Contact Us

Senior Program Manager, Division of Education
Zusel Matos, MHSA
Phone: 305-585-1280
Email: [email protected]

Application Information

Eligibility:
The Hand Surgery (Plastic Surgery) Fellowship Program match is managed by the National Resident Matching Program; however, all applications are received through the American Society for Surgery of the Hand Fellowship System. This application platform is not connected in any way with the NRMP. Candidates need to separately register for the match and create a match list with the NRMP.

How to Apply:
Applications are accepted via the American Society for Surgery of the Hand Fellowship System.

Deadline:
Please refer to ASSH dates/timelines for application open dates. Interviews are conducted from January to March.

Call Schedule

Each fellow will take home call one week per month.

Locations

Jackson Memorial Hospital

1611 N.W. 12th Avenue

Miami, FL 33136

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Bruce W. Carter Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center

1201 N.W. 16th Street

Miami, FL 33125

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Nicklaus Children’s Hospital

3100 S.W. 62nd Avenue

Miami, FL 33155

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UHealth Tower

1400 N.W. 12th Avenue

Miami, FL 33136

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Program Requirements

Medical Licensing Examination:
All applicants must successfully complete United States Medical Licensing Examination Steps 1, 2 and 3 or all steps of the Comprehensive Medical Licensing Examination prior to the start of the program.

Postgraduate Training:
There is postgraduate training required in the form of an MD or DO degree from an institution accredited by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education or the American Osteopathic Association.

All required clinical education must be completed in an ACGME-accredited residency program, or in a residency program accredited by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada or College of Family Physicians of Canada. Prerequisite education must be completed in a general surgery, orthopaedic surgery or plastic surgery program that must be accredited by the ACGME or RCPSC.

Visas

The J1-Visa: Alien Physician Program, sponsored by the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates, is the standard visa for residents/fellows who are not U.S. citizens or permanent residents.

For specific program eligibility/qualifications or additional information, please contact:

Lourdes Boet
Hospital Services Supervisor
Physician Services Department

Jackson Health System
1611 N.W. 12 Ave. ACC West L101
Miami, FL 33136-1122
Phone: 305-355-1122
Fax: 305-355-1123
Email: [email protected]

Hand Surgery (Plastic Surgery) Fellowship

Mission & Vision

The mission of our Hand Surgery (Plastic Surgery) Fellowship is for fellows to master the clinical knowledge of diagnosis and treatment methods in hand surgery. Our goal is for fellows to be competent in the knowledge and practice of hand surgery, to carry out this practice in a professional and ethical manner, to develop skills for continuing and self-reflective education in the field of hand surgery and to understand hand surgery in the context of the healthcare system in which they will practice.

Program History & Goal

The Plastic Hand Surgery fellowship at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine/Jackson Memorial Hospital has been running for 14 years and graduated a total of 24 fellows and counting. Thus far, our fellowship proudly boasts a 100% pass rate for alumni on the Hand Surgery Examination (HSE). Our goal is to train the next generation of surgeons who practice the full spectrum of hand surgery including both elective and traumatic hand/wrist pathology, complex peripheral nerve, microvascular reconstruction, and soft tissue coverage of the upper extremity.

Mission & Vision

The mission of our Hand Surgery (Plastic Surgery) Fellowship is for fellows to master the clinical knowledge of diagnosis and treatment methods in hand surgery. Our goal is for fellows to be competent in the knowledge and practice of hand surgery, to carry out this practice in a professional and ethical manner, to develop skills for continuing and self-reflective education in the field of hand surgery and to understand hand surgery in the context of the healthcare system in which they will practice.

Program History & Goal

The Plastic Hand Surgery fellowship at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine/Jackson Memorial Hospital has been running for 14 years and graduated a total of 24 fellows and counting. Thus far, our fellowship proudly boasts a 100% pass rate for alumni on the Hand Surgery Examination (HSE). Our goal is to train the next generation of surgeons who practice the full spectrum of hand surgery including both elective and traumatic hand/wrist pathology, complex peripheral nerve, microvascular reconstruction, and soft tissue coverage of the upper extremity.

Program Director’s Welcome

Jackson Memorial Hospital, in affiliation with the University of Miami Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine, Division of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery, provides the highest quality, cost-effective, patient-centric care.

Program Director’s Welcome

Jackson Memorial Hospital, in affiliation with the University of Miami Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine, Division of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery, provides the highest quality, cost-effective, patient-centric care.

Headshot of Zubin J. Panthaki, MD

In line with this principle of providing top-notch and accessible services, the University of Miami/Jackson Health System Hand Surgery (Plastic Surgery) Fellowship offers a personalized and unparalleled experience for our fellows. Fellows will be exposed to skeletal and soft tissue aspects of adult and pediatric hand surgery, including microsurgery, peripheral nerve pathology, wrist reconstruction, arthroscopy and minimally invasive techniques. Fellows also have a multitude of educational and research opportunities to supplement their experience. This is accomplished in an academic setting where our faculty provides a perfect balance of supervision and autonomy as to optimize both patient safety and the finest learning.

-Zubin J. Panthaki, MD, CM, FACS

Fast Facts

Accreditation

Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education

Number of Fellows per Year?

2

Duration of Fellowship?

1 year

Training Sites

One campus, 5 sites (Miami VA hospital, University of Miami Hospital system, Jackson Memorial Hospital, Private Orthopedic Hand Practice, Sylvester Cancer Center)

Program Highlights

1-month dedicated Pediatric Hand Rotation at Nicklaus Children’s Hospital

950 +/- cases annually

Dedicated site for outpatient orthopedic hand experience (sports medicine, arthritis, spasticity)

Plethora of cases including upper and lower extremity free flap reconstruction, Brachial plexus reconstruction, lymphatic reconstruction

Monthly multidisciplinary peripheral nerve conference

Weekly Hand core didactics

Access to weekly Plastic Surgery Grand Rounds lectures, multiple internationally renowned visiting professors, cadaver labs

Program Highlights

1-month dedicated Pediatric Hand Rotation at Nicklaus Children’s Hospital

950 +/- cases annually

Dedicated site for outpatient orthopedic hand experience (sports medicine, arthritis, spasticity)

Plethora of cases including upper and lower extremity free flap reconstruction, Brachial plexus reconstruction, lymphatic reconstruction

Monthly multidisciplinary peripheral nerve conference

Weekly Hand core didactics

Access to weekly Plastic Surgery Grand Rounds lectures, multiple internationally renowned visiting professors, cadaver labs

Clinical Experience

Year 1

This one-year fellowship emphasizes staged complex reconstruction of the upper extremity. The majority of the experiences are acquired at the Bruce W. Carter Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center (Nationally top 10 rated surgically efficient VA hospital where free flap cases are performed regularly) with some simultaneous private practice exposure at UHealth Tower, a University of Miami Hospital and Clinics Facility, and complex reconstruction at Jackson Memorial Hospital, our local safety net Level 1 trauma hospital. Our emphasis during this nine-to-10-month rotation is on musculoskeletal fixation from the distal radius to the fingertip and soft tissue work from the elbow to the fingertip. One month of further exposure is obtained on the orthopedic hand service where fellows are exposed to high level trauma and infection cases. One month is spent at Nicklaus Children’s Hospital with exposure to pediatric hand surgery. There is further flexibility within the weekly schedule to facilitate rotating with our affiliated private practice Orthopedic faculty Dr. Gellman, brachial plexus reconstruction, extremity microvascular surgery as cases come up throughout the year.

Assigned Rotations

Hand Rotation (VA Medical Center) – 10 months

Orthopaedic Hand Service (UHealth Tower) – 1 month

Pediatrics (Nicklaus Children’s Hospital) – 1 month

Additional fellowship experiences include, but are not limited to:
Upper and Lower Extremity flap reconstruction
Lymphatic Supermicrovascular reconstruction
Brachial plexus reconstruction
Peripheral nerve reconstruction (Targeted muscle reinnervation, Regenerative Peripheral Nerve Interface, Nerve Transfers, Neuroma Management of both upper and lower extremity)
Core Plastic Surgery Reconstruction
Access to Plastic Surgery Divisional Research Resources
Affiliated Biomaterials and 3D printing lab
Affiliated Clinical research fellow and numerous ongoing projects
Access to Faculty Mentorship

Your Faculty

Core Faculty

Zubin Panthaki, MD

Clinical Professor of Plastic and Orthopedic Surgery
Hand Fellowship Program Director
Miami VA Hand Division Chief
Clinical Interest: Full Spectrum Hand and Wrist Surgery

Kashyap K. Tadisina, MD

Assistant Professor
Director of Clinical Research
Clinical Interest: Hand Surgery, Peripheral Nerve Reconstruction

Kyle Y. Xu, MD

Assistant Professor
Director Lymphatic Center of Excellence:
Clinical Interest: Hand Surgery, Complex Microvascular Surgery, Lymphatic Supermicrosurgery

Harris Gellman, MD

Orthopedic Hand Surgery
Former Hand Division Chief
Private Practice

Adjunct Orthopedic Hand Faculty

David Chen, MD

Seth Dodds, MD

Natalia Fullerton, MD

Helen Hui Chou, MD

Patrick Owens, MD

Adjunct Plastic Surgery Faculty

Sara J. Danker, MD

Wrood Kassira, MD

Juan R. Mella-Catinchi, MD, MPH

John C. Oeltjen, MD, PhD

Devinder Singh, MD

Seth R. Thaller, MD, DMD

Lauren M. Yarholar, MD

Alumni Placements

Our alumni have gone on to practice in a variety of locations in the country performing a variety of hand, orthopedic, reconstructive, and plastic surgery practices.

Alumni Placements

Our alumni have gone on to practice in a variety of locations in the country performing a variety of hand, orthopedic, reconstructive, and plastic surgery practices.