John Border Memorial Fellowship

A short-term AO Trauma North America-sponsored fellowship in a European trauma clinic, this award recognizes a practicing North America resident for exceptional interest in the area of orthopedic trauma with an emphasis on polytrauma.

Application currently closed

Dr. Border was a pioneer in trauma research and patient care. A graduate of Harvard Medical School, he joined the University of Buffalo as a member of the department of surgery in 1965. He was Director of the Trauma Service at Erie County Medical Center and Director of University of Buffalo's Trauma Research Program from 1968 until his retirement in 1991, when he became Professor Emeritus of Surgery and Orthopaedics.

His life’s work was dedicated to developing treatment plans to prevent what became known as ARDS and Multi Organ Failure. Dr. Border received many honors during his outstanding career. He was honored by the American Association for Surgery of Trauma with their annual Fisck Lectureship. He was past-President of AO North America and a founding member of the AO Foundation. He was a member of more than a dozen professional organizations, was author or co-author of more than 200 scientific articles and text materials and delivered more than 200 lectures worldwide.

He bridged the gap between General Surgery and Orthopedics. He showed the general surgical traumatologists the importance of proper fracture care and he showed the orthopedic traumatologists the importance of teamwork and how their fracture management affected the patient.

Prerequisites & eligibility

This fellowship is offered to North American orthopedic residents specializing in trauma surgery. Candidate must be a subscribing member of AO Trauma and have completed the following:

  • Experience with AO techniques
  • Completed all but the final year of training in their specialty at the time of activation of the fellowship 
    OR
  • Within one year of the completion of their formal training

Applicants may only apply to one Named Fellowship per application cycle.

Funding & deliverables

The John Border Memorial Fellowship will be granted for a minimum of one month and a maximum of three months at a European AO trauma center. The award consists of round-trip airfare expenses (up to $1,500) to the site of the fellowship and a stipend to cover lodging, meals, and incidentals. Support for family members is not included.

During the course the fellow will be asked to present a report about their clinical and academic fellowship experience and will have the opportunity to network and interact with faculty and residents. This report will be adapted into an article for publication in the AO Trauma North America newsletter. In addition, the European clinic will provide a report about the fellow and their experience upon completion of the fellowship.

After the course, the fellow may be invited to speak at an AO Trauma North America Residents’ Course within a year period following the completion of the fellowship, with travel and lodging paid by the course organization.

How to apply

A complete application will consist of:

  • Completed application form
  • Letter of reference from the applicant's Program Director
  • Letter of reference from an appropriate sponsor (who can also be the Chief of Trauma)
  • Curriculum vitae (see below)

Curriculum vitae must include a brief autobiography and a proposal for the candidate's Fellowship in the form of what they plan to do (i.e., research, gain certain clinical skills, where the candidate would like to work and with whom, how they plan on using this special training).

 

Application currently closed

Past recipients

 

  • 2022: Daniel Cunningham
  • 2021: Case Martin
  • 2020: Augustine Saiz
  • 2019: David Stockton
  • 2018: Mohamad Kareem Shaath
  • 2017: Paul Baldwin
  • 2015: Patrick Schottel
  • 2009: Jaimo Ahn
  • 2007: Samir Mehta
  • 2006: Gil Ortega
  • 2005: Milan Sen
  • 2003: Patricio Grob
  • 2002: Christopher Wahl
  • 1999: Thomas Ellis

Have a question?