Primary Care Sports Medicine Fellowship

We at Houston Methodist Willowbrook are excited to offer a 12 month fellowship training program in Primary Care Sports Medicine (PCSM).

The fellowship was accredited in 2011 and our 1st fellow graduated summer (2012). We were the first Graduate Medical Education program for the Houston Methodist system that exists entirely outside of the Texas Medical Center. Our fellowship has access to primary care and sports-trained orthopedic surgeon faculty members. In addition, there are opportunities to interact with other sports medicine physicians within the system. Please look over the website to see the many experiences available during the year, including Olympic gymnastics, professional rodeo, NCAA Division I (Rice University and Prairie View A&M University), IronMan and marathon events, to name a few.

Our program is clinically based, and fellows will not lack for an exposure to a multitude of orthopedic and medical problems in the sports medicine environment, whether in the clinic, the OR, training room or the field of play.

We are committed to clinical research and reserve time in your schedule for you to pursue research objectives. You are required to complete a research presentation during your fellowship year.

Please review our fellowship website at your leisure, and don’t hesitate to call or email for more information.

Regards,

Scott Rand, MD, FAAFP, CAQSM
Program Director
Primary Care Sports Medicine Fellowship Program – Willowbrook

• To be eligible for selection, applicants must apply via the Electronic Residency Applicant Service and must enroll in the National Residency Matching Program (NRMP).
• Be of good professional character with at least three letters of recommendation attesting to your academic and personal qualifications.
• Graduate of a US or Canadian Medical School accredited by the Liaison Committee for Medical Education (LCME), or a medical school outside the US and Canada with a current valid certificate from the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG).
• Graduate of an ACGME-accredited Family Medicine residency program.
• Board-eligible in Family Medicine by time of fellowship appointment.
• All applicants must provide official copies of Levels 1, 2 and 3 USMLE or COMLEX score.
• The selection process stringently evaluates performance on the USMLE, grades in preclinical or clinical courses, letters of recommendation, communication skills and personal qualities.
• The department does not discriminate on the basis of gender, race, age, religion, color, national origin, sexual orientation or veteran status.
• Interviewing is conducted during the months of October and November.

• Drug and Tobacco Screening- Job seekers will be tested for nicotine and drug usage during the post-offer physical. If a job seeker tests positive for nicotine use, including nicotine gum and patches, the offer will be rescinded, and individuals will be given the opportunity to participate in a free Houston Methodist-provided tobacco cessation program. Job seekers wishing to reapply after testing positive for nicotine may do so 90 days after the date the initial offer was rescinded. If the job seeker tests positive for drug use, the offer will be rescinded. Job seekers wishing to reapply after the drug screening is positive may do so one year after the date the initial offer was rescinded.
• Background Check - Prior to employment start date, job seekers must complete a criminal background check.

Primary Care Sports Medicine (PCSM) Fellows are assigned to one orthopedic surgeon during a three-month orthopedic rotation. This enables them to follow and gain exposure to musculoskeletal injuries from initial presentation through operative or non-operative treatment, rehabilitation and return to sport. The first of the three orthopedic surgery rotations includes a half day of musculoskeletal radiology and is 16 weeks long.

There are required rotations in sports cardiology, hand surgery, foot and ankle surgery, and PM&R. There is also a longitudinal curriculum in musculoskeletal ultrasound.

Other longitudinal experiences include sports medicine clinic, continuity clinic, research, and university training room.  All of the curriculum elements are designed to give the fellows exposure to the broad range of athletes and procedures required of a practicing sports medicine physician.

Elective rotations are not required during this fellowship. However, they can be built into the schedule as needed or if requested.

Under the supervision of faculty, fellows participate in:

• Surgical procedures - traditional open and arthroscopic orthopedic surgical procedures
• Mass participation events including pre-participation physicals for area high schools, multiple marathon events, large soccer tournaments, wresting, gymnastics and other sporting events. 
• Onsite care of collegiate athletes (through the affiliation with Rice University and Prairie View A&M University) in multiple sports - including football, men’s and women’s basketball, swimming, soccer and track and field

Fellows interact with orthopedic surgery residents during Sports Medicine Grand Rounds talks and training room activities at Rice University. Fellows also interact with other residents at the Family Medicine Residency during their continuity clinic experience at the Family Medicine Center.

Didactic Teaching

There are five major components to the didactic teaching for the PCSM fellow:

1. Patient Centered
Patient exposure serves as an opportunity to discuss pathophysiology of the disease process or injury - risk factors, aspects of recovery, ethics of return to sport decisions.

2. Monthly PCSM Lecture Series
In this hour-long didactic session, Faculty or guest lecturers present topics of interest to sports medicine physicians on a wide variety of topics including the pathology of illness and injury, pharmacology, ergogenic aids and supplements, sports psychology and medical illnesses related to sport participation. Lecture topics include, but are not limited to the following:

• Supplements and ergogenic aids
• Knee Injury evaluation and management
• Concussion evaluation and management
• Sports nutrition
• Upper extremity injuries in adolescent throwing athletes 
• Cardiovascular pathology
• EKG abnormalities in athletes
• Common injuries in gymnastics, cheer and dance
• Evaluation and management of common foot and ankle injuries
• Medical concerns in endurance sports
• Basics of musculoskeletal imaging
• Osteopathic manipulation in sports
• Evaluation and management of common hand/wrist injuries in sports

3. Quarterly Journal Club
This is an hour long discussion of recent sports medicine articles and reviews and an opportunity to discuss subjects not commonly seen in clinic, to foster a deeper understanding of medical issues, biomechanics and injury treatment in sports medicine.

4. The Daily Question
From August through May of the fellowship year, fellows are sent a daily question covering the entirety of sports medicine - anatomy, musculoskeletal injury, non-musculoskeletal injury, medical illnesses in sports and sport-specific questions. Allowed to use a variety of sources to answer the question, fellows must respond by 8 a.m. the next morning.

5. Orthopedic Sports Medicine Grand Rounds
Via videoconference this weekly presentation is attended by all sports medicine fellows and residents rotating on Sports Medicine. Lectures are given primarily by the faculty and residents of the orthopedic surgery sports medicine fellowship at Houston Methodist Hospital in Houston.