UC Davis Health
Department of Neurological Surgery

Skull Base Surgery Fellowship | Neurological Surgery | Academic Programs and Training

Fellowships

Skull Base Surgery Fellowship

Skull Base Surgery
  • Kia Shahlaie, M.D.
    Overview From the Director

    About the Fellowship

    The UC Davis Skull Base Surgery Fellowship is a 12-month CAST approved fellowship that offers advanced training in the multidisciplinary management of complex skull base disorders. Designed for neurosurgeons seeking subspecialty expertise, the fellowship provides extensive experience in open, minimally invasive, and endoscopic approaches to the anterior, middle, and posterior skull base. Fellows also gain hands-on experience with the use of augmented reality in skull base surgery, enhancing precision and surgical planning in complex cases.

    UC Davis Health serves as a quaternary referral center for Northern California, covering 33 counties and a population of over 6.5 million people. The Skull Base Team at UC Davis is recognized by the North American Skull Base Society (NASBS) as a Multidisciplinary Team of Distinction, reflecting our commitment to excellence in coordinated, team-based care.

    Kia Shahlaie, M.D.
    Skull Base Surgery Fellowship Director
    Professor and Chair, Department of Neurological Surgery

Fellowship Director: Kia Shahlaie, M.D., Ph.D., F.A.A.N.S., F.C.N.S.
Length: 12 months
Location: UC Davis Medical Center, Sacramento, CA
Accreditation: CAST

The fellowship offers high-volume, hands-on experience in complex skull base surgery, with a strong focus on multidisciplinary care. Fellows participate in the surgical management of benign and malignant tumors, pituitary and parasellar lesions, vascular anomalies, and traumatic or congenital skull base defects.

Training emphasizes preoperative assessment, surgical planning, advanced anatomical approaches, and intraoperative decision-making. Fellows also engage in collaborative clinics and tumor boards with faculty from ENT (including otology, rhinology, and head and neck surgery), plastic surgery, radiation oncology, radiology, pathology, endocrinology, and ophthalmology.

Research, education, and academic development are integral to the fellowship. Fellows will lead research and/or quality improvement projects during the year, with opportunities to publish, present at national meetings, and attend specialized skull base workshops and professional conferences.

The fellowship curriculum is designed to provide a comprehensive and immersive experience in skull base surgery. Training includes:

  • Open cranial base approaches
  • Minimally invasive and keyhole techniques
  • Endoscopic endonasal approaches to the sellar, parasellar, and clival regions
  • Reconstruction using regional and microvascular flaps in collaboration with ENT and plastic surgery
  • Multidisciplinary tumor boards and skull base case conferences
  • Clinical and translational research with dedicated mentorship
  • Cadaveric dissection opportunities
  • Attendance at national conferences and hands-on skull base workshops

Fellows will actively participate in all phases of patient care, including clinic, surgery, and follow-up, and will help coordinate care with related specialties. The curriculum is customizable based on the fellow’s interests and career goals.