Research Fellowship

Come to Helsinki or Turku

You need research – research needs you!

Research is one of the most important ways to improve quality and develop new techniques in handsurgery. With a new Research Fellowship, we want to stimulate, assist and foster scientific thinking and scientific working in hand surgery for all surgeons both young and established, who are members of the national societies represented by FESSH.

A one-week stay in a dedicated research department of a European hand surgical center is offered to create a forum for exchanging information, techniques and concepts in Europe and help spread research experience.

For the 2025 Research Fellowship, two Centers are welcoming the fellows. One of the hosting research groups is the Hand Surgery Unit at Helsinki University Hospital (HUS), part of the Division of Musculoskeletal and Plastic Surgery and the Hand Surgery Unit at Turku University Hospital (TYKS), part of the Division of Diseases of the Musculoskeletal System.

In Helsinki the unit conducts extensive multidisciplinary research in various areas of hand surgery, often in collaboration with national and international partners. Research topics range from the use of AI in hand surgery to 3D surgical planning, biomaterials (including Bioglass), randomized controlled trials (RCTs) for various conditions (PRP, SLAC/SNAC, CMC, Dupuytren), and studies in trauma, reconstruction (incl. microrobot), and epidemiology. This diversity ensures research opportunities for a wide range of interests.

In Turku TYKS has been at the forefront of development of wrist surgery in Finland including arthroscopy and mini-invasive procedures. The unit conducts research in various areas of hand surgery such as common hand surgery problems (carpal tunnel syndrome, lateral epicondylitis) and innovative research on such topics as arthroscopic and mini-invasive procedures of the wrist.

The fellowship encourages proactive participation in ongoing research projects, and fellows are invited to engage with project managers to meet specific studies. Additionally, fellows have the chance to observe and participate in research conducted in other departments, such as plastic surgery and orthopedics, further broadening the learning experience. This hands-on exposure provides invaluable practical insights and fosters collaboration within the broader field of musculoskeletal and reconstructive surgery.

During the fellowship, you will interact with the different researchers and discuss their research projects. The FESSH Research Fellows will also be asked to present their experience and plans during the FESSH Congress in Rotterdam.

FESSH Council will be supporting 2 fellows with a maximum of 1000€ /applicant. The fellowship is to be used for travel, accommodation and subsistence.

The one week stay will be just prior to the FESSH congress: 16-24 June 2025 in Turku or/and in Helsinki at the Hand Surgery Unit at Turku University Hospital or/and Helsinki University Hospital. The Centers. (Fellows please add your preference of choice.)

The applicant should be a member of a national hand society which is a FESSH member.

Successful candidates will not be awarded the fellowship again within 5 years.

Applications should be sent to research@fessh.com

Application deadline: 15 February 2025

The following items are to be attached:

• 2 page curriculum vitae including attendance at FESSH events and research presentations and publications
• 1 letter of recommendation, which is from the Applicant’s head of training
• A 500 word personal statement. This should describe your commitment to hand surgery, your learning goals from the visit, your future ambitions and how the Fellowship will help you and how it will help hand surgery in Europe.
• Written confirmation if the travel does not occur for whatever reason the money is to be returned.

Two thirds of the Fellowship will be paid to the successful applicants prior to their travel.

The final third will be paid after the visit when the below requested 3 documents have been sent to the FESSH Office:

• Signed confirmation from the Head of the host centre that the visit took place
• An expense report with receipts on cost items the fund has been spent
• Report in illustrated poster style (.pdf or .ppt). This will be kept as a record in the FESSH archive.

WINNERS