Inova Orthopedic Sports Medicine Fellowship

• Rotator cuff pathology 
• Arthroscopic and open treatment of shoulder instability 
• Shoulder arthroplasty 
• Acromioclavicular (AC) joint reconstruction 
• Shoulder fracture management

• Primary and revision ACL reconstruction 
• Meniscus repair and preservation 
• Multiligament knee reconstruction 
• Patellofemoral pathology, including trochleoplasty 
• Extensor mechanism reconstruction 
• Articular cartilage restoration procedures 
• Knee osteotomy and joint preservation procedures

• Hip arthroscopy

• Ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) repair and reconstruction 
• Elbow arthroscopy

• Lisfranc injuries 
• Fifth metatarsal fractures 
• Achilles tendon repair 
• Ankle arthroscopy

Fellows gain extensive experience caring for athletes across multiple levels of competition, from high school athletics to professional sports. Team coverage is integrated throughout the fellowship year and provides progressive responsibility in sideline management, acute injury evaluation, return-to-play decision-making, and collaboration with team physicians, athletic trainers, physical therapists, and other members of the multidisciplinary sports medicine team.

Professional Sports 

• Washington Nationals (MLB) – Game coverage with fellowship faculty oversight, as well as a dedicated one-week experience at Spring Training 
• D.C. United (MLS) – Game coverage with fellowship faculty oversight and participation in pre-participation physicals 
• Washington Spirit (NWSL) – Game coverage with fellowship faculty oversight and participation in pre-participation physicals 
• Loudoun United FC (USL Championship) – Game coverage with fellowship faculty oversight and participation in pre-participation physicals 
• D.C. Defenders (UFL) – Independent game coverage and participation in the annual UFL Combine in Arlington, Texas

High school and community athletics 

Fellows serve independently as sideline physicians for local high school football programs throughout the season, gaining experience in acute injury assessment and management, emergency preparedness, and return-to-play decision-making.

The fellowship year is divided into four 13-week rotations with fellowship-trained orthopedic sports medicine faculty. Each rotation provides a distinct clinical and operative experience while longitudinal team coverage, didactics, research, and other educational activities continue throughout the year.

Representative Weekly Schedule
The schedule below represents a typical week and may vary based on operative schedules, team coverage, educational activities, and other fellowship responsibilities.

Schedules are representative and subject to change. Each rotation includes protected research and educational time. 

MSK Conference and Lecture Series 
Weekly Wednesday morning conferences provide structured education across the breadth of orthopedic sports medicine. The curriculum includes faculty and guest lectures, fellow-led case presentations, and regularly scheduled morbidity and mortality (M&M) and surgical indications conferences. Educational topics span knee, shoulder, hip, elbow, and foot and ankle pathology, as well as broader sports medicine topics including concussion management, cardiovascular and pulmonary considerations in athletes, environmental and heat illness, sideline management, and other medical conditions affecting athletes. 

Journal Club 
Monthly fellow-led journal clubs provide critical review and discussion of current sports medicine literature. Journal club topics are coordinated with the fellowship's educational curriculum and are held in an informal off-site setting that also serves as a fellow and faculty wellness activity. 

Surgical Skills and Cadaver Labs 
Quarterly cadaver laboratories provide hands-on surgical education throughout the fellowship year. Labs are coordinated by fellowship faculty and complement the clinical and surgical experiences of each rotation. 

Research Education 
Monthly research meetings provide structured mentorship and review of ongoing research projects and include a dedicated research journal club. Fellows also receive one half-day of protected research and educational time each week for research activities, lecture preparation, journal club, and quality improvement education. 

Practice Management and Professional Development 
The curriculum extends beyond clinical sports medicine to include education in contracts, finance, quality improvement, patient safety, and other topics relevant to the transition to independent practice.

Research is integrated throughout the fellowship year, with fellows receiving one half-day of protected research and educational time each week. Fellows participate in collaborative clinical and biomechanical research under the mentorship of the orthopedic sports medicine faculty. 

Monthly research meetings provide dedicated time to review ongoing projects, discuss research methodology and study development, and evaluate relevant literature through a research-focused journal club. 

Each fellow is required to complete at least one publishable manuscript during the fellowship year, with opportunities to present research at regional and national meetings and submit work for publication in peer-reviewed journals.

Fellowship salaries are established by Inova Graduate Medical Education (GME). The annual salary for the 2026–2027 academic year is $101,000. Inova GME reviews trainee salaries annually, with adjustments generally made to account for changes in cost of living and inflation. 

Fellows are also eligible for the comprehensive benefits provided to Inova GME trainees, which can be found here.

Applicants to the Inova Orthopedic Sports Medicine Fellowship must meet the following eligibility requirements: 

• Successful completion of an ACGME-accredited orthopedic surgery residency program prior to the start of fellowship 
• Eligibility for American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery (ABOS) certification
• Eligibility for an unrestricted Virginia medical license