The inaugural fellow
Dr Kieran Hirpara, an Irish-trained orthopaedic surgeon, joins as the inaugural Brisbane Hand & Upper Limb Shoulder Fellow for twelve months.
About the fellowship
The fellowship is a postgraduate clinical and research position, open to orthopaedic surgeons with an interest in shoulder surgery. It is based at Princess Alexandra Hospital and Brisbane Private Hospital.
The training covers arthroscopic Latarjet, arthroscopic AC joint reconstruction, arthroscopic rotator cuff repair, and total and reverse shoulder arthroplasty, together with a research component.
How a fellowship works
A fellowship is the step that follows the completion of specialist orthopaedic training. The surgeon is already qualified and able to operate independently, and the year is taken in order to concentrate on one part of the body in depth, alongside surgeons who do little else. The fellow assists and operates under supervision, runs clinics, follows patients through from assessment to review after surgery, and takes part in teaching and research. Fellowships are commonly taken in another country, and that is one of the ways techniques move between centres, since a surgeon returning home brings back methods that may not previously have been practised there.
What the training covers
The operations listed are the main ones in this field. An arthroscopic Latarjet transfers a small block of bone from the shoulder blade to the front of the socket, in order to stabilise a shoulder that dislocates repeatedly, and does so through small portals rather than an open incision. An arthroscopic AC joint reconstruction restores the ligaments holding the collarbone to the shoulder blade after they have been torn. An arthroscopic rotator cuff repair reattaches torn tendon to bone. Total and reverse shoulder arthroplasty are the two forms of shoulder replacement used for an arthritic joint, the choice between them depending largely on whether the rotator cuff is still working. Individual results vary.
The research component is part of the position rather than an optional extra, and it is what the clinic's prize for fellows' research recognises.
Related information
- Dr Hirpara went on to receive the 2015 Cutbush Research Prize
- Our post on the AOA accreditation of the fellowship
- Our shoulder fellowship page
- Our research page