Where spine surgeons can train, visit or observe abroad: society-funded travelling fellowships, grants that pay for a visit you arrange yourself, year-long clinical posts, and self-arranged observerships. Each entry links to the organiser's own page.
| Date | Programme | Status | Who |
|---|---|---|---|
| 13 Nov 2026 | CNS Foundation International Spine Observership, Duke | Opens 13 Nov 2026 | International neurosurgeons; closes 31 Jan 2027 |
| 30 Nov 2026 | EUROSPINE Observership Grant | Open | EUROSPINE Premium or Standard members |
| Jan 2027 | AO Spine North America Fellowship Award | Forecast | Institutions running spine fellowships (not individuals) |
| 13 Apr 2027 | Spine Surgery Fellowship Match (SF Match / NASS) | Match day | Rank lists due 6 Apr 2027; for posts starting August 2028 |
| Apr 2027 | AO Spine Short-term International Fellowship 2028 (applications April to May 2027) | Opens | AO Spine members of 2+ years, 45 or younger |
"Forecast" means the date comes from a previous cycle or a grants aggregator, not yet from the organiser.
Short, structured visits of two to twelve weeks, usually with a stipend. Almost all require society membership, often for a set number of years before you apply.
Four to twelve weeks at an AO Spine host centre, for fully trained orthopaedic and neurosurgeons. Regional programmes (Asia Pacific, Europe & Southern Africa, Latin America, Middle East & North Africa) run their own guidelines.
An observership of up to four weeks for mid-career surgeons at AO Spine host centres, centred on case discussion and peer exchange.
Up to 14 days at another EUROSPINE member's centre, with a certificate on completion and a short report afterwards.
Two EUROSPINE fellows spend two to three weeks in Japan, starting at the JSSR Annual Meeting and then visiting two or three centres. Two JSSR fellows travel the other way.
Ten fellows in 2026: the Annual Meeting in Gothenburg, a two-day robotics skills lab in Amsterdam, then visits to three European centres. Industry-partnered.
Twelve months in BMRC-affiliated laboratories in Pittsburgh for an early-career EUROSPINE researcher. First scholar started July 2026.
Three fellows tour deformity centres for two to three weeks, ending at the SRS Annual Meeting. The direction alternates: international fellows visit North America in odd years; North American fellows go abroad in even years.
Robert B. Winter Global Outreach Fellowship: 4–6 weeks at a recognised global spine centre, about US$12,000, for surgeons in under-served regions. Global Outreach Visiting Fellowship: 3–4 weeks with an SRS member, up to US$6,000, for surgeons from developing countries with 2+ years' independent practice. Lori A. Karol Women in Spine Award: US$8,500 for the Annual Meeting plus a 2–3 week visit. Emerging Technologies Fellowships (vertebral body tethering; 3D imaging and predictive planning): 2–3 weeks, up to US$12,000. Eduardo R. Luque Scholarship: US$2,500 for surgeons in Latin America or the Iberian Peninsula. Most do not require SRS membership but need a recommendation from an SRS member.
Clinical: at least one month across three to five centres you choose and secure in writing. Research: at least five months at one centre on a defined project. Both typically pay US$3,000–7,000 towards travel and housing, and recipients write a report for SpineLine.
NASS also runs a new International Traveling Fellowship to Brazil (with the Brazilian Spine Society), open only to US-based NASS members.
A cervical-spine-focused tour for young academic surgeons. CSRS's own 2025 prospectus said it planned to restart the fellowship in 2026 after a pandemic pause, with fellows from CSRS Asia Pacific and CSRS Europe. Current dates are not published.
Smaller programmes, often with a fixed host centre or a fixed rotation.
A two-week rotation around UK spinal units (Liverpool, Leeds and Sheffield in 2026), then a group presentation at the BASS meeting. Combines orthopaedic and neurosurgical spine.
BASS, BSS and Orthopaedic Research UK also fund a two-year spine research fellowship of up to £70,000.
APSS–Ganga Hospital: two fellows, three weeks in Prof. S. Rajasekaran's unit in Coimbatore; the co-host covers return economy airfare. APSS–UMMC: fellowship at the spine unit of Universiti Malaya Medical Centre, Kuala Lumpur. APSS Medtronic Clinical Fellowship: ten fellows, three weeks each at APSS spine centres. APSS–SICOT Travelling Fellowship: two surgeons from outside Asia Pacific tour Asian centres.
Designated centres offer fellowships to young neurosurgeons, mainly from developing countries. Examples: two 6-month clinical fellowships a year at the National Neuroscience Institute, Singapore; a four-month observership in Miami; a WFNS–Aesculap fellowship in Tübingen. These cover general neurosurgery, not spine alone.
Three to six months with Duke's neurosurgical and orthopaedic spine faculty, tailored to the awardee's interests (MIS, deformity, oncology).
Money rather than a ready-made programme: you choose and arrange the host centre, the grant pays part of the cost. Two society schemes listed above also work this way: the EUROSPINE Observership Grant (€1,500, deadline 30 November) and the NASS Clinical and Research Traveling Fellowships (US$3,000–7,000, spring deadline).
Three-month fellowships. The International Travelling Fellowship pays €2,500 in total and the fellow arranges travel, accommodation and the host centre. The Danish Travelling Fellowship is spine-specific, hosted at Aarhus University Hospital, with up to €2,000 for travel and accommodation against receipts.
A small travel grant for consultants to visit a unit offering surgical experience not available at their own hospital, for up to three months within the UK or Europe. Apply before travelling.
RCSEd funds travelling fellowships through open rounds on its grants platform. Amounts, eligibility and closing dates are published in each round's application form, not on the overview page.
Usually two clinical travel grants a year for a spine visit the applicant arranges. Recent fellows went to Weill Cornell and NewYork-Presbyterian, UCSF, Seattle, the Schulthess Klinik in Zurich and Ganga Hospital in India. Part of the grant may cover a DWG course. Fellows present their results at the DWG congress.
An annual travel grant for a training or study trip. Spinal trauma surgeons fit the eligibility; the trip must start within 12 months of the award and a report is due within three months of return.
For a young, research-active surgeon from abroad to observe at a German surgical department of their choice. Applicants from developing countries and Eastern Europe are explicitly welcome. A general surgical scholarship: confirm with the BDC that a spine department qualifies.
Grants to US orthopaedic fellowship programmes, including spine and combined orthopaedic–neurosurgical spine fellowships, to cover a fellow's salary and benefits or other direct educational costs. Programmes apply, not individual surgeons. OMeGA's public pages are out of date, so check the current cycle directly.
AO Spine North America's Fellowship Award works the same way: funding to institutions, with the next call forecast for November 2026 to January 2027.
Formal training posts with operating responsibility. Licensing and visa rules decide who can apply, so check them before anything else.
More than 100 one-year positions across the US and Canada are filled through one match. The match runs in April for posts starting in August of the following year; registration is US$150.
Neurosurgical spine fellowships are also accredited separately by the Society of Neurological Surgeons' CAST committee; the AO Spine North America fellowship sites add courses and membership for their fellows.
Salaried fellowships advertised by individual hospitals on NHS job sites; the named UK posts are listed under Named spine fellowships below. Example: Nottingham University Hospitals advertised a spinal fellowship at £65,048 a year in February 2026, with August 2026 or February 2027 starts.
Posts are arranged directly with host centres. See Named spine fellowships below for centres that publish a recurring fellowship.
Established spine fellowships at named centres that recur every year. Most UK posts are salaried NHS jobs advertised once a year on NHS Jobs; the link goes to the scheme page or the latest advert. Always check the current advert or ask the unit before applying.
Short, mostly observational fellowships that run every year at named centres, with a stipend from AO Spine. Useful for seeing a unit before applying for a longer post; not a substitute for a 12-month fellowship.
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