Sports Medicine Fellowship | Hawkins Foundation

One Year. For a Lifetime.

Surgeons who come through our ACGME accredited program realize that their fellowship year is the beginning of becoming a lifelong Hawkins Fellow.

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Michael J. Kissenberth, MD

Fellowship Program Director

I was trained by Dr. Hawkins many years ago and I am honored to carry on this legacy of advancing orthopaedics through research and education. We aim to create an environment that is not only cutting edge, but a family environment, where we can not only educate you, but set you up for the rest of your career.

Lifetime Benefits of the Hawkins Fellowship

Hawkins Society Membership for life (annual meetings)
Career connections
Daily email "Hawknotes" discussions on difficult cases
Best business practices

$67,000

annual salary for fellows

4

fellows each year

75th

percentile of all programs for operative case load

7

lab stations at your disposal

Case Breakdown

We rank in the 75th percentile of all programs for operative case load.

Breakdown

Shoulder Arthroscopy: 35%
Knee Arthroscopy: 30%
Shoulder Reconstruction: 15%
Hip Arthroscopy: 10%
Knee Reconstruction: 5%
General Ortho and Elbow Recon/Arthroscopy: 5%

Rotation Schedule

Each Fellow spends a full ten weeks with our primary attending faculty members, one-on-one mentorship style.

Each rotation includes surgical cases, patient clinics, research, journal clubs, academic sessions, team coverage and call.

Team Coverage

Steadman Hawkins Clinic of the Carolinas fellows have a unique exposure to high school athletic coverage through our relationship with an extensive ATC network that covers all high schools in Greenville County (totaling 18). Fellows also provide team coverage at five area colleges—North Greenville University, Converse University, Presbyterian College Southern Wesleyan University, and Clemson University. Professional coverage opportunities include those with the Greenville Drive (Minor League Baseball), USA Karate, Greenville Liberty (USL women’s soccer), and the Colorado Rockies (Major League Baseball).

Call

Average 1 week out of 8. General Orthopaedic Peripheral Call.

Separate provider handles patient-related issues.

Fellows with a permanent South Carolina license have the option for paid moonlighting at a small regional hospital.

Our faculty is our finest asset

Our committed and passionate faculty line-up fosters an ideal mentorship model for training fellows. We have seven sports medicine faculty members who have been consistently committed to teaching fellows in our program since its inception in the Carolinas in 2005.

Meet Our Faculty

Meet the Current Fellows

Nicholas Erdle, MD

Adam McNulty, MD

BJ Catoe, DO

Mitch Messner, MD

I did my fellowship with Richard Hawkins in London, Ontario as one of his last Canadian fellows. I was there with Peter MacDonald, John Moor, and Buddy Savoie. Because Hawk was leaving for Vail soon, I was never sure where I was going to be, and I had a short fellowship of only about 4 months because of the transition. It remains 4 of the best months of my life.

I had been a resident at Duke which prided itself on being the Duke Marines in orthopaedics. When I got to study with Hawk I learned more about the shoulder in 4 months than I had in 6 years of my residency. Further, I realized you can learn a lot and still enjoy the experience. I owe to Hawk almost everything I’ve achieved in the world of shoulder surgery, and I was a better doctor because of him.

It was as if I had walked into Oz, and suddenly everything turned into color.
Bill Mallon. MD , Hawkins Fellow -

"Fellowship at Steadman Hawkins Clinic of the Carolinas was by far the best year of training. I received the highest level of training from top surgeons in the sports and shoulder/elbow subspecialties. The amount of time and attention that fellows receive is unparalleled.

As a fellow, I became a member of the Hawk Society family. This society unites our love for orthopedics with the bond we have with our families and each other. Fellowship at SHCC is a life-long commitment as you gain a vast network of lifelong mentors and eventually mentees, continuously accelerating each other’s career and fostering excellent patient care."

Dr. Justin Smith , Fellowship class of 2021-22 -

Steadman Hawkins Clinic of the Carolinas Shoulder Reconstruction & Sports Medicine Fellowship