Orthopaedic International Travel Program Provides Residents with the Gift of Focused Time

Innovations in Orthopaedics | Summer 2025

Each year, thanks to the generosity of Brenda and Marshall Brown and the Orthopaedic Leadership Council, the Case Western Reserve University/University Hospitals Orthopaedic Surgery Program’s orthopaedic chief residents have the opportunity to spend three weeks training with renowned orthopaedic leaders anywhere in the world.

Robert Gillespie, MD

Christina Hardesty, MD

Residents receive a generous stipend to cover the costs of their trip, says Robert Gillespie, MD, the Michael and Grace Drusinsky Endowed Chair in Orthopaedic Surgery and Sports Medicine and Chief of Shoulder and Elbow Surgery at University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center.

“After piloting the program with internal funding, we shared the idea with Brenda and Marshall Brown,” Dr. Gillespie explains. “They met with residents who had traveled in previous years and have become the foundation for funding this initiative “We have a great group of benefactors with a special interest in orthopaedics. Their incredible support has enabled us to keep the program going.”

The International Travel Program was initiated by Dr. Gillespie and James Voos, MD, Chair of the Department of Orthopedic Surgery at University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center, to enhance residents’ knowledge of advanced orthopaedic techniques and to differentiate University Hospitals from other orthopaedic residency programs across the country. Dr. Voos, the Jack and Mary Herrick Distinguished Chair in Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine at University Hospitals, was able to travel to Switzerland during his residency and found the experience invaluable in shaping his career.

“The idea came about right before COVID,” Dr. Gillespie says. “Dr. Voos and I had both traveled abroad to visit internationally renowned surgeons in our field early in our careers, and we felt we could offer those experiences to enrich our residents’ education and enhance what they learn here at University Hospitals.”

Participants often describe their trips as ‘the best three weeks of residency.’ “If you stay in the same place all the time, you only learn one perspective,” says Christina Hardesty, MD, a Pediatric Orthopaedic Surgeon at University Hospitals Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital, the Harry E. Figgie III Professor in Orthopaedic Surgery, Program Director of the Case Western Reserve University/University Hospitals Orthopaedic Surgery Residency and Associate Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery and Pediatrics at School of Medicine. “Travel expands our residents’ knowledge base and provides a global perspective that broadens awareness, reduces bias and introduces them to surgical conditions they may have never experienced.”

Recent Resident Travels

Collin Blackburn, MD

Collin Blackburn, MD, studied total joint replacement at Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow, Scotland.

Chris Cheng, MD, studied novel complex hand surgery techniques at Jikei University and Kyoto University in Japan.

Roxanna Martinez, MD.

Jason Ina, MD, won the Video Journal of Sports Medicine Blockbuster Award for his research with the physicians at Le Centre Orthopédique Santy in Lyon, France.

Roxanna Martinez, MD, traveled with Women Orthopaedist Global Outreach (WOGO) to perform total joint replacements in Tanzania.

Tyler Moon, MD, studied complex orthopaedic trauma at the Nuffield Orthopaedic Center, one of the world’s only hospitals solely dedicated to bone infection in Oxford, England.

Kali Stevens, MD, studied microscopic and peripheral nerve surgery at Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham, England.

AJ Vakaharia, MD

AJ Vakharia, MD, studied shoulder surgery with the renowned Pascal Boileau, MD (Nice, France) and complex knee sports at Le Centre Orthopédique Santy in Lyon.

“During residency, there is so much competing for your time and attention,” Dr. Hardesty says. “The International Travel Program offers the gift of time to be singularly focused on specialized techniques without competing interests or interruptions.”

Recruiting the Best and the Brightest

University Hospitals is one of the only programs in the country to offer the travel elective. “It is a testament to Dr. Voos’ vision that he encourages us to be international leaders in our fields,” Dr. Gillespie says. “The travel program has given us an additional opportunity to stand out and has helped us achieve recognition as one of the country’s Top 10 orthopaedic residencies.”

The program has also enhanced University Hospitals’ reputation globally, opening doors for international collaborations and establishing connections for faculty and residents with leading orthopaedic experts worldwide.

“These are the ripple effects that will follow our residents as they move into the next phase of their careers,” Dr. Hardesty says. “There is immense value in building a network outside of your own institution when you are introduced to colleagues from across the world and realize how these relationships will impact you and your future patients.”

For more information, contact Dr. Gillespie at Robert.Gillespie@UHhospitals.org or Dr. Hardesty at Christina.Hardesty@UHhospitals.org.

Contributing Experts: 
Robert Gillespie, MD
Vice Chair of Academic Affairs and Professor
Michael and Grace Drusinsky Endowed Chair in Orthopaedic Surgery and Sports Medicine
Chief, Shoulder and Elbow Service
Department of Orthopaedic Surgery
University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center 
Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine

Christina Hardesty, MD
Pediatric Orthopaedic Surgeon
University Hospitals Rainbow Babies and Children’s Hospital<> Harry E. Figgie III Professor in Orthopaedic Surgery
Program Director
Case Western Reserve University/University Hospitals Orthopaedic Surgery Residency
University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center 
Associate Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery and Pediatrics
Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine