Research
Opportunities for novel investigation
Research is an integral component of residency education at Cedars-Sinai. Resident research is conducted under the guidance of a faculty member and ranges from basic science investigations, to clinical research, to biomechanical studies. Each resident is required to complete both a junior and senior hypothesis-driven manuscript project. All projects must be pre-approved and periodically reviewed by the resident research committee, chaired by Dr. David Thordarson. The development of a research project is a collaborative process between the resident and faculty mentor. Funding is available from a variety of industry sources and several residents have received grants from the Orthopaedic Research Educational Fund (OREF). In addition to presenting at the annual Cedars-Sinai Department of Orthopaedic Surgery Research Day, residents are encouraged to share their work at major scientific meetings. Previous residents have successfully presented and won awards at the AAOS annual meeting, Orthopaedic Research Society (ORS), Western Orthopaedic Association Meeting and Scoliosis Research Society (SRS) meeting. The program provides financial sponsorship for residents to attend conferences to present their work.
View a select list of resident publications, presentations, and awards (pdf).
Tonya An presenting on Foot and Ankle research at the AAOS Annual meeting. Las Vegas, NV, 2019.
John Garlich presenting on Trauma research at the Orthopaedic Trauma Association (OTA) annual meeting. Denver, CO, 2019.
Dedicated research time
For residents interested in research, opportunities exist for an optional year dedicated to research, typically between PGY2-3 or PGY3-4 years. Two residents have chosen to pursue an elective research year:
Michael Sun, research resident 2019-2020
The optional research year has been an enriching time during my residency. Many of my projects have been geared towards my interest in hand and upper extremity surgery and have involved both clinical and biomechanical studies. Beyond posters, presentations, and publications, the greatest value of this year has been to increase my insight into the processes that are involved in furthering orthopedic knowledge. Ultimately, I believe the experiences gained during this year will enable me to be a more thoughtful, intuitive, and robust physician.
John Garlich, research resident 2018-2019
Our orthopaedic residency program at Cedars-Sinai is flexible, fluid, and will provide you with unique opportunities to succeed both clinically and academically. For me, my natural curiosity and creativity took hold, and I was inspired to take a full-time research year. I am proud to have completed my year of research and having organized, managed, and mentored a research team of seven residents and two medical students. One of my main projects was creating a hip fracture database with 1266 patients. From this database, each member of my team had first author podium presentations accepted at numerous conferences. All of us traveled to Aspen and Las Vegas, presenting our research. Our success was instrumental in achieving the “Most Outstanding Participation” award at the 2018 Western Orthopaedic Association Meeting and the AAOS 2019 “Game Changer” podium presentation.
Additionally, our paper on virtual reality and inpatient pain control received a Young Investigator Award. Over the next two years, our team published seven papers in high impact orthopaedic journals. Most recently, our paper on regional anesthesia and hip fractures was featured as the lead article in the May 2020 issue of the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery and won the 2020 California Orthopaedic Association OREF Resident Research Paper Award.
My residency experience was unique because my program supported my choice to take time away from my clinical responsibilities and dedicate a year to my research interests. I emphasize “choice” because it was my choice. It was not mandatory, nor will it be for you if you decide to join us. However, the opportunity is here, and success is waiting for you. Good luck.
John Garlich presenting at the AAOS Annual Meeting. Las Vegas 2019
Biomechanics Research Lab
PI: Dr. Melodie Metzger
The Orthopaedic Biomechanics Lab at Cedars-Sinai provides many opportunities for resident to participate in basic science research. Conveniently located adjacent to the main medical center, the lab is fully equipped with state-of-the-art equipment that allows us to better understand the mechanics of musculoskeletal injury and develop improved surgical techniques through biomechanical research. Over the years we have expanded our testing capabilities to include numerous orthopaedic systems, including the spine, knee, elbow, shoulder, hip, hand, foot and ankle, which has allowed us to collaborate with almost every orthopaedic sub-specialty.
On a more personal note, I have been working with residents since the orthopaedic residency program began in 2011 and have truly enjoyed developing research methods that address clinically important questions posed by the residents and their respective faculty mentors. Together we have published numerous manuscripts in highly respected journals, including AJSM, JOR, JOT, Spine, Foot and Ankle International, among others. One of the most rewarding aspects of working with the residents is watching them present at local, national, and international conferences, where many have won research awards for their studies, including the OREF Resident Award and Young Investigators Award at WOA, Resident Research Award at AANA, and most recently the prestigious New Investigator Recognition Award from ORS.
More information about our more recent projects can be found on our website: https://www.cedars-sinai.org/research/labs/metzger.html
View a select list of published biomechanical projects involving residents