Background
The Limb Loss Fellowship at Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital began in 2021 and was supported thanks to a lead gift from The Gillian Reny Stepping Strong Center for Trauma Innovation at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. The program was established as a response to the growing need for advanced training in amputee care and as a legacy impact of the Boston Marathon Bombings in 2013. By catalyzing unique collaborations, the Fellowship has helped transform trauma and limb loss care for civilian and military patients. The Inaugural Fellow, Dr. Tawnee Sparling, who completed her training in August 2022, is the Medical Director of Amputee Care at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center. The 2023-2024 Limb Loss Fellowship will be supported by a generous grant from the Manton Foundation, adding to the Foundation’s existing partnership with Spaulding’s Limb Loss Rehabilitation Program.
Structure
The Limb Loss Fellowship combines civilian and military multidisciplinary clinical and research expertise and training including across the Spaulding Rehabilitation Network as well as Massachusetts General Hospital, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington DC. The fellow gets a breadth of exposure by rotating through outpatient amputee specific clinic, as well as multidisciplinary clinics involving plastic surgery, orthopedic trauma, orthopedic oncology. Rotations include operating room observation of novel amputation techniques, e.g. Targeted Muscle Reinnervation, Ewing Amputations and Osseointegration.
Scholarly Activities
The fellowship is structured to give the fellow an extensive range of experience through clinical exposure, research, teaching, and administration. The fellow is expected to participate in monthly Fellow Rounds, one Grand Rounds lecture, as well as ongoing research projects and scholarly work. In addition, the fellow teaches the PM&R residents, medical students, and interdisciplinary team members as part of clinical and didactic sessions.
Eligibility
Completion of a 3 year ACGME accredited PM&R residency in addition to successful completion of a preliminary year will make you eligible to apply for the Limb Loss Fellowship.
Contact Us
For questions and more information on this fellowship, please contact the Program Manager, Dr. David Crandell, at dcrandell@mgh.harvard.edu.
Sample Schedule