SSM Health-Saint Louis University School of Medicine Program

Program Identity & Fit

SSM Health/Saint Louis University is a five-year, university-based orthopaedic surgery program nationally recognized in trauma, complex reconstruction, pediatric orthopaedics, spine surgery, and musculoskeletal oncology, with clinical training spread across SLU Hospital, Cardinal Glennon Children's Hospital, St. Mary's, and St. Clare Hospital. The department serves as a coordinating center for multicenter prospective randomized trials, maintains dedicated research statistician and coordinator support, and builds in protected research time with expectations that residents present at regional/national meetings, reflecting a strong scholarly infrastructure layered onto clinical training. Five residents are accepted per PGY-1 cohort into an ACGME/ABOS-compliant intern year followed by four years fully within orthopaedics, with graduates matching into competitive subspecialty fellowships, indicating an academic, fellowship-feeding orientation. The program is embedded in SLU's Jesuit "cura personalis" mission and an urban safety-net-adjacent patient population, valuing technical breadth across subspecialties, professionalism, and sustained mentorship from medical school through residency.