Hand Surgery Fellowship

Advance your career in hand and upper-extremity surgery with HealthPartners Institute’s Hand Surgery Fellowship.

In partnership with the University of Minnesota, HealthPartners Institute offers a one-year hand surgery fellowship accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME). Our fellowship provides comprehensive training across two Level 1 trauma centers, a leading pediatric hospital and outpatient clinics.

Eligible applicants must have completed an accredited residency in orthopedic, plastic or general surgery. Entry into the fellowship is through the National Resident Matching Program.

Interested in applying?

Learn more about our program below, and submit your application through the ASSH Fellowship Application portal here.

Program leadership

Christina Ward, MD

Hand Surgery Fellowship Program Director

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Khue Yang

Hand Surgery Fellowship Program Coordinator

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Faculty

Our attending staff, including board-certified orthopedic and plastic surgeons, are deeply involved in fellowship training, each with their own subspecialty expertise. Fellows benefit from robust mentorship across all areas of hand and upper-extremity surgery.

View faculty bios

Fellowship experience

Training sites

Affiliated with the University of Minnesota, our fellowship program trains in the following locations:

Regions Hospital

Regions Hospital (Level I Trauma Center)– Acute and subacute trauma including microvascular/replant call and flap reconstruction
M Health, Fairview – Variety of acute and chronic hand conditions, including pediatric cases
TRIA Orthopedic Woodbury
Hennepin Healthcare (Level 1 Trauma Center) – Acute and subacute trauma, including elbow and shoulder trauma
TRIA Orthopedic – Elective outpatient surgery
Gillette Children’s– Pediatric cases with an emphasis on congenital differences

Inside the operating room

Our Hand Surgery Fellowship presents a broad range of clinical material, from straightforward elective procedures to complex reconstructions. On-call responsibility is 3-5 nights per month, with call taken from home.

Fellows are exposed to a variety of procedures such as:

Acute fracture fixation from the fingertips to the humerus, in children and adults
Malunion and wrist salvage procedures
Wrist ligament reconstruction
Nerve repair and nerve transfer
Free flap microvascular reconstruction
Wrist arthroscopy
Congenital hand reconstruction
Common elective hand surgery

Mentorship and academic career training

Our dedicated faculty are committed to supporting you not just during your fellowship year, but throughout your career. Fellowship alumni are invited to a monthly virtual case conference to foster lifelong support and education.

We provide funding and administrative support for fellows to complete a clinical research or quality improvement project. Fellows work closely with orthopedic and plastic surgery residents and participate in weekly conferences featuring a mix of case discussions and topical lectures.

Fellows with orthopedic surgery training participate in a microsurgery course, while fellows with plastic surgery training participate in an arthroscopy course.

More information

For additional information on the fellowship experience, view our Fellowship Overview Presentation.

Current fellows

Join us

Submit your application through the ASSH Fellowship Application portal here. If you have any further questions, please reach out to Christina Ward, MD.