Welcome back listeners! In this Conversations episode of The Bonehead Podcast, we interview two stellar medical students who are currently on their orthopedic surgery research years between their third and fourth years of medical school. We are joined by a friend of the show, Ms. Olivia Tracey, a fellow Downstate student who is currently a Leon Root Research Fellow in the Department of Pediatric Orthopedics at the Hospital for Special Surgery. We are also joined by an outstanding Mr. Perry Lim, who is a student at Chicago Medical School of Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science and currently an exceptional research fellow at the Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School Department of Arthroplasty. We touch on vital themes pertinent to understanding the orthopedic surgery research year, including the decision to pursue it in the first place, specifics of their positions, essential skills and characteristics, and advice for those interested in undertaking such a fellowship. These two mentors generously offered their salient advice to us as we navigated this process, and we were inspired to share that with you, our listeners, with the hope that it could help those currently applying to research year positions or considering them in the future.

References:

Tidd JL, Piuzzi NS. A Research Year for Medical Students. J Bone Joint Surg Am. 2024 Jan 3;106(1):78-83. doi: 10.2106/JBJS.23.00340. Epub 2024 Jan 3. PMID: 38170203.

Swiontkowski MF. The Orthopaedic Research Year: Faculty Mentors Must Hold up Their Part of the Deal. J Bone Joint Surg Am. 2024 Jan 3;106(1):1. doi: 10.2106/JBJS.23.01167. Epub 2024 Jan 3. PMID: 38170202.

Welcome back listeners! In the first episode of The Bonehead Podcast in 2024, we discuss a fascinating paper looking at the emergence of private equity (PE) in the space of orthopaedic surgery. We mainly cover a comprehensive review article in the Journal of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (JAAOS) by Dr. Alpesh Patel and his team, titled “Private Equity and Its Emergence in Orthopaedics,” with contributions from several other articles on the topic. In summary, we touch on what private equity is, its model in orthopaedics compared to other specialties, its appeal on both sides of the coin, and risks and considerations of a proposed partnership between PE and orthopaedic surgeons.

References:

Patel AA, Fernandez C, Mazmudar A. Private Equity and Its Emergence in Orthopaedics. J Am Acad Orthop Surg. 2021 Oct 15;29(20):e1005-e1012. doi: 10.5435/JAAOS-D-21-00058. PMID: 34288894.

Boddapati V, Danford NC, Lopez CD, Levine WN, Lehman RA, Lenke LG. Recent Trends in Private Equity Acquisition of Orthopaedic Practices in the United States. J Am Acad Orthop Surg. 2022 Apr 15;30(8):e664-e672. doi: 10.5435/JAAOS-D-21-00783. PMID: 35077400.

​​Bruch JD, Gondi S, Song Z. Changes in Hospital Income, Use, and Quality Associated With Private Equity Acquisition. JAMA Intern Med. 2020 Nov 1;180(11):1428-1435. doi: 10.1001/jamainternmed.2020.3552. PMID: 32833006; PMCID: PMC7445629.

Lachiewicz PF. What's Important: Private Equity Arrangements in Orthopaedic Surgery: Enter at Your Own Risk. J Bone Joint Surg Am. 2024 Jan 23. doi: 10.2106/JBJS.23.01298. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 38261659.

Moses MJ, Weiser LG, Bosco JA 3rd. The Corporate Practice of Medicine: Ethical Implications of Orthopaedic Surgery Practice Ownership by Non-Physicians. J Bone Joint Surg Am. 2020 Jun 3;102(11):e53. doi: 10.2106/JBJS.19.01404. PMID: 32496745.

Welcome back listeners! The fifth episode of our Conversations series features an inspiring guest, Dr. Paul Cagle, a shoulder and elbow orthopedic surgeon and Associate Professor at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. He is also the Associate Program Director of their orthopedic residency program. This conversation is a full-circle moment for our co-host Patrick, as Dr. Cagle played an instrumental role in influencing him to pursue a career in orthopedics after a summer of shadowing. In this episode, Dr. Cagle walks us through his unique training path that included a traveling fellowship in France, the importance of remaining flexible in one’s career, his transition from being a high-performing athlete to high-performing orthopedic surgeon, and his unique advice from the perspective of someone who calls the shots at one of the most renowned residencies in New York City.