Spine Surgery Fellowship

Program Description

There are two separate spine surgery fellowships offered at the University of Pennsylvania, offered through the SF Match:

1. The Comprehensive Adult Spine Surgery Fellowship at the University of Pennsylvania
2. The Combined Adult and Pediatric Complex Deformity Fellowship at Shriners Hospital for Children and the University of Pennsylvania

The Comprehensive Adult Spine Surgery Fellowship at the University of Pennsylvania

The Spine Surgery Fellowship in the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at Pennsylvania Hospital is a non-ACGME accredited program that offers the opportunity for training in a wide-exposure of adult degenerative and adult spinal deformity techniques. In contrast to the combined track in conjunction with Shriner’s Hospital for Children, our Adult fellows spend the entire year within the University of Pennsylvania Health System. Each year, two fellows are matched into the program and spend time at both Pennsylvania Hospital and Presbyterian Medical Center, as well as Penn-affiliate hospitals including Chester County Hospital and Virtua. Fellows work alongside Drs. Dave Casper, Matt D'Ambrosio, Rush Fisher, Amrit Khalsa, Jim San Fillipo, Sherif Sherif, Harvey Smith and Andrew Zhang.

The fellow will be in the operating room 3-4 days a week, with the balance of time in the clinic and for research. The fellow's surgical experience is truly comprehensive, including general degenerative procedures to surgical correction of complex deformity utilizing all types of interbody fusion, posterior cervical, thoracic, and lumbar osteotomy, vertebral corpectomy, complex anterior and posterior reconstruction, minimally invasive approaches including endoscopy, cervical laminoplasty, and arthroplasty. Fellows will learn traditional freehand techniques, supplemented with computer navigated/robotic screw placement. As a tertiary care center, and with our Level 1 trauma center, the fellows will also have significant exposure to complex revision spine surgery as well as trauma, tumor and infection.

Throughout the fellowship year there will be combined indication conferences with Neurosurgery, Physiatry, and Pain Management, journal clubs, and a didactic lectureship series. Fellows will also have the opportunity to collaborate with a productive clinical research team, with a requirement of at least one research project suitable for peer-reviewed publication upon completion of the fellowship year.

The Combined Adult and Pediatric Complex Deformity Fellowship at Shriners Hospital for Children and the University of Pennsylvania

The Combined Adult and Pediatric Complex Deformity Fellowship is a non-ACGME accredited program that offers a unique opportunity for training in both adult degenerative and deformity spine surgery, as well as pediatric spine surgery in collaboration with Shriners Hospital for Children. Each year, two fellows, separate from the dedicated adult fellowship, are matched into the program and spend 50% of their training in the University of Pennsylvania Health System and 50% at Shriners Hospital for Children. Fellows are exposed to a wide range of surgical techniques of varying complexity, from minimally invasive procedures to three-column osteotomies. The scope of deformities seen at Shriners include adolescent, juvenile and infantile scoliosis, as well as neuromuscular scoliosis. Fellows will also learn techniques in casting, bracing, growing constructs, and vertebral body tethering, in addition to traditional fusion and correction maneuvers. While at the University of Pennsylvania, the fellows will have a wide exposure ranging from primary adult idiopathic scoliosis, degenerative kyphoscoliosis, to complex revision spine surgery. Here, fellows will learn fundamentals of preoperative deformity surgery planning, principles of correction, and comprehensive interbody and osteotomy techniques. There are also ample opportunities to participate in ongoing research at either institution.

Program Leadership

Amrit S. Khalsa, MD
Co-Director, Spine Surgery Fellowship

David Casper, MD
Co-Director, Spine Surgery Fellowship

Penn Faculty

• David Casper, MD
• J. Rush Fisher, MD
• Amrit S. Khalsa, MD
• Sherif Sherif, MD
• Harvey E. Smith, MD
• Andrew S Zhang, MD

Shriners Faculty

• Amer Samdani, MD
• Steven W. Hwang, MD
• Josh Pahys, MD
• Terrence Ishmael, MD

Program Administration

Marialaina Scafidi
Director, Graduate Medical Education/Medical Affairs
Marialaina.Scafidi@pennmedicine.upenn.edu

Requirements

Candidates must have completed an ACGME-accredited residency or an ACGME-I accredited residency.

How to Apply

Register with the SF Match and submit your application to either The Comprehensive Adult Spine Surgery Fellowship at the University of Pennsylvania or The Combined Adult and Pediatric Complex Deformity Fellowship at Shriners Hospital for Children/the University of Pennsylvania. Incomplete applications or applications submitted after the application deadline will not be considered.