Orthopedic Surgery Research Opportunities for Medical Students & Trainees | NYU Langone Health

Skip to Main Content
Department of Orthopedic Surgery Education Orthopedic Surgery Research Opportunities for Medical Students & Trainees

Orthopedic Surgery Research Opportunities for Medical Students & Trainees

The Department of Orthopedic Surgery at NYU Langone provides many opportunities to become involved in musculoskeletal research, offering programs for college graduates, medical students, and PhD candidates. Programs include hands-on clinical research and intensive laboratory work.

Postgraduate Orthopedic Research Opportunities

We offer postgraduate research opportunities with the following divisions in our department:

Division of Adult Reconstructive Surgery

The Division of Adult Reconstructive Surgery offers a two-year research opportunity for medical school graduates and a one-year research opportunity for current medical school students interested in pursuing orthopedic clinical research.

Students work closely with Ran Schwarzkopf, MD, and William Macaulay, MD. You also benefit from interactions with additional faculty from the division, residents and fellows from the department, and statisticians and other research staff in hospital, clinical, and laboratory settings. Student research projects are completed with guidance from attending physician mentors.

As part of the clinical research data collection experience, you develop skills in patient interactions, learn and improve on the physical exam, and observe orthopedic surgical procedures. You have the opportunity to accompany the adult reconstructive surgery team during morning rounds, listen to experts speak about current research during weekly grand rounds, and become an important member of the NYU Langone research community. There are also opportunities to pursue a certificate or degree in comparative effectiveness research in NYU Langone’s Department of Population Health.

If you have questions, including about how to apply, please contact Daniel Waren, MSPH, CCRC, program administrator, at daniel.waren@nyulangone.org.

Division of Shoulder and Elbow Surgery

The Division of Shoulder and Elbow Surgery invites college graduates and medical students to apply for a one- to two-year research opportunity in the clinical sciences. Selected candidates are mentored by Ramesh H. Gidumal, MD; Young W. Kwon, MD, PhD; Andrew S. Rokito, MD; Mandeep S. Virk, MD; and Joseph D. Zuckerman, MD. We emphasize the importance of the basic principles that form the foundation for orthopedic scientific investigation. This opportunity is ideal for candidates with an interest in the field of orthopedic surgery who wish to strengthen their applications for programs or positions in a health-related field.

Participants gain the ability to develop a hypothesis; conduct a review of literature; compose a research protocol and institutional review board application; compile, organize, and analyze data and prepare results for submission for academic publication or presentation; and become familiar with grant writing and the grant application process. This position also involves management of our shoulder and elbow database, in which we compile inpatient and outpatient data on shoulder procedures performed by the division since 2010.

In addition, you may work closely with our faculty in both the clinic and the operating room. These experiences help develop and polish patient interactions and physical examination skills while providing exposure to a wide variety of surgical techniques. You also attend grand rounds, resident didactics, and a journal club.

To apply, please submit a cover letter detailing your interests, a CV with your U.S. Medical Licensing Exam (USMLE) scores, and your photograph to Dr. Rokito, division chief, at shoulderelbowresearch@nyulangone.org.

Division of Spine Surgery

The Spine Research Center in the Division of Spine Surgery offers highly motivated individuals the opportunity to work as part of a large research team and develop skills in database construction, radiographic analysis, statistical analysis, and writing abstracts and journal articles. The position is ideal for candidates wishing to submit an application for an orthopedic surgery residency.

Investigators at the center undertake biomechanical, clinical, and outcomes-based research in adult and pediatric spinal deformity, minimally invasive surgery, and degenerative cervical and lumbar spinal disorders. The center is a member of two major multicenter study groups: the International Spine Study Group and the Harms Study Group.

Research opportunities are available to medical students, postgraduates, and master’s degree candidates. Research positions are offered on a one-year basis, from June to June each year. Summer research programs are also available to medical and premedical students, by special request.

Aaron J. Buckland, MD, leads the Spine Research Center. Information regarding research opportunities and applications should be directed to Dr. Buckland at aaron.buckland@nyulangone.org.

Division of Sports Medicine

The Division of Sports Medicine invites third- and fourth-year medical students or medical school graduates to apply for a one- or two-year clinical research position in orthopedic sports medicine.

This is an excellent opportunity for a highly motivated individual to strengthen an application for the orthopedic surgery residency match. Because you are expected to work on numerous projects with several investigators, it is paramount that you possess excellent organizational and communication skills.

Your responsibilities and daily activities include learning how to develop a research hypothesis and conduct a review of the literature, prepare a research protocol, and understand the steps involved in submitting applications to an institutional review board. Opportunities exist for patient interactions and honing clinical examination skills; exposure to hospital, clinical, and research settings; observing surgeries in the operating room; observing and practicing surgical techniques in the Surgical Skills Lab at NYU Langone Orthopedic Hospital; collecting, organizing, and analyzing clinical research data; and preparing the results for submission for academic publication and presentation to peers.

In addition, you have the chance to audit courses related to clinical research duties and data analysis skills at NYU Grossman School of Medicine. Interested individuals should contact the current research coordinator at hjdsports@gmail.com with any questions.

Division of Trauma and Fracture Surgery

The Division of Trauma and Fracture Surgery offers several opportunities to recent college graduates and medical students interested in devoting one year of education to orthopedic clinical research.

As a participant in this program, you work closely with our faculty and orthopedic surgery residents, statisticians, and other research staff in hospital, clinical, and lab settings. The program hones your ability to develop a hypothesis, conduct a review of the literature, and develop a research protocol. Mentored by attending physicians, you submit the protocols to the institutional review board for review and ultimately have the opportunity to follow your projects to fruition once they have been approved.

As part of the clinical research data collection experience, you develop skills in patient interaction, learn and improve on physical exam maneuvers, and observe trauma surgeries. Upon completion of data collection, you have the opportunity to organize, analyze, and prepare the data for submission to academic journals for publication and presentation to peers. We also encourage you to take advantage of courses offered through NYU Grossman School of Medicine to further your ability to manipulate and organize data.

Students participating in this program have the opportunity to accompany the orthopedic surgery team during morning rounds, listen to experts speak about current research during weekly grand rounds, and become key members of the research community. You gain a strong understanding of clinical research as well as of the complex nature of patient care. Interested individuals should contact Kenneth A. Egol, MD, division chief, at kenneth.egol@nyulangone.org.