Chief Residents Conclude Five-Year Orthopaedic Surgery Training with Disputations

As the distinguished five-year orthopaedic surgery residency program at Yale School of Medicine reaches its culmination for the chief residents, a prestigious tradition brings their rigorous academic journey to a celebratory conclusion.

This capstone event, called disputations, gives graduating residents a chance to show their hard-earned expertise, research, and contributions to orthopaedics.

Disputations are much more than presentations. The event serves as the integral academic exercise that rigorously tests the knowledge, analytical skills, and subject matter mastery of the most senior residents.

Structured to foster critical analysis and intellectual debate, the day-long event involves presenting complex orthopaedic cases, groundbreaking data, and a myriad of treatment strategies.

Chair and Ensign Professor of Orthopaedics & Rehabilitation, Lisa Lattanza, MD, emphasizes the significance of this tradition. “Our resident disputations involve each of the chief residents presenting at least one research project completed during their tenure at Yale,” she says. “We gather faculty, residents, staff, and sometimes the residents’ families to witness these podium presentations. Following the presentation, two faculty members with expertise in the relevant area engage the residents in a discussion, posing additional questions to delve deeper into the research.”

According to Lattanza, this academic exercise at Yale traces back to around 1970. Disputations were started by Augustus White, MD, the first Black orthopaedic surgery resident and professor. Drawing from a previous educational experience, White implemented disputations at Yale School of Medicine to foster rigorous academic discourse.

“Disputations are crucial as they not only highlight the rich history of this department but also underscore Yale’s commitment to excellence in research,” Lattanza says. “This platform allows our residents to shine, demonstrating their incredibly hard work over the past five years.”

Disputations serve as a final, rigorous assessment of the residents' readiness for independent practice. The event inspires junior residents to aim for excellence. It also offers a special chance to celebrate five years of hard work, resilience, and determination.

Congratulations to chief residents: Seongho Jeong, MD; Maxwell Modrak, MD, MS; Neil Pathak, MD; Zachary Radford, MD; and Estevao Santos, MD.

What is your best memory from residency?
Every single moment with my co-residents. I have been truly blessed to be around them for the past five years. If I had to pick one day, it would be Zach’s wedding and how all of us were able to make it there and celebrate together.

What was your favorite research article you worked on and why?
My favorite research article is, 3D printed pedicle screw guides reduce the rate of intraoperative screw revision in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis surgery. Dominick Tuason, MD and I looked at the accuracy of 3D printed pedicle screw placement and we compared it to that of free-hand technique.

What area of ortho are you specializing in and why?
I am specializing in spine because I love micro and macro aspects of spine surgery. I still love all the other ortho specialties.

Where will you be going next for fellowship?
I am planning on working in the Maryland area to stay close to my family.

What advice would you share with someone entering orthopaedic surgery residency?
You made the right decision to pursue orthopaedic surgery residency. It is such an exciting time as because there are so many new technologies that have become available. You will still be able to learn traditional techniques as well.

What is your best memory from residency?
Getting married and having a baby, Yale vs. Harvard football games, and putting Neil in a spica cast.

What was your favorite research article you worked on and why?
My favorite research article is, Glenohumeral Superior Translation and Subacromial Contract Pressure Are Both Improved With Superior Capsular Reconstruction: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Biomechanical Investigations. Working with the medical students at Yale and those in the labs of Jonathan Grauer, MD and Andrew Jimenez, MD has been an overall awesome experience.

What area of ortho are you specializing in and why?
I love all the specialties in ortho but I will be focusing on hand and upper extremity, so from the shoulder to the fingertip.

Where will you be going next for fellowship?
UPMC Hand and upper extremity fellowship because of great people and a strong, comprehensive clavicle to fingertip experience.

What advice would you share with someone entering orthopaedic surgery residency?
Be on time, work hard, and get better at one thing every day.

What is your best memory from residency?
My best memory was scrubbing cases with my fellow PGY5 classmates. You typically don't get to scrub cases with your co-residents from the same class due to how residency rotations are structured. But this year, while on call, I had the opportunity to do that a few times, which was loads of fun. It was amazing to see how far we have all come since intern year.

What was your favorite research article you worked on and why?
My favorite research article is, Documented Cannabis Use Is a Risk Factor for Nonunion After Nonoperative Management of Scaphoid Fractures: A Retrospective Review of 159 998 Patients. This research idea stemmed from a patient interaction while I was a PGY3, and I enjoyed taking the idea from the clinical setting to publication and presentation.

What area of ortho are you specializing in and why?
Hand and upper extremity surgery because I enjoy the complexity, variety, and breadth of the procedures one can do in this sub-specialty. We need our hands for practically everything, and restoring function to the upper extremity is immensely rewarding.

Where will you be going next for fellowship?
I will be going to the Philadelphia Hand to Shoulder Center/Thomas Jefferson University for hand and upper extremity fellowship.

What advice would you share with someone entering orthopaedic surgery residency?
Be ready to work hard, be a team player, and learn a ton. On the tough days/nights of residency, remember that there are many people out there who would do anything to be in your shoes. It's a privilege.

What is your best memory from residency?
My best memory is getting to know a diverse group of people and making new friends throughout residency.

What was your favorite research article you worked on and why?
My favorite research article is, Total Hip Arthroplasty in Patients Who Have Factor V Leiden: Elevated Risks Isolated to Venous Thromboembolism Events. I enjoyed learning how we can provide total joint arthroplasty safely to a more medically complex group of patients.

What area of ortho are you specializing in and why?
Hip and knee joint replacement because I like the patient population and getting people back to activities that they enjoy. I also appreciate how proficient surgeons can become in mastering those two surgeries.

Where will you be going next for fellowship?
I will be attending fellowship at the University of Virginia because of a collegial group of surgeons, broad training exposure to technology, approaches, complex cases. It also provides my wife and I the opportunity to explore a different part of the country.

What advice would you share with someone entering orthopaedic surgery residency?
My advice would be to make sure you enjoy the journey. Residency can certainly be a grind, but it was a fantastic five years of my life during a very formative time.

What is your best memory from residency?
There isn’t one single memory that defines residency for me. I’ve been fortunate to have incredible experiences and to be part of an amazing class. From the professional growth and increasing independence to the bonds we built together, I look back on it all fondly. The long clinical hours were made memorable by the jokes, music, endless coffee, takeout meals, and strong sense of camaraderie. The dinners, trips, outings, conferences, and international travel weren’t too bad either.

What area of ortho are you specializing in and why?
I am specializing in sports medicine. It’s a uniquely dynamic area of orthopaedics that offers a wide range of experiences. The patients are highly motivated to return to their active lifestyles, and it's one of the few subspecialties where you might find yourself caring for athletes from Little League to the professional sidelines.

Where will you be going next for fellowship?
I’ll be heading to Baptist Health of South Florida/FIU. A large part of my family lives in South Florida, and I’ve always hoped to practice there. The program is not only high-volume but also offers exposure to a broad range of orthopaedic cases. On top of that, I will have the opportunity to work with four of the five professional teams in the South Florida/Miami area, which sealed the deal for me. Lastly, the opportunity to cover the College Football National Championship game is quite the cherry on top.

What advice would you share with someone entering orthopaedic surgery residency?
Be ready to work hard. Residency is a marathon, but one that’s incredibly rewarding. Bring a team-first mindset and a selfless attitude. It won’t always be easy, but if you stay committed and support those around you, the experience will come full circle.