Hand & Upper Extremity Fellowship
The Hand and Upper Extremity Center of San Antonio has over 100 years of collective experience.
Our fellowship
Founded by Dr. David P. Green, The Hand & Upper Extremity Center of San Antonio is a private practice group of academically oriented Plastic and Orthopaedic Surgeons who represent diverse training backgrounds and multiple generations. Each attending surgeon is fellowship-trained in Hand and Microvascular Surgery.
The fellowship is ACGME-accredited through TIGMER - University of Incarnate Word and offers a broad experience in all conditions affecting the upper extremity, placing emphasis on diagnosis, consideration of conservative management options, understanding of surgical indications, a mastery of and appreciation for basic surgical principles and the acquisition and refinement of microsurgical skills.
Fellows will gain confidence in the operative and non-operative management of upper extremity fractures, peripheral nerve injuries and compressive neuropathy, reconstruction of degenerative conditions, microsurgical reconstruction of soft tissue defects, and more. From fingertip to shoulder, fellows will evaluate and treat a wide variety of conditions in both children and adults.
What is a fellow?
The Hand Center includes a training program for future hand surgeons. Each year, three to four physicians spend 12 months learning hand surgery in this Center. Each fellow is a fully trained orthopaedic or plastic surgeon who has completed 5 to 7 years of surgical training after graduation from medical school and has chosen to spend an additional year in training to study hand and microvascular surgery. Competition for these fellowships is very intense, and The Hand Center is fortunate to be able to select only the most highly qualified candidates. The hand fellows are an important part of our patient care team, and you will get to know them in the course of your treatment. Though some of your care will be rendered by the fellows, this will be, at all times, under the direct supervision of our attending surgeons. Several of our graduates have gone on to academic jobs where they are engaged in teaching their own orthopaedic and plastic surgery residents. We are very proud of all our alumni, and we consider them part of our hand surgery family. Click here to learn more about our fellowship.
Meet OUr Physicians
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David P. Green, M.D.
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Mark Bagg, M.D.
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David W. Person, M.D., FACS.
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Ramesh C. Srinivasan, M.D.
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Kunj Desai, M.D., FACS.
The Fellowship Experience
Two hand surgery fellows are selected every year and will rotate on four 3-month rotations. The experience includes seeing patients in an outpatient clinical setting at The Hand Center. Procedures are performed in a variety of settings, including in-office procedures, outpatient surgery in ambulatory surgery centers (ASC’s) and inpatient hospitals. The fellows are exposed to private practice perspectives.
The fellow will work with Plastic Surgeons (Dr. Person and Dr. Desai) and Orthopaedic Surgeons (Dr. Green, Dr. Bagg, Dr. Srinivasan), providing a broader perspective and understanding of acute and chronic fracture care, soft tissue reconstruction and the treatment of “bread and butter” upper limb conditions. In addition, the hand surgery fellow will be exposed to a variety of techniques for the care of common conditions. For example, some of the surgeons prefer open or mini-open carpal tunnel release while others perform a high volume of endoscopic carpal tunnel releases. Similarly, hand surgery fellows will be exposed to multiple techniques of thumb CMC arthroplasty, including LRTI, APL suspensionplasty and mini-tightrope suspensionplasty. Wrist, elbow, and shoulder surgeries are performed by the attending surgeons as well in addition to microsurgical reocnstruction. The fellow will treat both pediatric and adult patients during their year with us. Each attending surgeon sees approximately 1000-1400 new patients or consults per year, and each fellow will scrub approximately 700-800 cases in a year.
The Responsibilities
Call is arranged among the fellows, but in general is "practice call" ONLY. THERE IS NO ER OR HOSPITAL CALL. Fellows may answer on average 1-2 patient phone calls per night.
Each fellow is required to complete at least one clinical research project suitable for publication during the 12-month fellowship. Formal presentation by the fellows will be scheduled in late July.
Stipend & Benefits
Stipend
For the 2023-2024 year, the annual stipend will be $65,767.78
Vacation
Each fellow is allowed two weeks paid vacation during the 12-month fellowship, and additional time off is allowed for future practice interviews.
Health Insurance
The Hand Center pays the fellow’s health insurance premiums.
Professional Liability Insurance
The Hand Center pays professional liability insurance premiums.
Professional Licensure
Licensure by the Texas State Board of Medical Examiners is required for this fellowship, the fee for which is paid by The Hand Center.
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