Overview
The ACGME-accredited Orthopaedic Surgery Fellowship in Sports Medicine and Shoulder and Elbow Surgery combines six months of Sports Medicine education with six months of Shoulder and Elbow training.
This hybrid program exposes each fellow to a breadth of pathology of the knee, shoulder, and elbow, and focuses on arthroscopic shoulder, knee and elbow surgery with special emphasis on shoulder arthroplasty, open shoulder instability, multi-ligamentous knee reconstruction, and complex patellofemoral reconstruction.
Training & scope
Fellows also gain training in hip arthroscopy, hip preservation, pediatric sports medicine and are exposed to all aspects of practice management, including training in billing and coding. The fellowship program will enable the fellow to develop proficiency in primary care sports medicine including illness, injury, operative, and nonoperative treatment. This includes study of the pathology and biomechanics of athletic injuries and the physical and psychological manifestations of sports injuries and conditions.
A major part of the fellowship is the opportunity to participate in clinics, team and event coverage, professional and amateur sporting events, Division I, II, and III collegiate and high school teams. The fellow will develop the knowledge and skills necessary to initiate and administer a community-focused sports medicine practice that serves high school, collegiate, professional, high school, and recreational athletes and active adults.
Clinical experience
Clinical experience is gained primarily at private-practice outpatient clinics. Most outpatient surgeries are done at the Campbell Clinic surgery center or other freestanding surgery centers. Inpatient surgeries are performed at Baptist Memorial Health Care Collierville and Methodist Le Bonheur Hospital locations. With faculty members serving as team physicians for local professional, collegiate, and secondary school athletic teams, the fellow’s experience with sports-related conditions and injuries is broad and varied. With other faculty focused purely on shoulder and elbow surgery, the fellow’s experience with degenerative and traumatic conditions of the shoulder and elbow is also very extensive. The presence of several certified athletic trainers among the physical therapy staff ensures adequate exposure to conditioning and rehabilitation protocols.
Scholarly activities
Scholarly activities include time and facilities available for clinical and basic science research projects. Campbell Clinic Foundation support staff is available to assist in research, offering research and regulatory specialists, statistical analysts, and library services in addition to experienced medical writers for advising, editing, and publishing academic papers. The fellow is required to work on at least one research project during the fellowship year, resulting in a presentation, publication, or both.
There are opportunities to participate in several service programs each year, including a student mentorship program for high school and college students.
Faculty
Frederick M. Azar, MD
Professor, Director of Sports Medicine Fellowship
Tyler J. Brolin, MD
Assistant Program Director
Nahum M. Beard, MD
Instructor
Marc J. Mihalko, MD
Assistant Professor
Thomas W. (Quin) Throckmorton, MD
Professor
Austin Hardaway, MD
Instructor
Locations
- Campbell Clinic Orthopaedics
- Campbell Clinic Surgery Centers
- Regional One Health
- Baptist Memorial Health Care
- Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare
- Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital
Key Dates
Association conferences and meetings.
Weekly Subspecialty Conference Attendance
The Campbell Clinic Sports/Shoulder & Elbow Conference, which includes attending surgeons, fellows and all residents on the Sports/Shoulder & Elbow service, is held every Tuesday at 6:30 am in the Germantown boardroom.
How to apply
Completion of an ACGME-accredited residency in orthopaedic surgery is required. Three letters of recommendation, curriculum vita, and color photo are required. The application deadline is December 1.
This orthopaedic surgery fellowship is administered by SF Match Residency and Fellowship Matching Services. Deadline for the receipt of completed applications is December 1.
Interview Dates
Sunday, January 10 – Monday, January 11, 2027
Sunday, February 14 – Monday, February 15, 2027
Sunday, February 21 – Monday, February 22, 2027
Application details on the UTHSC site
Recent achievements
Dr. Frederick Azar received the Cabaud Memorial Award at the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine meeting held July 10-12, 2025 in Nashville, Tennessee.
Drs. Throckmorton, Brolin and Azar have received the Charles S. Neer Award from the American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons on two occasions: the 2016 Clinical Science Award, “Outpatient Total Shoulder Arthroplasty in the Ambulatory Surgery Center Environment is a Safe Alternative to the Inpatient Hospital Setting: A Matched Cohort Study,” and the 2023 Basic Science Award, “Muscle Activation Patterns during Active External Rotation after Reverse Total Shoulder Arthroplasty: An Electrophysiological Study of the Teres Minor and Associated Musculature.”