We are inviting third-year medical students (MS3) to apply for a Clinical Research Fellowship in Orthopaedic Sports Medicine at the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), a Harvard teaching hospital. The selected Research Fellow will be the 14th to go through this program, one of the longest-running research fellowships in the country.
This is an extremely competitive fellowship that is awarded to one (1) rising fourth-year medical student who has demonstrated a keen interest in orthopaedics and is a competitive candidate for orthopaedic residency.
This is a wonderful opportunity for a highly-motivated individual to supercharge their application for the orthopaedic residency match. This position is unique in that the medical student interacts with a nationally recognized orthopaedic surgeon on a daily basis. Furthermore, this position is unique in that it is a clinical research fellowship, meaning that it provides the opportunity to be mentored in a clinical setting, to learn and hone clinical examination skills, to attend lectures and conferences with orthopaedic residents and faculty, and to observe and assist in surgery.
Application Timeline
- October 2026
- Rolling applications for priority consideration deadline open
- December 1 2026, 11:59 PM EST
- Deadline for priority consideration applications
- Late December 2026
- Interview Invitations for priority consideration applications
- Jan/Feb 2027
- Interviews
- April/May 2027
- Start of MGH Sports Medicine Research Fellowship!
Application Instructions
December 1st, 2026 for priority consideration.
A second deadline of January 19th, 2026 will be available for those who could not apply for priority consideration, but the position is not guaranteed to still be available on January 19th.
REVIEW Rolling basis, early application is favorableInterested individuals should submit a short application consisting of:
- 2×2 Headshot
- Include the earliest start date after completion of third year of medical school
- mid-April/early May required
- Confirm access to a vehicle for the entirety of the fellowship
- Statement of past research experience and reason for interest in this particular fellowship
- USMLE Step 1 Score Report
- USMLE Step 2 Score Report or date
- priority will be given to those who have completed Step 2 before beginning the fellowship
- CV (up to date)
- 1 letter of recommendation is appreciated but not required
The application should be emailed to: scottmartinresearchgroup@gmail.com with the subject line “Orthopaedic Research Fellowship—Applicant’s [First & Last] Name”
Not carefully following the above instructions may result in removal from consideration.
The first round of interview offers for individuals who apply by the December 1st priority deadline will be sent by the end of December 2026.
Opportunities
The Research Fellowship has a huge project pipeline and will result in several published manuscripts, book chapters, technique videos, and conference posters/podium presentations at national and international conferences.
Formal Programming: Orthopaedic resident surgery anatomy course, Grand rounds, Sports teaching conferences, Seminars, Professional meetings, and Development training courses
The Research Fellow works directly with Dr. Scott Martin on all matters and will lead the entire Research Group. The Research Fellow will have three primary responsibilities: writing publications, conducting prospective clinical trials in clinic, and reviewing and overseeing clinical research coordinator (CRC) projects and manuscripts.
Responsibilities & Daily Activities
- Writing and Submitting Publications
- including managing revisions and edits requested by Reviewers
- Clinic
- 2-3 times per week
- enrolling patients into prospective trials & following-up on active enrollees
- Surgery
- assist, participate, observe, learn in Sports Medicine cases
- Manage & Mentor the Research Team
- including other medical students, post-baccalaureate CRCs
- Developing Research Hypotheses, Performing literature reviews
- Composing Research Protocols, Drafting, Submitting IRB proposals
- Other IRB communications
- Collecting, Organizing, Analyzing Cinical Research Data
Applicants are selected based on research experience and medical school performance, as well as enthusiasm and interest. The nature of the position makes excellent organizational and communication skills paramount.
Mentorship
Dr. Martin is an Associate Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at Harvard Medical School and the Head Team Physician/Chief Medical Officer for the New England Patriots. He is a member of the Sports Medicine Service, the Director of the Joint Preservation Service, and Director of the Sports Medicine Fellowship at Massachusetts General Hospital.
Dr. Martin is Board-Certified in Orthopedic Surgery has been named one of the top 100 doctors by Boston Magazine numerous times. He has received the prestigious Golden Apple Teaching Award and has been awarded the Distinguished Clinician Award by Harvard Medical School.
Adarsh Aratikatla, MD
2026-2027
Royal College of Surgeons
Current MGH Sports Research Fellow
Adarsh is from Jacksonville, Florida, and recently earned his medical degree from the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland. Alongside his medical training, he has been actively involved in orthopedic research at the Foot and Ankle Research and Innovation Lab at Mass General Brigham under Dr. Soheil Ashkani-Esfahani and Dr. Christopher DiGiovanni, as well as in the Department of Foot and Ankle Orthopedics at NYU under Dr. John G. Kennedy.
He is currently completing two dedicated research years and plans to apply for orthopedic surgery residency during the 2027-2028 cycle. His academic interests include surgical techniques, 3D modeling studies, and multidisciplinary orthopedic research. Outside of medicine, Adarsh enjoys playing pickleball, weightlifting, and mentoring undergraduate and medical students.
Jackson Woodrow
2025-2026
University of Arizona – Phoenix SOM
2025-2026 MGH Sports Research Fellow
Selected Publications
- Woodrow JG, Mun JS, Allen BJ, Poutre RL, Chenna SS, Earla RP, Gillinov SM, Siddiq BS, Martin SD. Impact of Acetabular Labral Tear Location on Patient-Reported Outcomes and Conversion to Total Hip Arthroplasty Following Hip Arthroscopy with an 8-Year Minimum Follow-Up. Orthop J Sports Med. 2026 Apr 1614(4), 23259671261432671 https://doi.org/10.1177/23259671261432671 PMCID: PMC13110284
Prior MGH Sports Research Fellows
Jeffrey Mun, MD
2024-2025
Current Position:
PGY-1, at Virginia Commonwealth University
Stephen Gillinov, MD
2023-2024
Current Position:
Surgery Resident, Yale University
Bilal Siddiq, MD
2023-2024
Current Position:
PGY-1 Prelim, University of Tennessee
Nathan Cherian, MD
2022-2023
Current Position:
Orthopaedic Surgery Resident, University of Nebraska
Christopher Eberlin, MD
2021-2022
Current Position:
Orthopaedic Surgery Resident, University of Iowa
Michael Kucharik, MD
2020-2021
Current Position:
Orthopaedic Surgery Resident, University of South Florida
Paul Abraham, MD
2019-2020
Current Position:
Orthopaedic Surgery Resident, University of Southern California
Mark Nazal, MD, MPH
2018-2019
Current Position:
Orthopedic Surgery Fellow – Foot & Ankle, Duke University
John Stelzler, MD
2017-2018
Current Position:
Pediatric Orthopedic Surgeon, Connecticut Childern’s
William Conaway, MD
2016-2017
Current Position:
Attending Orthopaedic Surgeon, Connecticut Orthopaedics
Noah Quinlan, MD
2015-2016
Current Position:
Attending Orthopaedic Surgeon,
Intermountain Health
Shivam Upadhyaya, MD
2014-2015
Current Position:
Attending Orthopaedic Surgeon,
South Florida Orthopaedics
Kyle Alpaugh, MD
2013-2014
Current Position:
Attending Orthopaedic Surgeon,
Mass General Brigham
Questions?
Please reach out to: scottmartinresearchgroup@gmail.com or the current research fellow jwoodrow@mgh.harvard.edu