Spine fellowship

The Spine Fellowship is a one-year program that provides the most comprehensive clinical exposure to pediatric and adult spinal disorders. Fellows will be extensively trained in the treatment of adult and pediatric spinal deformity including sagittal misalignment, scoliosis, kyphosis, neuromuscular and congenital disorders. Modern minimally invasive and traditional techniques will be learned in the treatment of degenerative spinal pathologist of cervical and lumbar spine.

The fellows will work closely with the attending surgeons in the Department of Orthopedic Surgery, as well as with the attending staff at the Spine Center. The fellowship is designed to allow increasing responsibility in clinics and surgery. Fellows will also have weekly time allotments for basic science and clinical research projects. There are seven ongoing projects at any given time, projects are reviewed and discussed monthly at the research meeting.

The fellowship is orientated toward training individuals in all aspects of spinal surgery in preparation for an academic or private position after completion of the program.

The spine service is run by the spine fellows, a senior resident, a junior resident, an intern and nurse practitioners on the hospital floor and in the clinic. Faculty takes trauma call every other week as the trauma is divided between orthopedics and neurosurgery. The fellows take call with the faculty. The spine fellows, along with the chief resident. are responsible for all patients on the spine service.

Fellows will operate at the UC Davis Health Medical Center and the Shriners Hospital for Children of Northern California, both located on the UC Davis' Sacramento campus. There will be 3- month rotations between the two hospitals so that each fellow will coordinate care and cases at those individual hospitals with significant cross coverage for trauma and extra cases at UC Davis Health. The fellow will learn to use instrumentation to decompress the spinal cord and nerves and the essentials of spinal fusion in both the anterior and posterior spine.

The UC Davis Health Medical Center is located in the Sacramento Metropolitan area and has access to a population of patients from the Central Valley. UC Davis Health is the only level I trauma center in the Central Valley and as such manages many spinal fractures. In addition, each of our surgeons maintains a busy elective practice that focuses on cervical, degenerative, and deformity in both adults and children. The spine service’s goal is to offer the fellows as much independence as possible with appropriate faculty backup. The fellows should learn decision-making, operative techniques, and how to take care of unexpected complications.

The fellowship begins Aug. 1 and ends Jul. 31. Compensation for PGY6 is $93,567.63/year, with excellent benefits. Individuals interested in applying for the Spine fellowship should apply through the SF Match Program at www.sfmatch.org.

Spine Fellowship interview dates for the 2025-2026 academic year are Jan. 6 and Jan. 7, 2025.

For more information, contact Delia Luna at dbluna@ucdavis.edu.