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Spine Fellowship | Neurological Surgery | Academic Programs and Training

Fellowships

Spine Fellowship

Neurosurgeon teaching a resident about spine surgery
  • Richard L. Price, M.D., Ph.D.
    Overview From the Director

    About the Fellowship

    The UC Davis Spine Fellowship is accredited by the Committee on Advanced Subspecialty Training (CAST). This fellowship will provide an advanced expertise in the diagnosis, treatment, and management of spinal disorders. The goal of the fellowship is to provide an academic environment in which a fellow can develop the necessary experience to be fully capable of evaluating and treating adult spinal disorders. Fellows will have exposure to all aspects of spine care. UC Davis is a high-volume level 1 trauma center that deals with trauma, tumor, infection, deformity, pediatric, and degenerative conditions of all areas of the spine. Fellows will be exposed to both traditional and leading-edge technology to treat patients with spinal disorders including endoscopic spine surgery, robotic spine surgery, artificial disc surgery and complex reconstructive surgery. Typically, the fellowship lasts one year. It follows completion of a neurosurgery residency or, in some cases, an orthopedic spine surgery residency. 

    Richard L. Price, M.D., Ph.D.
    Neuro Spine Fellowship Director
    Assistant Professor, Department of Neurological Surgery

The goal of this CAST-accredited spine fellowship is to provide an in-depth and comprehensive understanding of complex spinal conditions, including both degenerative and traumatic diseases, as well as congenital and neoplastic disorders. The fellowship emphasizes the integration of neurosurgical techniques with spinal care, enhancing the fellow’s ability to manage intricate cases and collaborate with other specialists.

1-year Neurosurgery Fellowship Track:
Eligible Candidates: Completed an ACGME accredited neurosurgery residency or completed a minimum of 4 years in post-graduate clinical training in neurosurgery.

Surgical Experience

Fellows are trained in all aspects of spine procedures with the emphasis on hands-on experience. Fellow are exposed to variety of open and minimally invasive surgical techniques including endoscopic spine surgeries, robotic spine surgeries, augmented reality-based surgery, and complex reconstructive surgeries, motion preserving techniques, and advanced spinal instrumentation. Our faculty emphasize incorporating innovation into their surgical practice. Additionally, fellows will be exposed to outpatient spine surgery at the newly opened 48X Surgery Center.

Clinical Care

Fellows participate in clinical care in outpatient clinics at the multidisciplinary UC Davis Spine Center. This includes evaluating patients and determining a care plan as well as managing post-operative care. Additionally, fellows are expected to take spine call throughout the fellowship in which they will be responsible for managing the care of patients that present to the hospital during the on-call week.

Research and Education

During the fellowship, fellows are expected to engage in research projects, contributing to the advancement of spine knowledge. This may involve clinical trials, outcomes studies, or basic science research. In addition, they participate in regularly scheduled educational conferences for fellows and residents.

Please send the following application documents in one pdf file to Staci Leitner at sleitner@health.ucdavis.edu and Richard Price, M.D., Ph.D. at riprice@health.ucdavis.edu.

  • Cover letter
  • Current Curriculum Vitae
  • Two letters of recommendation

Eligibility

To be eligible for the Spine Fellowship, you must have completed residency training in neurosurgery or orthopedics. Additionally, the applicant must be able to obtain an unrestricted California medical license.

  • Hansen Deng, M.D.
    Assistant Professor, Department of Neurological Surgery
  • Kee Kim, M.D.
    Chief, Spinal Neurosurgery
    Co-Director, UC Davis Spine Center
    Professor, Department of Neurological Surgery
  • Allan Martin, M.D., Ph.D.
    Associate Professor and Residency Program Director of Neurological Surgery
  • Richard Lee (Rick) Price, III, M.D., Ph.D.
    Assistant Professor, Department of Neurological Surgery
  • Thomas Wozny, M.D.
    Assistant Professor, Department of Neurological Surgery