Northern Dutchess Hospital, a 68-bed facility in Rhinebeck, NY, provides a healing environment for patients to receive well-rounded, compassionate care. A broad range of services offered includes an award-winning orthopedic service encompassing sports medicine and pain management, wound care, and an expanded emergency department. Northern Dutchess has received a variety of awards pertaining to their commitment to delivering superior quality care including Joint Replacement Excellence Award (2022, Healthgrades), Orthopedic Surgery Excellent Award (2021, Healthgrades), and a 5-Star Rating from CMS (2021). Northern Dutchess has demonstrated a commitment to graduate medical education through redesign of facilities to include resident lounge areas, call rooms, and additional conference space. The goal of the rotations at Northern Dutchess Hospital is to provide fellows with high-quality patient care and exceptional educational experiences. From the state-of-the-art technology to the highly committed and qualified staff, Northern Dutchess is an ideal location for sports medicine fellowship training. Northern Dutchess will serve as the home institution for the Sports Medicine Fellowship Program. Fellows will rotate at Northern Dutchess for a variety of rotations throughout the fellowship including PT/OT, Ankle/Podiatry, Sports Nutrition, Orthopedic Surgery, Pain Management and Radiology. The rotations at NDH are under the direction of the site director, Dr. Schweppe, Board Certified in Orthopedic Surgery.

Schedule at a Glance:

Fellows will rotate to the sports medicine clinic longitudinally throughout the fellowship program. This experience allows the fellows to demonstrate growth and development in the diagnosis and treatment of outpatient sports medicine injuries and complaints. Fellows will initially assess the patient, completing a history and physical examination focused on the sports medicine injury. The fellows will create a patient management plan then discuss the plan and each case with the attending. The faculty member will then see the patient with the fellows and observe any necessary procedures, based on competence level. In addition, fellows will perform clinical administrative duties related to answering patient questions, refilling medications, and performing other essential clinic tasking. Fellows will also perform point of care ultrasound related to sports injuries at the sports medicine clinic.

Fellows will rotate to Vassar College and Pathfinder FC to perform on-site sports care longitudinally throughout the fellowship program. These experiences allow fellows to plan and implement medical care at sports events, provide comprehensive care to a variety of the college sporting teams and advanced soccer teams, on field management of sports related injuries, and involvement in medical transport of sport medicine related emergencies. Throughout the rotation the fellows will gradually have increased responsibility and increasing levels of independence.

Throughout the fellowship program, fellows will rotate to their primary care specialty clinic at least one half-day per week longitudinally throughout the program. This experience allows the fellows to maintain their skills in their primary specialty, as well as engage in non-sports related ambulatory care specific to their specialty. The fellows will be assigned to an ambulatory clinic that is in their primary specialty and will provide care to patients under the supervision of a board-certified physician. The supervising physician in each of the primary specialty practice areas will evaluate the fellows on a regular basis and provide feedback. Fellows will also provide teaching to the residents in the ambulatory setting in their primary specialty.

Journal Club will occur every month during the Sports Medicine Fellowship. Fellows will choose an article relevant to current patient care scenarios and present this article to the group of fellows and faculty. The fellow will then guide a discussion regarding the merit of the research as well as potential implications for patient care.

Fellows are encouraged and supported to participate in Scholarly activities through didactic conferences, research initiatives, and quality improvement projects. Each fellow must complete at least one scholarly and one quality improvement project over the course of the program. A faculty physician will mentor, guide and provide oversight to the sports medicine fellow during their scholarly activity. The fellow will identify a scholarly activity project at the beginning of the academic year and be paired with a faculty mentor who will assist them in refining their project idea, initiating a study/study design, conducting research, and developing the presentation. The fellow and faculty member will meet on a regular basis to review progress on the project, identify barriers and ensure the fellow will meet the requirements for graduation.

The Nuvance Health Sports Medicine Fellowship Program at Northern Dutchess Hospital thanks you for your interest in applying to our program. We accept all applications through ERAS only and participate annually in the NRMP Match Program. We hope you choose to join us.

Requirements: The following items are required for consideration of interview. All items must be received through ERAS application portal:

• Personal Statement
• Current CV
• 3 Letters of Recommendation
• USMLE Step 1 CK or COMLEX Level 1 Score
• USMLE Step 2 CS or COMLEX Level 2 PE Score (we understand that due to COVID-19 and USMLE changes some people may not have been able to take CS or PE)
• USMLE Step 2 CK or COMLEX Level 2 CE Score
• USMLE Step 3
• Program Director’s Letter (for new or recent graduates)

Karl Ziermann, D.O.
Program Director, Sports Medicine

Dr. Ziermann completed his medical degree at Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine. Dr Ziermann then went on to complete residency in Internal Medicine at Winthrop University Hospital and Sports Medicine Fellowship at SUNY Buffalo Medical Center. Dr. Ziermann currently holds roles as the team physician for Vassar College, FC Pathfinder Soccer club and various local high schools within the local community. On his off time he enjoys spending time with his wife and two children.

Dr. Alexander Chasin, Sports Medicine
Associate Program Director, Sports Medicine

Dr. Chasin was born and raised locally in Kingston, NY. He then went on to get his undergraduate degree from The Pennsylvania State University and his medical degree at St. George’s University School of Medicine. Dr Chasin then went on to complete residency in Emergency Medicine at Brookdale University Hospital and Medical center and Sports Medicine Fellowship at Northwell North Shore University Hospital. Over his time, he has been a team physician for Freeport High School, assistant team physician for St. Francis College and a physician consultant for the New York Islanders. On his off time, he enjoys skiing, watching PENN STATE FOOTBALL (WE ARE!) and spending time with his dog Chaplin.