Fellowship coordination
Program Coordinator: Heather Ward — text (678) 656-7111. Office coordinator: Danielle Kasmarik. Reimbursement receipts (travel/lodging/education not paid by industry): Heather Stephens & Dr. Naylor.
Atlanta Arthroplasty Fellowship · 2026–27
The Fellowship Curriculum
Fifty weeks of adult reconstruction on the AAHKS FOCAL framework — what to learn, read, and watch every week of the year. Built for our fellows, shared openly with arthroplasty fellows everywhere.
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Your assignment
This week in the curriculum
The reading conference topic for the current week, with its videos and core readings. Come to conference having read the papers and watched the FOCAL session — the fellow leads the room.
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50-week reading conference sequence
The full-year curriculum
Every week has a topic, a lead (faculty or fellow-led), AAHKS FOCAL and VuMedi videos, and core readings drawn from the AAHKS hip, knee, and practice-management reading lists. Each topic also carries recent high-impact literature — the most-cited papers from the last five years, pulled from PubMed. Use Show all assignments to open the entire year at once, or Print / Save PDF for a complete offline copy. Check weeks off as you complete them — progress is saved in your browser.
0 of 50 complete
Reading citations reference the published literature; links open the article on PubMed or the publisher site. AAHKS FOCAL videos are hosted by AAHKS for fellowship education. Textbook chapters (Orthopaedic Knowledge Update, Advanced Reconstruction: Hip) are available through the AAOS and in the TJS fellow library. This curriculum is driven by the fellowship's master schedule in Google Drive — see the note at the bottom of the page for how live updates work.
Where you are assigned
Rotation blocks — 2026–27
Three fellows, three four-month blocks, three regions of the practice. Each block has a lead faculty. Notify your primary assignment if you are unable to make it.
Live map — drag to explore, use + / − to zoom, tap a pin for directions. The gold house marks the GA-400 corridor — Roswell up to Cumming — where most fellows live.
Where to live
Base yourself along GA-400
Most TJS fellows live along the GA-400 corridor between Roswell and Cumming — Alpharetta, Johns Creek, Milton, Cumming. It runs through the center of the practice's footprint, roughly 15–35 minutes to every Northside campus, so whichever four-month block you're on your commute stays short and you're close to the Forsyth hub where much of the OR and ASC volume happens.
Block A · Cherokee / Duluth
Lead: Dr. Land · Faculty: Land, Wood, Seng, Alva
- Monday
- Wood office (Lawrenceville) or Land office (Canton)
- Tuesday
- Seng OR, Wood OR (Buford), or Land office (Canton)
- Wednesday
- Land OR (Northside Cherokee) or Wood OR (Duluth)
- Thursday
- Land ASC (Canton) or Alva OR (Duluth)
- Friday
- Wood OR or Alva OR (Buford)
Block B · Atlanta
Lead: Dr. Bradbury · Faculty: Bradbury, Naylor, Minter, Vojdani
- Monday
- Vojdani OR (Northside Atlanta) or Naylor office (Alpharetta)
- Tuesday
- Bradbury OR (Atlanta) or Minter OR (Northside Forsyth)
- Wednesday
- Bradbury office (Atlanta)
- Thursday
- Naylor OR (NSF), Bradbury OR (NSA), or Minter OR (NSF)
- Friday
- Naylor office AM (Alpharetta)
Block C · Forsyth
Lead: Dr. Guild · Faculty: Guild, DeCook, Dean
- Monday
- Guild office or Dean office (Cumming)
- Tuesday
- Guild ASC/office (Cumming) or Dean OR (NSF)
- Wednesday
- DeCook OR (Cumming) or Guild OR/office (Cumming)
- Thursday
- DeCook OR (Cumming)
- Friday
- Research
Fellow block assignments
| Fellow | Aug – Nov 2026 | Dec 2026 – Mar 2027 | Apr – Jul 2027 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fellow 1 | Block A · Cherokee/Duluth | Block B · Atlanta | Block C · Forsyth |
| Fellow 2 | Block B · Atlanta | Block C · Forsyth | Block A · Cherokee/Duluth |
| Fellow 3 | Block C · Forsyth | Block A · Cherokee/Duluth | Block B · Atlanta |
Clinical services & faculty
Where the practice operates and which faculty anchor each service — from the Fellow Playbook.
| Service | Faculty |
|---|---|
| Northside Forsyth / ACJRF | Minter, Dean, Naylor, Guild, DeCook |
| Northside Atlanta / ACJRA | Vojdani, Bradbury |
| Northside Duluth · Gwinnett / ACJRG | Wood, Dean, Alva |
| Northside Cherokee / ACJRC | Land, Seng |
Faculty weekly schedule
Where each faculty member is on a typical week — use it to plan your OR and clinic days inside your block.
| Surgeon | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alexis Alva | Clinic – Buford | Clinic – Lawrenceville | Clinic – Buford | OR – Northside Duluth | Off |
| Thomas Bradbury | 1st/2nd/3rd/5th clinic – Sandy Springs; 4th OR – NSF | OR – ACJS Cumming | Clinic – Sandy Springs | 1st/3rd/5th clinic – Sandy Springs; 2nd/4th OR – Northside Atlanta | Off |
| Chase Dean | Clinic – Cumming | 2nd OR – NSF; otherwise off | 1st/3rd clinic – Braselton AM, OR – NSF PM; 2nd/4th/5th clinic – Braselton | Clinic – Cumming | 1st/4th/5th clinic – Braselton AM; 2nd/3rd OR – ACJS Cumming PM |
| Charles DeCook | OR – ACJS Cumming | Clinic – Cumming | OR – ACJS Cumming AM | OR – ACJS Cumming | Off |
| George Guild | Clinic – Cumming | 1st/2nd/3rd/5th OR – ACJS Cumming; 4th OR – NSF | 1st/2nd/3rd/5th clinic – Cumming; 4th OR – NSF | Clinic – Cumming | Off |
| Adam Land | Clinic – Canton | Clinic – Acworth | Clinic – Canton | Clinic – Canton | OR – Northside Cherokee |
| Brandon Naylor | Clinic – Alpharetta | Clinic & ASC – Cumming | Clinic – Cumming | OR – NSF | Clinic AM – Alpharetta |
| Brian Seng | Clinic – Canton | OR – Northside Cherokee | Clinic – Canton (possible OR) | OR – Northside Cherokee | Clinic – Canton |
| Sam Vojdani | 1st/3rd OR – Meridian Mark; 2nd/4th/5th OR – Northside Atlanta | Clinic – Sandy Springs | Clinic – Midtown | Clinic – Sandy Springs PM; OR – ACJS Sandy Springs | Off |
| Robert Wood | Clinic – Lawrenceville | OR – Northside Duluth | 3rd OR – ACJS Buford AM, clinic – Buford PM; otherwise off/occasional OR | Clinic – Braselton AM; 1st/3rd/5th OR – ACJS Cumming; 2nd/4th clinic – Lawrenceville PM | 3rd clinic – Snellville AM; otherwise off |
Key facility numbers
NSF OR: (770) 844-3280 · NSF operator: (770) 844-3200 · NSA OR: (404) 851-8924 · Northside scheduling: (404) 851-8888.
Track your year
Case log
Every surgical case is logged through the AAHKS case log portal throughout the fellowship year — primaries, revisions, infection, fracture, and ASC cases. Keep it current: your case numbers are part of your graduation record and the clearest summary of the volume you will have seen.
The weekly rhythm
Didactics and conferences
The curriculum above is the backbone of the weekly reading conference. Around it sits a fixed rhythm of imaging review, research, journal club, M&M, and hands-on labs. Join links for the two standing virtual conferences are below.
Standing conference
Monday X-ray / Didactic Conference
Mondays · 4:00–5:00 PM ET (excluding holidays). The fellow prepares and leads the one-hour presentation covering the week's curriculum topic, upcoming cases, post-ops, and new research.
▶ Join Google Meet meet.google.com/aeu-jteu-uwcStanding conference
Weekly TJS Research Meeting
Wednesdays · 3:30–4:30 PM ET. Active projects reviewed with the Guild/Bradbury research team. Every fellow authors and submits at least two scholarly works during the year.
▶ Join Google Meet meet.google.com/tfn-hhtq-yyiFellow-led · shared library
Monday x-ray conference decks
Each week’s presenting fellow posts their x-ray / didactic slide deck here. Drop your PowerPoint or PDF into the shared Google Drive folder and it appears below automatically — no emailing, no webmaster. Name it YYYY-MM-DD — Topic — Your name so the newest deck sorts to the top.
- Monday X-ray conference, 4:00–5:00 PM ET: fellow-led case review — diagnosis, options, literature, operative plan, pitfalls, and backup strategy. The fellow ensures AV and the virtual platform are ready and includes upcoming cases, post-ops, and relevant new research.
- Quarterly M&M — 2nd Monday of January, April, July, October: the fellow identifies 2–3 "major" complication cases (coordinated with faculty; send invites/case requests at the start of the month) and reviews quarterly ASC complication numbers using the M&M format.
- Monthly Fireside Chat: the first Monday following conference — faculty discuss topics in a small-group format with the fellows.
- Journal club & didactics (monthly, times TBD): fellows send selected articles by the first of the respective month and lead on the clinical question, study design, limitations, statistical validity, and impact on modern practice.
- Weekly research meeting (Wed 3:30 PM ET): both papers should be scoped by the end of Block 1; present at regional or national meetings whenever possible.
- Cadaver labs (2–3 per year): hip and knee approaches early (August) and acetabular reconstruction in the spring, hosted at the Zimmer lab.
- Case logs: all surgical cases logged through the AAHKS portal.
- Holiday cadence: conference runs weekly August through July, with breaks the last two weeks of December and after graduation in mid-July.
The research year
Research curriculum
Every fellow carries one first-author project from clinical question to journal submission across the year — supported by monthly meetings, structured scientific-writing didactics, and two supervised Journal of Arthroplasty peer reviews. Research faculty: George Guild, MD (Research Director), Tom Bradbury, MD, Brandon Naylor, MD, and Joseph Schwab, PhD (research methodology & scientific writing).
1 first-author manuscript
2 supervised JOA peer reviews
12 monthly research meetings
Present at the TJS Research Conference
August
2026
Fellowship begins · research orientation
Didactic: Orientation with Drs. Guild, Bradbury & Naylor — databases, choosing a clinical question, and mentor assignment.
Project selected by Aug 14 (mandatory) · protocol Aug 21 · IRB submission Aug 28.
September
2026
IRB approval underway; database finalized
Didactic: Scientific Writing I (Dr. Schwab): manuscript structure, Introduction & Methods, common writing errors.
October
2026
Data collection begins
Didactic: Study Design: cohort, case-control & registry studies, bias, and levels of evidence.
November
2026
50% of data collected · Practice JOA Review #1
Didactic: Peer Review (Dr. Schwab).
December
2026
Data collection complete
Monthly progress meeting.
January
2027
Statistical analysis complete; tables & figures generated
Didactic: Writing the Results (Dr. Schwab).
February
2027
Results & Discussion finalized
Didactic: Writing an Effective Discussion.
March
2027
First manuscript draft due (Mar 15); faculty review
Didactic: Scientific Editing (Dr. Schwab).
April
2027
Faculty revisions · Practice JOA Review #2
May
2027
Final manuscript complete; journal selection
Didactic: Responding to Peer Review.
June
2027
Manuscript submitted to a peer-reviewed journal
Journal of Arthroplasty, Arthroplasty Today, Bone & Joint Open, or JBJS Open Access.
July
2027
Final research presentation
Reviewer comments & future collaboration.
Monthly research meeting
First Wednesday of every month
Beginning August 5, 2026, fellows present project status, milestones, obstacles, and goals at the standing TJS Research Meeting (Wednesdays — join link in Didactics above).
Graduation requirements
- One faculty-mentored research project
- IRB submission (when applicable)
- Completed data collection and statistical analysis
- One first-author manuscript submitted
- Two supervised Journal of Arthroplasty manuscript reviews
- Attendance at the monthly research meetings
- Final research presentation
The TJS standard
The Fellow Playbook
This fellowship is not a continuation of residency — you function as a junior partner in a high-performing adult reconstruction practice. The full playbook covers culture, non-negotiable expectations, rotations, call, and what you should be able to do by graduation.
1 · Ownership
Own your patients
Know their history, imaging, and plan; follow their recovery closely; identify problems early and communicate them promptly.
2 · Preparation
Ready before the room
Review imaging, understand the indication, build the operative plan, know implants and alternatives, and know the bailouts before incision.
3 · Professionalism
Represent TJS
Be punctual, communicate proactively, treat every patient and team member with respect, and accept feedback with humility.
4 · Intellectual curiosity
Always ask "why"
Know the literature behind your decisions, engage in academic discussion, and respectfully challenge dogma.
Read this first
Atlanta Arthroplasty Fellowship — Playbook, Culture & Expectations
Progressive autonomy is earned through preparation, reliability, sound judgment, and technical performance. Office call 2 weeks per block; 3–4 days/month general ortho call; round POD#1 on your cases; PAC clinic 2 days per block (6/year).
↓ Download the full playbook (PDF)- By graduation — technical mastery: independently perform routine primary THA and TKA, execute complex revision strategies, and manage infection, instability, bone loss, and periprosthetic fractures — using robotics and computer-assisted tools.
- By graduation — clinical judgment: identify appropriate surgical candidates, optimize patients before surgery, recognize and manage complications, and know when non-operative management is best.
- By graduation — professional development: function as an arthroplasty partner, lead a multidisciplinary care team, and establish habits for a lifelong career in adult reconstruction.
Learn from your teachers
Faculty on VuMedi
Several TJS faculty publish surgical technique videos on VuMedi — anterior hip, revision exposure, knee balancing, and more. Explore each surgeon's library directly. A VuMedi account (free for trainees) is required to watch.
Brandon Naylor, DO
Program Director
Videos on VuMedi ↗
Tom Bradbury, MD
Associate Director
Videos on VuMedi ↗
George Guild, MD
Research Director
Videos on VuMedi ↗
Charlie DeCook, MD
Fellowship faculty
Videos on VuMedi ↗
The shelf
Curriculum library
The official AAHKS FOCAL materials this curriculum is built on, the research toolkit, the practice-management intensive, perioperative self-study units, and the recommended textbooks every fellow should know.
AAHKS FOCAL
Official curriculum documents
- AAHKS FOCAL Fellowship Curriculum — the national framework this page follows.
- Hip reading list (PDF)
- Knee reading list (PDF)
- Practice management & miscellaneous reading list (PDF)
- Suggested conference topics (PDF)
- Adult reconstruction fellowship guidelines (PDF)
- AAHKS resident & fellow comprehensive resource guide (PDF)
Dr. Naylor's shelf
Recommended textbooks (Ortho Library)
- Orthopaedic Knowledge Update (OKU) — AAOS core reference.
- Master Techniques in Orthopaedic Surgery — Pagnano.
- Revision Total Hip and Knee Arthroplasty — Berry.
- The Direct Anterior Approach to Hip Reconstruction — Rubin.
- Total Knee Arthroplasty — Scott.
- Advanced Reconstruction: Hip & Knee (AAOS) for revision chapters cited throughout the weeks.
Research toolkit
How to produce your two papers
- How to review manuscripts — RCTs, database studies, meta-analyses (FOCAL)
- Planning an arthroplasty outcomes registry / spotting bad science (FOCAL)
- Orthopaedic statistics & study design (FOCAL)
- TJS faculty publications on PubMed — see what the research engine produces.
Practice management intensive
The business of being a surgeon
Perioperative & value self-study
Beyond the OR — four gap units
- Preoperative optimization: modifiable risk factors in TJA (PubMed) — BMI, diabetes, smoking, anemia, MRSA decolonization, dental clearance.
- VTE prophylaxis: aspirin vs. anticoagulation in TJA (PubMed) and the AAOS/ACCP guidelines.
- Blood conservation: tranexamic acid in THA/TKA — combined society guidelines (PubMed).
- Outpatient arthroplasty & value-based care: ASC patient selection and safety (PubMed) — you will live this daily at TJS.
- International Consensus Meeting documents — searchable consensus on infection, VTE, and perioperative care.
Optional viewing & core sites
When you want more
This curriculum is published openly by the Atlanta Arthroplasty Fellowship at Total Joint Specialists so that any adult reconstruction fellow can use it. The weekly schedule is driven by the fellowship's master curriculum spreadsheet in Google Drive; when that sheet is published to the web, edits appear here automatically on the next page load. It follows the AAHKS FOCAL fellowship curriculum framework and the AAHKS/Hip Society/Knee Society suggested conference topics (approved March 2022). AAHKS FOCAL videos are the property of AAHKS. This page is educational material for surgeons in training, not patient-facing medical advice.