Core Curriculum

The Core Curriculum serves as the foundation for the academic program of the Harvard Combined Orthopaedic Residency Program. From September through June, Grand Rounds are held every Wednesday from 7 to 8am at either Massachusetts General Hospital or the Brigham and Women’s Hospital, The Core Curriculum then runs from 8 am until noon. Over a two-year rotating cycle, attending staff and visiting professors convene to provide informative, yet low-key presentations on organized topics. The program is directed by our curriculum committee, which is comprised of interested faculty and residents, and under the direction of Mark Gebhardt, M.D.



July and August of each academic year are devoted to anatomy. The program provides seven cadavers for exclusive use by the orthopaedic residents in a laboratory at Harvard Medical School. This portion of the curriculum includes prosections, anatomy lectures (with an emphasis upon functional anatomy and operative approaches), and time in the lab with the attendings from the relevant services. The anatomy section serves as an excellent start to the academic year.

Residents soaking up knowledge at CORE lectures.

Topic	Weeks
Anatomy Dissection at HMS	8
Trauma	5
Upper Extremity	5
Sports Medicine	5
Pediatrics	4
Spine	4
Adult Reconstruction	4
Foot and Ankle	3
Oncology	2
Communications	1
Prosthetics	1
Business and Biostatistics	1
Medical Law and Ethics	1
OITE Review	1
AAOS Review	1

The relaxed and informal, yet high-yield atmosphere of the Core Curriculum not only enables residents to directly learn from and question orthopaedic leaders in their fields of expertise, but also enables those residents rotating at separate hospitals to come together and socialize during breaks and over lunch. Attendance at Core is granted the highest priority, and attendings expect to forego resident clinic and OR coverage until 1 pm after lunch.

The Core program is universally supported by the residents and continues to play a pivotal role in our educational program.

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Last Updated:
November, 2006