Orthopaedic Surgery
Pediatric Orthopaedics

Pediatric Orthopaedic Fellowship

The Pediatric Orthopaedic Surgery Fellowship Program at Cincinnati Children’s is a one-year program in which fellows learn technical pearls and treatment tips from experts in the field with high-volume caseloads in sub-specialized areas of Pediatric Orthopaedic Surgery.

This program is accredited by both the American College of Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) and the Pediatric Orthopaedic Society of North America (POSNA), which attests to the standards met to ensure a high-quality training experience. Three fellows are accepted each year, and the program fosters a congenial atmosphere, in which fellows develop close bonds with each other that continue to serve as part of their support network throughout their careers.

The curriculum starts with a semi-structured approach designed to ensure each fellow graduates with the confidence to start their independent practice. Nevertheless, the curriculum allows some flexibility and elective time for fellows to pursue their own subspecialty interests. 

The fellowship program is under the leadership of Alvin C. Jones, MD, MS, who is an alumnus that graduated in 2016. He returned to Cincinnati Children’s in 2022 and in 2024 took on the role of Fellowship Director. He prioritizes this responsibility and is dedicated to creating an optimal learning environment for all fellows that enter this program.  

Dr. Jones specializes in pediatric spinal deformity and adolescent back pain. Fellows rotating with Dr. Jones learn how to evaluate and treat several spine and back pain disorders. In addition to these technical skills, Dr. Jones also enjoys conversations about the soft skills that fellows need to work effectively with patients, families, staff, and surgical teams.

In order to develop appropriate evidence-based treatment plans, clinical fellows are expected to:

  • Extensively research the literature (reading assignments or recommended reading)
  • Prepare a comprehensive preoperative evaluation / plan
  • Conduct intraoperative management or outline fully the intended surgical procedures with which they will be involved
  • Follow-up with post-operative care and monitoring (including writing orders as required)
  • Interact with patients and families before, during and after treatment

Through this process fellows not only increase their pediatric orthopaedic intelligence quotient, but also their ability to ask faculty members appropriate-level questions that reflect true understanding of both the technical and cognitive aspects of pediatric orthopaedic surgery.

The clinical fellow is expected to make rounds on orthopaedic inpatients whose surgery he was involved with or patients under the care of the assigned service. This provides invaluable education in the post-op care of pediatric orthopaedic patients. The ability to appropriately recognize and treat post-operative complications is also acquired through interaction with inpatients and discussion with faculty members. Fellows also participate in formal teaching rounds and ask appropriate questions of faculty members so as to solidify key concepts.
Clinical fellows are expected to progressively increase their ability to independently assess pediatric orthopaedic patients and formulate treatment plans in the outpatient setting. This process begins with fellows observing and learning from the respective faculty members. It progresses toward the fellow performing independent patient evaluations, synthesizing pertinent information and formulating a treatment plan that is confirmed or only modified slightly by faculty members.
Although trauma is not the focus of this fellowship, we realize the Clinical Fellow will experience trauma cases in her practice (either private or in a hospital affiliation). We have developed a short trauma rotation whereby the fellow can work with the on-call attending and have access to cases that come through the ED. This provides the fellow with invaluable experience.

Clinical fellows rotate for a three-month period. Clinical exposure to the other full-time faculty and other part-time faculty members is available and encouraged. Fellow work hours are consistent with ACGME 80-hour work week requirements. GME policies and procedures are readily available online for any fellow to review at all locations; a duty-hour hotline is available within the hospital for reporting violations.

Download a copy of the Sample Fellow Block Rotation. 

Pediatric Orthopaedic Fellows are required to provide the chief resident backup call one weekend a month (After 5 pm Friday / Saturday / Sunday / Monday to 6 am) and during the chief’s vacation and outdates (which occur quarterly) per ACGME requirements.
  • Running the list with the residents each morning at 5:45 am to assign tasks for each patient, to the floor man, and to CNS and PNP.
  • Each resident conducts rounds on the patients on his service and reports back to the group. If a resident has a particular concern about a patient, the fellow and resident should see that patient together and try to solve the problem.
  • Review all X-rays of patients admitted the night before with the residents. Review X-rays of patients not admitted who had difficult or questionable reductions in the emergency department.
  • On weekends, the fellow and residents on call round as a group on all of the patients. The fellow must be available to come in at any time to assist in the ED or OR. The ortho chief assigns residents to do the weekly statistics during his absence and makes a cross-cover schedule for the residents prior to leaving.

Currently, the rotating residents are assigned on-call duties and the chief is their backup in case of an emergency. Since the fellow has chief backup, he will be exposed to some trauma that comes in during his backup weekend.
 

Moonlighting may be permitted during this fellowship, but it counts in the 80 hour rule. Refer to GME Policy and Procedure 14.0 Off Duty Work ‘Moonlighting’ for Residents. Fellows with Ohio License may be the exception with Program Director’s approval. 

Peter Sturm, MD, MBA
Director, Pediatric Orthopaedic Fellowship
Director, Crawford Spine Center
Alvin H. Crawford Chair of Spine Surgery
Professor, UC Department of Orthopaedic Surgery
Specialties: Spine deformity, scoliosis, early onset scoliosis and pediatric orthopaedics

James J. McCarthy, MD, MHCM
Director, Division of Pediatric Orthopaedics
Medical Director, Motion Analysis Laboratory
Co-Director, Limb Lengthening and Reconstruction Center
Alvin Crawford Chair in Pediatric Orthopaedics
Professor, UC Department of Orthopaedic Surgery
Specialties: Cerebral Palsy including motion analysis and scoliosis; limb deformity correction; hip disorders including hip preservation.

Wendy Ramalingham, MD
Co-Director, Limb Lengthening and Reconstruction Center 
Pediatric Orthopaedic Surgeon, Division of Orthopaedic Surgery
Assistant Professor, UC Department of Orthopaedic Surgery Specialties: Pediatric orthopaedic trauma surgery; lower extremity limb deformity; skeletal dysplasias; osteogenesis imperfecta; developmental dysplasia of the hip; club foot treatment

Junichi Tamai, MD
Co-Director, Hip Preservation Center
Director, Physician Assistant Program, Division of Pediatric Orthopaedics;
Associate Professor, UC Department of Orthopaedic Surgery
Specialties: Orthopaedic Surgery, Legg-Calve-Perthes, Spina Bifida, Hip Preservation, Colorectal Disorders

Patrick W. Whitlock, MD, PhD
Co-Director, Hip Preservation Center
Orthopaedic Surgeon, Division of Pediatric Orthopaedics 
Associate Professor, UC Department of Orthopaedic Surgery
Specialties: Hip preservation; SCFE; developmental dysplasia of the hip; Legg-Calves-Perthes disease; femoro-acetabular impingement

Viral V. Jain, MD
Pediatric Spine Surgeon, Division of Pediatric Orthopaedics
Spine Surgeon, Crawford Spine Center
Associate professor, UC Department of Orthopaedic Surgery
Specialties: Orthopaedic Surgery, Neuromuscular Disorders, Limb Lengthening and Reconstruction, Spine

Shital N. Parikh, MD, FACS
Co-Director, Orthopaedic Sports Center, Division of Pediatric Orthopaedics
Professor, UC Department of Orthopaedic Surgery
Specialties: Management of complex patellar instability; pediatric ACL tears; shoulder instability; arthroscopic joint surgery; hip arthroscopy; ankle arthroscopy; pediatric trauma

Eric J. Wall, MD
Director, Orthopaedic Sports Medicine
Professor, UC Department of Surgery
Specialties: Endoscopic non-fusion scoliosis correction with guided growth; sports growth plate arrest overuse syndromes; patella dislocations; anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction in patients with open growth plates; osteochondritis dissecans treatment

Roger Cornwall, MD
Pediatric Hand Surgeon
Clinical Director, Division of Pediatric Orthopaedics
Director, Hand and Upper Extremity Surgery Fellowship
Professor, UC Department of Orthopaedic Surgery
Specialties: Brachial plexus birth palsy; pediatric hand and wrist trauma; congenital hand and upper extremity abnormalities; complex pediatric elbow trauma and deformities; gymnast wrist.

Kevin J. Little, MD
Director, Pediatric Hand and Upper Extremity Center
Associate Fellowship Director, Mary S. Stern Hand Surgery Fellowship
Associate Professor, UC Department of Orthopaedic Surgery
Specialties: Hand and upper extremity trauma; congenital hand malformations; peripheral nerve injuries; upper extremity reconstruction from cerebral palsy, spinal cord injuries and brachial plexus injuries

Jaime Rice Denning, MD, MS
Safety Officer, Division of Pediatric Orthopaedics
Surgical Director, Epidermolysis Bullosa Center
Assistant Professor, UC Department of Orthopaedic Surgery
Specialties: Pediatric orthopaedic trauma / fractures; pediatric foot and ankle conditions; clubfoot

Joel I. Sorger, MD
Co-Director, Sarcoma Program
Director, Pediatric Joint Replacement Surgery
Associate Professor, UC Department of Pediatrics
Specialties: Orthopaedic oncology (sarcoma surgery) and joint replacement surgery

Alvin Jones, MD, MS
Pediatric Spine Surgeon, Division of Pediatric Orthopaedics
Spine Surgeon, Crawford Spine Center
Associate Fellowship Director, Pediatric Orthopaedic Fellowship
Assistant Professor, UC Department of Orthopaedic Surgery
Specialties: Spine deformity, scoliosis, early onset scoliosis and pediatric orthopaedics

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