Spine Fellowship

As a fellow in our program, you will have the opportunity to become competent in complex degenerative and trauma cases, spinal deformity and minimally invasive spinal surgery.

Spine faculty perform more than 600 cases per year and are actively involved in clinical instruction, preparing you for any condition and all spinal diseases.

Our program offers vast research opportunities in both the clinical and basic science realms. The fellow’s goal is producing a manuscript by the end of the fellowship year. Fellows live in a vibrant college town that provides the entertainment, sports and culture of a larger city while enjoying the relaxed atmosphere and short commutes of a smaller city.

Goals

Our goal is to train spine fellows for any condition and all spinal diseases. Surgeons completing this fellowship will have the ability to readily enter a career in academics or be qualified to enter private practice.

We expect our fellows to develop competency in complex cervical cases, spinal deformity and minimally invasive spinal surgery. Fellows will be able to recognize and treat cervical, thoracic and lumbar pathology of spinal conditions and diseases, including degenerative, deformity, trauma, tumor, pediatric and adult conditions. The spine team performs approximately 600 cases per year.

Exposure

Approximate percentage of exposure to the spine by region:

Cervical: 30 percent
Thoracic: 10 percent
Lumbar: 60 percent

Approximate percentage of exposure to the spine by diagnostic category:

Degenerative: 60 percent
Trauma: 20 percent
Deformity: 15 percent
Tumor: 5 percent

Time demands

The fellow will spend 3½ to 4 days in the operating room with 1 to 1½ days spent in clinic.

The fellow will take primary call with the ortho spine attending as back-up. No in-house call is required. If desired, fellows can take primary faculty trauma call. If the fellow opts to take this call, one of the orthopaedic trauma faculty will be on back-up call if/when needed.

Conference curriculum

Grand Rounds: Weekly
Spine Resident/Fellow Core Lectures: Weekly
Spine Team Case Conference: Weekly
Spine Team Journal Club: Monthly
M&M Conference: Monthly

Research

Clinical and basic science research projects are ongoing, and fellows are encouraged to participate in research and produce a manuscript at the end of the fellowship year. A research team including a director of research, IRB coordinator, grants and contracts coordinator, research nurses, editors and a medical illustrator are available to assist.