements

Candidates must have a New York license or limited permit. International graduates must have an Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG) certificate.

Contact Us

For program information, please contact Tabbatha Cooke, fellowship coordinator, at Tabbatha.Cooke@NYULangone.org or 646-501-6784.

Hand Surgery Fellowship Faculty Members

In addition to Dr. Bass, other fellowship faculty members include the following:

Hand Surgery Fellows

Our hand surgery fellows are an important part of our team. Meet our current and past fellows.