One-Year Research Fellowships

    APPLY HERE

    Program

    Position: Orthopaedic Surgery Year Long Jr Research Associate (full-time paid position)

    Duration: 1 year (approximately May 2025-May 2026)

    Start Date: May 2025 (flexible)

    Compensation: Salary and benefits included

    Location: University of Utah Orthopaedic Center/Primary Children’s Hospital, Salt Lake City, UT.

    Application Review: February/March 2025 rolling basis, early application is favorable

    Goals/Opportunities of the Fellowship

    • Past opportunities have included 15+ peer reviewed publications/book chapters/conference presentations with first author opportunities directly related to contribution
    • Orthopaedic mentorship (including Letters of Recommendation) to support you in the match
    • Attend orthopaedic grand rounds, subspecialty conferences, journal clubs and resident conferences to help improve your overall knowledge in the specialty
    • Ample opportunities to enhance CV for medical school/residency program applications
    • Gain important experience while observing surgical procedures and/or spend time in clinical and basic science orthopaedic research to help strengthen a potential academic career 
    • Be able to read and critically analyze medical literature 
    • Be comfortable with data collection, scientific writing, and submission of manuscript

    Requirements

    • MS3 or MS4 students with a strong interest in orthopaedic research and a planned career in orthopaedic surgery and academic medicine
    • A desire to match competitively in Orthopaedic Surgery, unmatched applicants welcomed to apply
    • Prior research experience and strong statistical experience preferred
    • Organizational and time management skills
    • Grit and outstanding work ethic
    • Able to work well in a team setting
    • Ability to work independently and complete tasks in an efficient manner 
    • The successful applicant will also be motivated, energetic, intellectually curious, diverse in experiences of community service and leadership. 
    • US applicants only (no Visa sponsor)

    Responsibilities

    • Serve as a team leader to spearhead research projects and ensure throughput by all team members
    • Designing research hypotheses and performing literature reviews
    • Manage multiple research projects and organize and maintain all aspects of ongoing projects
    • Organize and present project updates at weekly research meetings with a team of research faculty, fellows, residents, statisticians, and research coordinators
    • Lead studies with fellows, residents, and medical students
    • Collecting patient-reported outcome data, data analysis, manuscript drafting and editing, grant drafting, manuscript submission
    • Preparation of research and conference PowerPoint Presentations, Website Educational Material
    • Aid in management of prospective clinical trials
    • Assist research coordinators with patient screening and enrollment for prospective studies
    • Submit protocols to the IRB for research fellow driven projects with the help of the research coordinators

    Items needed to include with application

    (Only complete applications will be reviewed)

    1. Curriculum vitae
    2. Medical school transcript including clerkship/rotation  grades 
    3. A brief cover letter (400 words max) detailing your background, personal statement, reasons for applying for this position and what you hope to get out of the year
    4. Brief description (400 words max) of a research project you have recently been involved in, your role and any statistics background. What did the study contribute to the field of medicine?
    5. Step I and Step II scores and clerkship grades
    6. CITI (Current in last 3 years)
    7. One to two letters of recommendation (preferably from research mentors in orthopaedics if possible)
    Ortho Fellows

    What Our Fellows Are Saying

    I had an incredible experience with the orthopedic pediatric department at the University of Utah. The entire team, including medical assistants and research coordinators, was a pleasure to work with and always eager to help. The residents were excellent communicators, clearly outlining what they needed for their studies. The attendings were consistently enthusiastic about teaching and guided me in deepening my understanding of various topics. I also appreciated the flexibility to jump onto projects or initiate my own, which made me feel trusted and empowered to take on responsibilities. Additionally, attending grand rounds, resident lectures, clinics, and cases greatly enriched my experience. I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to learn and grow in such a supportive and dynamic environment.
    Ndidi Njoku 2023-2024 Research Fellow
    My research year at the University of Utah has thoroughly prepared me for a competitive residency in orthopaedics. The program's strong research infrastructure, coupled with mentorship from renowned leaders in the field, provided everything needed to maximize my productivity. I explored various orthopaedic topics, sharpening my skills in study design, data analysis, and manuscript preparation. This experience enhanced my ability to ask critical questions, interpret data, and apply evidence-based medicine—skills I will bring to my future practice. In addition to projects, I developed surgical skills scrubbing into surgeries. The hands-on aspect of orthopaedics, combined with seeing how my research, including work on robotics and hip spacers, influenced surgical techniques, was incredibly rewarding. Leading research projects, analyzing data, and contributing to meaningful advancements in orthopaedic knowledge have been instrumental in sharpening my readiness for a career in orthopaedic surgery.
    Dalton Braathen 2023-2024 Research Fellow
    The orthopaedic infrastructure at Utah was superb; in the lab and the operating room, I was able to develop my surgical skills throughout the fellowship. I was able to learn from the residents and faculty at Utah – attending grand rounds, resident education, and conferences – and had a healthy amount of knowledge by the time my fellowship ended which proved extremely valuable later when on rotation. I will think fondly back on this research year throughout my entire career, and I am grateful to have had the opportunity. The people at Utah are all highly competent, compassionate, and welcoming individuals who made me feel like a part of the team from day one. Salt Lake City is also an incredible place to spend a year. This fellowship is a gem and is one-of-a kind; I would recommend it without reservation.
    Reece M. Rosenthal 2022-2023 Research Fellow
    During my fellowship, I was able to complete retrospective and prospective clinical studies as well as case reports. Learning to take projects from idea to completion prior to residency is invaluable such that once I begin residency, I will be able to efficiently balance my clinical responsibilities with research interests. Attending resident didactics throughout the year helped me create a foundation of orthopaedics knowledge that served me well during my orthopaedic sub-internships. Scrubbing into surgery regularly with Dr. Aoki allowed me to maintain and improve on my suturing, knot tying, and other operative skills. Further, I attended University of Utah Gymnastics competitions with Dr. Aoki and gained perspective on various aspects of practice as an orthopaedic surgeon, such as serving as a team physician. The experience undoubtedly strengthened my application to residency and allowed me to develop mentorship relationships that will carry forward into my career.
    Kelly M. Tomasevich 2020-2021 Research Fellow
    I think the key attribute that separates this fellowship from others is the level of autonomy you are given over your projects and the research group. Dr. Aoki allows you to act as a kind of “junior investigator,” giving you the ability to propose and carry out your own research ideas while managing a team of highly productive undergraduates, medical students, residents, and attendings. There is ample opportunity for first-author publications and presentations at national and international conferences. Dr. Aoki is also incredibly passionate about fellow mentorship and is a fantastic resource during the residency application process. Additionally, Salt Lake City is an awesome place to live if you enjoy being outdoors during all seasons. Completing this research fellowship was one of the best decisions I have made during medical school, and I could not be more pleased with my experience.
    Allan K. Metz 2021-2022 Research Fellow
    The research fellowship provides a tremendous opportunity to spend a dedicated year as a member of a productive clinical Orthopaedic research team at a world-class institution. The fellowship affords valuable experience which sharpens the knowledge and skills necessary to pursue answers to meaningful clinical questions and contribute to Orthopaedic literature both in the fellowship year and going forward in your career. The year also provides an abundance of opportunities to attend grand rounds, fracture conferences, subspecialty conferences, and get involved with Orthopaedics in several ways to prepare for successful 4th year sub-internships and residency. My research year was primarily focused on hip and knee sports medicine topics, including femoroacetabular impingement, capsular instability of the hip, factors related to hip joint distractibility, acetabular morphology, tibial spine avulsion fractures, and patellar instability.
    Alexander J. Mortensen 2019-2020 Research Fellow

    Contact Us

    Melissa Spendlove


    Fax: 801-587-5411
    Email: melissa.spendlove@hsc.utah.edu 

    University of Utah Orthopaedic Center
    590 Wakara Way
    Salt Lake City, UT 84108