Medical Student Training Programs

Clinical and Operative Shadowing

HSS faculty participate as mentors for shadowing in clinical and operative environments in a range of subspecialties. Days and times vary.

Eligibility: MS1 - MS4 at an LCME-accredited medical school or Osteopathic School. Undergraduate students may participate in the Academic Visitor Program. 

HSS celebrates the transition to a single GME accreditation system, allowing us to welcome candidates from osteopathic (DO) and allopathic (MD) programs, and others who meet ACGME eligibility requirements. We thank those who flagged outdated information on our website, and have made those updates. We believe in providing the highest quality training for ALL medical school candidates or graduates interested in our medical student, residency and fellowship programs, and are committed to supporting the next generation of leaders in musculoskeletal health.

Duration: 4 to 6 weeks
Contact: Email academictraining@hss.edu or call 212.606.1466

Medical Student Summer Research Fellowship (MSSRF)

The Medical Student Summer Research Fellowship is an 8-week program of mentored research designed to introduce students who have completed their first year of medical school to research opportunities in orthopaedic basic science, translational science, and clinical research in orthopaedics.

Eligibility: Students who have completed their first year at an LCME-accredited US medical school are eligible to apply.
Duration: June 16, 2025 – August 8, 2025
Stipend: $5,000
Number of fellowships offered: 19
Application Deadline: January 10, 2025

Completed applications must be submitted to the Academic Training Department though the online application which will open on December 2, 2024.

A selection committee will review the applications and determine the final candidates. Applicants will be notified of the status of their applications by mid-March 2025. Selected students will be given the contact information of all prospective mentors, along with descriptions of the projects offered. Securing a fellowship position will be contingent on the student being accepted by a mentor.

Fellowship Co-Chairs: Chisa Hidaka, MD and Sravisht Iyer, MD

For questions not addressed in the Student FAQs, email Academic Training at academictraining@hss.edu.

Examples of Past Research Projects

Areas of Concentration (Weill Cornell Medical College)

Areas of Concentration (AOC) is a required component of the Weill Cornell Medical College curriculum. Weill Cornell students may choose to fulfill this requirement at HSS.

The Areas of Concentration (AOC) program provides each student the opportunity to identify an area of interest and to participate in scholarly activities, research, and/or training in that area of interest. Students will prepare an original scholarly project (SP) under the supervision of a faculty mentor.

Eligibility: MS2 and MS3 at Weill Cornell Medical College
Duration: 6 months to 2 years

Medical students interested in pursuing AOC at HSS, email academictraining@hss.edu, attention Chisa Hidaka.

Fourth-Year Medical Student Electives

Hospital for Special Surgery offers clinical electives for students in their fourth year of medical school. Applications are accepted through AAMC Visiting Student Learning Opportunities^® (VSLO^®) program. Medical Student Elective placement runs on a first-come, first-served basis. The 2024 – 2025 course catalog is open on VSLO. The 2025 – 2026 catalog will be published in VSLO on March 1, 2025. The VSLO Application portal will open on March 10, 2025 for application submissions.

Eligibility: MS4 currently enrolled and in good standing at an LCME-accredited medical school or Osteopathic School in the US; have completed all core clinical clerkships; be covered by medical malpractice or liability insurance ($1 million per occurrence and $3 million annual aggregate); have personal health insurance. Additional requirements are listed on the VSLO portal. Students in medical schools outside the US must apply through the Weill Cornell Medicine Office of Global Health Education and are permitted to rotate between January and May only.

Students will receive notification of their application status as decisions are made via VSLO. If you are accepted for an elective, you will be notified via VSLO email. You will receive further information from the Academic Training office closer to the rotation start date. Please do not contact departments or course directors regarding the status of your application.

Duration: 4 weeks

Electives are available in:

Leon Root Pediatric Orthopaedic Research Award & Medical Student Program

The Leon Root Pediatric Orthopaedic Research Award & Medical Student Program is designed to facilitate high-level clinical research in the Pediatric Orthopaedic Surgery Service of HSS.

The ideal applicant is:

• Interested in pursuing a career in academic orthopaedic surgery
• Able to take a year off from their medical school education to gain experience and accomplishments in orthopaedic clinical research

• Enrolled and in good standing from a medical school in the United States
• Approved by their medical school to commit to a one-year clinical research program

Research Award Medical Student will be responsible for:

• Be responsible for all aspects of clinic research in our Pediatric Orthopaedic Division including:
  • Identifying patients eligible for studies
  • Working with doctors and the Pediatric Orthopaedic research team to consent patients
  • Presenting project proposals to attendings
  • Data Collection/Analysis/Radiographic Analysis
  • Collaborating with the HSS Biostatistics Core to complete statistical analyses
  • Writing abstracts, posters, and manuscripts that result from their project
• Participate in weekly meetings with division faculty and encouraged to attend clinical teaching programs and clinical rounds
• Attend clinic and operating rooms when free

To apply, please send the following to Jessica Heyer, MD at PedsResearch@hss.edu:

• Cover letter explaining interest
• Curriculum vitae
• Transcript
• Letter of recommendation (sent directly from the author)

Applications are accepted annually from September 1st through November 15th.
Decisions are made by January 31st.

If you have any questions, please contact Jessica Heyer, MD at PedsResearch@hss.edu

 

Back to Academic Training