Page 36 - Hoag Orthopedic Institute 2015 Outcomes Report

RESEARCH AND EDUCATION
ORTHOPEDIC EDUCATION AND RESEARCH INSTITUTE (OERI)
Orthopedic Education and Research Institute (OERI) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation founded by Hoag Orthopedic Institute physicians. HOI President Carlos Prietto, MD, serves as the OERI executive director, and Vance Gardner, MD, is OERI’s new medical director.
LEADERSHIP Q & A
Dr. Prietto, how has OERI progressed this year?
Momentum grew in education, research and community outreach – OERI’s three key functions. It’s been fun to feel the groundswell under us from the growing level of interest and involvement by the medical community.
This past June we were fortunate to welcome
a medical director with a strong orthopedic
and academic background who is well liked
and respected in our area. As a fellowship- trained spine surgeon who practiced in Orange County for many years, served as faculty in the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at UCI, has extensive clinical research experience and values charitable endeavors, he is ideally suited to lead OERI. Dr. Gardner has the rare ability to see the potential in people he works with and to develop that potential.
What were some specific gains made in OERI’s educational pursuits?
OERI is quickly becoming one of a handful of elite, post-residency orthopedic training programs across the country. In the previous two years until his retirement, Dr. (Michael) Patzakis, an emeritus professor at USC School of Medicine, laid an excellent foundation for a true clinical fellowship
program. Last year, one physician completed the OERI orthopedic research fellowship. Three more physicians came this past August for two arthroplasty fellowships and the established clinical research fellowship. For 2015/2016 we plan to offer the following fellowships:
• Adult Reconstruction and Musculoskeletal
Oncology (2)
• Spine (1)
• Sports Medicine (2)
• Orthopedic Research (1)
In addition, in 2014 we brought on a clinical research manager as well as a program assistant, established robust participation from 15 clinical faculty members, and secured numerous clinical affiliations to support these programs.
We’re pursuing accreditation for our planned sports medicine fellowships from the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) to demonstrate excellence in the clinical learning environment and curriculum, and in evaluating
the competency of our fellows. This requires sponsorship by a university with an orthopedic residency, which we were very pleased to secure with Loma Linda University, renowned for its health-sciences educational programs. ACGME will make a site visit to HOI in January.
Dr. Gardner, what’s behind the traction OERI is gaining in its educational and research pursuits?
OERI fills a void in Orange County, where there are no other orthopedic fellowship programs and we have only one medical school. At least 75 percent of surgical residents go on to fellowship training, a trend that we can expect to increase. We have the capacity to provide great training
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