Sites of Clinical Experience

The Hand Center

The Hand Center is the direct lineage of the office of Dr. Paul Swett, one of the oldest orthopedic practices in the United States dating back to 1918. It is also the center of one of the oldest continuous hand fellowship training programs founded by H. Kirk Watson, M.D. in 1968.

Today, The Hand Center is the private practice of Drs. Ashmead, Mastella, McCarthy, and Shaughnessy. The Hand Center provides the core experience in office based ambulatory care. Fellows work side by side with hand fellowship faculty in one-to-one assignments, evaluating new out-patient consultations, developing differential diagnoses, treatment plans and seeing those same patients for follow-up to assess their response to conservative and/or surgical management. In office diagnostic facilities include x-ray and neurometrix. An onsite hand therapy practice affords a unique opportunity for collaborating with certified hand therapists, both in the conservative management of hand pathology, and in rehabilitative efforts including occupational therapy. Fellows are directly supervised by fellowship faculty at The Hand Center.

Phone: 860-527-7161

Glastonbury Surgery Center

The Glastonbury Surgery Center provides experience in outpatient/ambulatory hand surgery.  Fellows participate in reconstructive surgical procedures scheduled by hand surgical faculty in that setting.  Fellows become versed with appropriate patient selection for surgery in a free-standing facility, and the unique challenges of immediate postoperative care and discharge planning in that setting. Fellows are supervised by the hand surgical attending of record for each case.

Phone: 860-633-0003

Hartford Surgery Center

The Hartford Surgery Center provides experience in outpatient/ambulatory hand surgery. Fellows participate in reconstructive surgical procedures scheduled by hand surgical faculty in that setting. Fellows become versed with appropriate patient selection for surgery in a hospital affiliated independently owned facility. Fellows are supervised by the hand surgical attending of record for each case.

Phone: 860-972-2245

Orthopedic Associates Surgery Center

The Orthopedic Associates Surgery Center located in Rocky Hill provides experience in outpatient/ambulatory hand surgery. Fellows participate in reconstructive surgical procedures scheduled by hand surgical faculty in that setting.  Fellows become versed with appropriate patient selection for surgery in a free-standing facility. Fellows are supervised by the hand surgical attending of record for each case.

Hartford Hospital

Hartford Hospital is a level 1 trauma center that provides the core experience in hospital-based hand surgery including an inpatient hand surgery service. Fellows perform outpatient surgical procedures in the main hospital and at the Hartford Hospital Bone and Joint Institute.

The Hartford Hospital ER provides the core experience in adult trauma and the management of acute acquired conditions. Hand fellows take at home back-up call and supervise the junior residents and physician assistants that take primary call. Fellows are supervised by the on-call hand surgical attending of record for each patient.

The Hartford Hospital Hand Clinic provides vital experience in office based ambulatory care for a patient population which is ethnically, educationally and economically diverse. Hand fellows bear primary responsibility for diagnostic evaluation, elaboration of a treatment plan, later implemented by the fellow in collaboration with a responsible hand surgical attending. The Hand Clinic provides an essential opportunity for fellows to take on graduated autonomy over the course of the fellowship year. The Hartford Hospital Hand Clinic is supervised by hand fellowship faculty on a weekly basis.

Phone: 860-545-6002

Connecticut Children's

Connecticut Children’s provides an additional experience in hospital-based care, specific to a patient population under eighteen years of age. Connecticut Children's provides hand fellows with exposure to a range of surgical pathology which is unique to the pediatric patient population including congenital and developmental conditions, fracture patterns in immature bones and instances of child abuse. The hand fellows are supervised by the attending hand surgeon of record for each individual patient.

Phone: 860-545-9300