About the Program
The Adrian E. Flatt Hand Surgery Fellowship at the University of Iowa offers a broad experience in hand and upper extremity surgery, including complex trauma, post-traumatic reconstruction, arthroscopy, arthritis, congenital, peripheral nerve, brachial plexus, and microsurgery.
As a fellow, you are an integral member of a very active clinical service involving surgery, outpatient evaluations, and emergency care. The hand surgery division is well supported by a full complement of clinical staff and a large ambulatory surgery center at a state-of-the art hospital. Our hand surgery staff is comprised of both orthopedic and plastic surgeons that offer a diverse range of experiences and interests. Candidates from either orthopedic or plastic surgery backgrounds are encouraged to apply.
The program is designed to help you not only become an expert in the evaluation and management of common conditions of the hand and wrist, but also competent in the surgical treatment of complex disorders of the entire upper limb. The fellow may choose, according to their desires and goals, whether to be involved in a broad spectrum of elbow and shoulder surgery as well as soft tissue reconstruction that our service also regularly provides. Our robust clinical volume enables you to easily perform over 1,000 major surgical cases during the one-year fellowship. With a model of graduated autonomy, trainees become confident to enter either independent private or academic practice typically well before the end of their year.
Clinical Experiences
Hand and Wrist
As a level 1 trauma center and a large tertiary referral center, our service regularly sees a wide breadth and depth of pathologies and devastating injuries in addition to routine hand and wrist conditions. Our fellows become comfortable in performing complex reconstruction for a spectrum of traumatic and degenerative conditions while also learning how to build a busy elective hand surgery practice. In addition, the fellow will have an opportunity to care for division I athletes at the University of Iowa as well as the athletes from neighboring colleges.
Elbow
Fellows gain comprehensive experience in the evaluation and surgical management of elbow conditions, including tendinopathies, distal biceps tendon injuries, fractures, and arthritis. Training also includes complex reconstructive procedures, including total elbow arthroplasty, allowing fellows from both orthopedic and plastic surgery backgrounds to become adept at nonsurgical and surgical management of the elbow.
Shoulder
Primary shoulder is covered by our renowned shoulder and sports faculty. The fellow will have an opportunity to work with these teams, if desired. The University of Iowa Department of Orthopedics and Rehabilitation has a strong division of sports medicine and shoulder and elbow surgeons who treat the full spectrum of shoulder pathology through arthroscopic and open reconstructive techniques.
Congenital Hand
Pediatric patients with both common and rare differences of the upper limb are evaluated and treated in our hand clinics. Fellows will become familiar with the treatment of a variety of congenital pathologies such as thumb hypoplasia, radial longitudinal deficiency amniotic band syndrome, and syndactyly. The hand service has dedicated operating days at the nationally recognized University of Iowa Stead Family Children’s Hospital.
Peripheral Nerve
Our multidisciplinary hand service regularly performs reconstructive nerve surgery not limited to the upper limb. You will have the opportunity to treat spinal cord injuries, brachial plexopathy, and lower extremity peripheral nerve lesions.
Microsurgery
Fellows attend a one-week microsurgery course at the Mayo Clinic. During clinical rotations, they will have ample opportunities to learn reconstructive microsurgery with both our orthopedic and plastic trained hand surgeons. Interested fellows may be exposed to free vascularized transfers of bone and soft tissue, as well as revascularization procedures.
Call
Consults and outside hospital phone calls are primarily taken by our team of orthopedic residents. Call for the fellow is flexible, with the expectation that the fellow is on back-up call for one weekend every month. An appropriate work-life balance with time for family is prioritized throughout the fellowship year.
Research
Completion of one project is required. There are ample resources available designed to assist with clinical, biomechanical, and laboratory research – including biostatistical support, grant services, as well as medical students and residents. You have access to the division’s robust patient registry and collection of outcomes data. The hand and upper extremity service is further supported by a strong clinical research team led by Steve Liu, MD and Ignacio Garcia Fleury, MD, who can facilitate all stages of research endeavors from conception to manuscript preparation.
Didactics
We are committed to education beyond the clinical setting through weekly orthopedic department conferences every Tuesday, case-based hand team conference every Thursday, and monthly journal clubs and cadaver labs. The fellow also has unlimited access to the department's simulation lab.
Overview
Positions: One fellow per year
Interview date: January 15, 2027
Call: Back-up call for the fellow, one weekend a month
Locations: University of Iowa Health Care Medical Center North Liberty campus, University campus and Stead Family Children’s Hospital
How to Apply
Our Hand Surgery Fellowship participates in the online application and match process through the American Society for Surgery of the Hand (ASSH). This is facilitated by NRMP. Learn more about the match process and program application.
Applications will be reviewed each fall and invitations for interviews sent in the winter each year.
Please contact fellowship coordinator Tonia Johnston at tonia-johnston@uiowa.edu with questions.
Hand Surgery Fellowship Team
Joseph A. Buckwalter V, MD, PhD
Kendall Keck, MD
James S. Lin, MD
Gretchen Kass, MSN, ARNP
Julie Torres, MPAS, PA-C
Reed Trettin, MPAS, PA-C
Tonia Johnston
Current Fellow
Connor Maly, MD
Former Fellows
| Name | Training Year |
|---|---|
| Ethan Remily, DO | 2025-2026 |
| Lisa Frantz, MD | 2023-2024 |
| Brittany Homcha, MD | 2022-2023 |
| David Knowles, MD | 2021-2022 |
| Madelyn Lauer, MD | 2020-2021 |
| Lucas Seiler, MD | 2019-2020 |
| Elizabeth Weldin, MD | 2018-2019 |
| Nicholas Beck, MD | 2017-2018 |
| Jonathan Katz, MD | 2016-2017 |
| Peter Chimenti, MD | 2015-2016 |
| Tarek Sibai, MD | 2014-2015 |
| Thomas Ebinger, MD | 2013-2014 |
| Benjamin Kleinhenz, MD | 2012-2013 |
| Jacqueline Vanderzanden, MD | 2011-2012 |
| Jonathan Donigan, MD | 2010-2011 |
| John Gaffey, MD | 2009-2010 |
| Christina Ward, MD | 2007-2008 |
| Danielle Conaway, MD | 2006-2007 |
| Ericka Lawler, MD | 2005-2006 |
| Matthew Anderson, MD | 2004-2005 |
| Pamela Glennon, MD | 2003-2004 |
| Anthony Nguyen, MD | 2002-2003 |
| Brian Divelbiss, MD | 2000-2001 |
| Steven Madey, MD | 1996-1997 |
| Peter Jebson, MD | 1995-1996 |
| Dennis Andersen, MD | 1994-1995 |
| Katherine Teixeira. MD | 1993-1994 |
| Jeffrey Tiedeman, MD | 1992-1993 |
| John Durham, MD | 1991-1992 |
| James Gluck, MD | 1990-1991 |
| Mary Newport, MD | 1988-1989 |
| Lewis Oster, MD | 1987-1988 |
| Nina Njus, MD | 1985-1986 |
Department Faculty
At Iowa, you will be exposed to some of the best clinicians, researchers, and teachers in our profession. The orthopedic faculty are dedicated to helping you achieve your training aims.
