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Complex and Minimally Invasive Spine Deformity Fellowship

A one-year AO Spine accredited fellowship training physicians in the treatment of all spinal pathologies, with special emphasis on open and minimally invasive techniques for adult deformity and complex reconstructive procedures.

AO Spine North America 2024-2025 Fellowship Site seal

Program Overview

The Complex and Minimally Invasive Spine Deformity Fellowship trains physicians in the treatment of all spinal pathologies, with special emphasis placed on open and minimally invasive techniques for adult deformity and complex reconstructive procedures. The program covers congenital scoliosis, adult degenerative kyphoscoliosis, cervical deformity, and post-oncologic reconstruction across the craniocervical junction through the sacral spine.

Key Program Features:

  • AO Spine Accredited fellowship program
  • 1 Year comprehensive training (July 1 - June 30)
  • Transition to practice experience
  • Autonomous procedural proficiency upon completion

Conditions Treated

Fellows manage the full range of spinal pathology:

  • Degenerative conditions
  • Tumors of the spine and spinal cord
  • Spinal infection
  • Congenital spinal disorders
  • Spinal trauma
  • Inflammatory spine diseases
  • Complex deformity reconstruction

Cases span the craniocervical junction, cervical spine, thoracic spine, lumbar spine, and sacral spine.

AO Spine Accreditation

The fellowship holds accreditation through AO Spine. Visit the official AO Spine site at aofoundation.org/spine. Accreditation provides fellows with:

  • Funded participation in Fellows Cadaver courses
  • Complications course attendance
  • Banff Fellows Forum participation
  • Global Spine Diploma Program and examination
  • Funded conference presentations when research receives oral presentation acceptance

Supported society memberships include:

  • AO Spine
  • Spine Summit
  • Scoliosis Research Society (SRS)
  • AANS, CNS, IMAST, CSRS, LSRS, ISASS, SMISS
  • North American Spine Society

Translational Research

Fellows access a prospective spine registry for conducting studies. The program emphasizes team science through:

  • International Spine Study Group (ISSG) collaborations
  • American Spine Registry collaborations
  • Collaboration opportunities with medical students and residents

Research Support:

  • Funding supports grant applications and young investigator opportunities through AO Spine, CSRS, LSRS, and Spine Summit
  • Preparation for independent studies and grant funding upon completion

Education Experience

Regular Educational Activities

  • Spine case conferences with complex case discussions
  • Core curriculum didactic lectures
  • Preoperative conferences
  • Journal club participation
  • M&M conferences

Advanced Training Courses

  • Regular cadaver courses covering advanced techniques:
    • Lateral and prone lateral access
    • Endoscopic surgery
    • Robotic surgery
    • Advanced deformity corrections
  • National fellow-centered courses with funding support
  • External rotations and traveling fellowships with appropriate educational agendas

Teaching Responsibilities

Fellows are expected to participate in didactic training while teaching junior residents, fostering a collaborative learning environment.

Surgical Techniques

Deformity Correction

  • Open and minimally invasive deformity correction
  • Robotic and navigation-guided screw placement
  • Lateral and prone lateral access (LLIF, OLIF, Lateral ALIF)
  • Kyphoplasty

Minimally Invasive Techniques

  • Endoscopic surgery
  • Minimally invasive percutaneous and tubular surgery
  • Robotic surgery
  • Augmented reality-assisted surgery

Advanced Procedures

  • Stereotactic radiosurgery
  • Sacroiliac joint fixation

Fellowship Details

  • Length: 1 Year
  • Dates: July 1 through June 30
  • Funding: Research Funding and Moonlighting Opportunities Available
  • Accreditation: AO Spine

Current Fellows

Current Fellow (2026-27)

Past AO Spine Fellows

Application Requirements

Eligibility

  • Eligibility to work within the United States
  • Permanent medical license
  • DEA license

Application materials

  • Cover letter
  • Curriculum vitae
  • Minimum of two reference letters

Contact Information

The spine fellowship is accredited by AO Spine. Applications and inquiries should be directed to the program:

Nitin Agarwal, MD, Fellowship Co-Director Email: [email protected]

For general institute inquiries, visit our contact page.