About the Fellowship
The Western Orthopaedic and Rose Medical Center Shoulder and Elbow Fellowship is focused on providing an orthopedic fellow with the opportunity to develop critical diagnostic and treatment skills to excel as a shoulder and elbow surgical specialist. The fellowship is based at a high-volume practice in Denver, Colorado. The surgeons perform over 800 shoulder and elbow cases per year. Approximately 35% of the cases are primary and revision arthroplasty, 50% are arthroscopic shoulder surgery (including cuff repair and instability procedures), and 15% are elbow procedures and humerus fracture (proximal and distal).
The fellow will be the only individual being trained at this site. The fellow will have one-on-one time with each of the faculty members which will allow the fellow to gain clinical and surgical skills specific to the faculty member’s expertise. This will provide the fellow an opportunity to understand different clinical and surgical approaches to common shoulder and elbow pathology.
In addition to clinical and surgical education, the fellow will participate in the following meetings:
- monthly case conference discussing patient evaluation, diagnosis and treatment options;
- quarterly journal club;
- quarterly sports medicine case conference (Denver metro area physicians); and
- weekly complex orthopedic case conference (optional attendance)
Research Opportunities
Our faculty is committed to research and has been collecting shoulder arthroplasty outcomes for over 14 years. In addition, the site participates in multi-site national studies as well as FDA monitored clinical trials. The fellow will be expected to be involved in clinical research, working closely with our research personnel 2 days per month. The fellow will identify a research topic to manage as well as submit two papers, as first author, to a peer reviewed journal. In addition, there will be ample opportunity for training and collaboration with multiple private cadaver lab training facilities located in the metro Denver area.
Current research projects at Western Orthopaedics Research and Education Foundation include:
- Analysis of 5-year radiographs in patients with canal sparing anatomic shoulder arthroplasty with further correlation to outcomes.
- Shoulder arthroplasty options in young patients with glenohumeral osteoarthritis
- Superior capsular reconstruction outcomes
- Influence of component combinations on outcomes after reverse shoulder arthroplasty
- Effect of arthroplasty planning technology on complications and outcome
Opportunity to Observe Pascal Boileau in Nice, France
Through his own fellowship training, Dr. Hatzidakis has maintained a working relationship with Professor Pascal Boileau of Nice, France. As such, the fellow may have the opportunity to use the vacation time allowed during this fellowship to travel to Nice and observe Dr. Boileau in his clinical practice (this is an optional opportunity and expenses related to this will be the fellow’s responsibility).
Meet our Faculty
Armodios Hatzidakis, MD (fellowship director)
Meet Our Fellow
Dr. Brian Davis, MD is the first orthopedic shoulder & elbow fellow to have matched to the Western Orthopaedics/Denver Shoulder and Rose Medical Center fellowship. Dr. Davis is a Colorado native who was born and raised on a horse ranch in Golden. He graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor’s degree in biological science from Colorado State University and completed medical school at the University of Colorado School of Medicine where he was elected to Alpha Omega Alpha Medical Society. He then completed orthopedic surgery residency at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas and was nominated to join the Gold Humanism Honor Society. During his residency, he was selected by his resident peers and faculty to receive the Bronze Hammer Award for being an outstanding orthopedic resident surgeon and used the grant money to complete a shoulder & elbow international visiting surgical fellowship with Prof. Dr. med Ralph Hertel in Berne, Switzerland.
Dr. Davis has completed the first of his dual fellowships after graduating in July 2022 from the UCHealth Steadman-Hawkins Clinic Denver sports medicine fellowship. Dr. Davis covered the sidelines as a fellow team physician for the Denver Broncos and the Colorado Rockies and is an active physician member of the U.S. Ski & Snowboard teams. He has also served his international orthopedic community through medical and surgical mission trips to Haiti and Guatemala. He is a fellow member of the American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons (ASES), the American Orthopedic Society for Sports Medicine (AOSSM), and the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS).
Dr. Davis’ mission statement is trifold: He intends to improve his patient’s musculoskeletal health through patient-centric and evidence-based care, to contribute to his community through on-field coverage and injury prevention and repair, and to advance orthopedic surgery through purposeful research. His professional values include integrity, reliability, dedication to continuous learning, empathy, team-based leadership, and positivity. After completion of dual fellowships, he desires to establish a career in knee, elbow, and shoulder arthroscopic procedures in addition to shoulder arthroplasty and complex knee, shoulder, and elbow reconstruction.
When he is not operating or evaluating patients in clinic, Dr. Davis can be found enjoying all that Colorado has to offer! He enjoys snowboarding, skiing, horseback riding, volleyball, golfing, SCUBA diving, and playing the guitar. He also enjoys spending time with his wife, Michelle, and daughter, Emilia, both of whom are also Colorado natives. When you see him in clinic or the OR, make sure to ask about his collection of bowties!
Denver is a vibrant city offering that will provide numerous options for your leisure time. The restaurant scene is constantly evolving, offering extensive options in neighborhoods throughout Denver. The Denver Center for Performing Arts offers plays, national musical groups, and a world-class symphony. Denver’s sports scene includes professional football, basketball, hockey, soccer, and baseball as well as numerous opportunities for the outdoor enthusiast whether it be skiing, local hiking, flyfishing in blue-ribbon waters, or climbing one of the state’s 58 fourteen-thousand-foot peaks.
