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AO Spine Short-Term International Fellowship — Kantonsspital St. Gallen — Interdisciplinary Spine Center, H-OCH Health Ostschweiz

Kantonsspital St. Gallen — Interdisciplinary Spine Center, H-OCH Health Ostschweiz

⌖ St. Gallen · Switzerland

Profile completeness32%17 decision fields need confirmation
DECISION SUMMARY

Key facts at a glance

Source reviewed 15 Oct 2026. Verify the current intake with the host.

Eligibility
Spine physician or specialist in orthopaedics, neurosurgery or trauma surgery with a strong interest in spine surgery; previous participation in at least one AO course or event; at least two years of AO Spine membership before applying; no Spine Fellowship in the past two years (except self-funded); up to 45 years old at application.
Funding
AO Spine pays a small stipend as a contribution toward travel, accommodation and meals; travel and insurance costs must be covered by the fellow and AO Spine does not arrange accommodation.
Deadline
Not recorded · check the official call
Duration
Short-term fellowships of 4 to 12 weeks under the AO Spine Short-term International Fellowship programme.
Hands-on status
Confirm clinical privileges directly with the host.
PROGRAMME OVERVIEW

Kantonsspital St. Gallen — Interdisciplinary Spine Center, H-OCH Health Ostschweiz (Interdisciplinary Spine Center) is listed as an AO Spine fellowship host centre for fully trained orthopaedic surgeons and neurosurgeons. Fellows are selected through the central AO Spine short-term international fellowship call.

The host page lists 30 beds and about 1,400 surgical cases per year, with standard open, endoscopic, minimally invasive, anterior and intradural techniques and spinal navigation. Other activities listed are interdisciplinary boards, educational activities with other Swiss spine departments, simulator training for spinal injections, virtual-reality training for microsurgical and endoscopic discectomy, and a clinical research lab. Scrub-in is decided case by case depending on the medical licence and HR approval; the page notes it is usually only possible for fellows from EU/FTA countries. The operating-room language is German.

✓
Official AO Spine fellowship host-centre page (AO Foundation)Last checked 15 Oct 2026
Review source ↗
INTERNATIONAL APPLICANT CHECK

What the official evidence currently supports.

Decision-critical fields are separated into published information, partial signals and questions that require direct confirmation.

0/6fully publishedNot an admission decision
≈Partially supported

International eligibility

Spine physician or specialist in orthopaedics, neurosurgery or trauma surgery with a strong interest in spine surgery; previous participation in at least one AO course or event; at least two years of AO Spine membership before applying; no Spine Fellowship in the past two years (except self-funded); up to 45 years old at application.

≈Partially supported

Training level & pathway

Clinical fellowship · Spine

≈Partially supported

Participation / hands-on scope

The host page lists 30 beds and about 1,400 surgical cases per year, with standard open, endoscopic, minimally invasive, anterior and intradural techniques and spinal navigation. Other activities listed are interdisciplinary boards, educational activities with other Swiss spine departments, simulator training for spinal injections, virtual-reality training for microsurgical and endoscopic discectomy, and a clinical research lab. Scrub-in is decided case by case depending on the medical licence and HR approval; the page notes it is usually only possible for fellows from EU/FTA countries. The operating-room language is German.

?Confirm with host

Medical registration & licensing

No programme-specific licensing field is recorded in the cited profile. Confirm directly with the host and regulator.

?Confirm with host

Language requirement

No programme-specific language score is recorded in the cited profile. Confirm the clinical working language and any formal test requirement.

?Confirm with host

Visa & work authorisation

Visa, sponsorship and work-right requirements are appointment-specific and must be confirmed with the institution.

NeuroSurgFellow does not guarantee admission, licensing, visas, employment, funding or operative privileges. Requirements may change by intake and appointment.

Data quality & missing information · 32% of decision fields recorded
DATA QUALITY & AVAILABILITY

32% of tracked decision fields are published

Checked 15 Oct 2026. Unavailable details below were not published in the cited material and have not been guessed.

✓ Duration✓ Eligibility✓ Funding✓ Training exposure✓ Official source✓ Application documents✓ Application route✓ Programme director— Current status: confirm directly— Commencement: confirm directly— Deadline: confirm directly— Positions: confirm directly— Participation level: confirm directly— Training level: confirm directly— International eligibility: confirm directly— Medical registration: confirm directly— Examinations: confirm directly— Language: confirm directly— Visa / work authorisation: confirm directly— Benefits: confirm directly— Fees: confirm directly— Insurance: confirm directly— Accommodation: confirm directly— Official contact: confirm directly— Accreditation: confirm directly
Recheck cited source ↗
APPLICATION TIMELINE & ROUTE

Plan the application.

Application status
Current availability unconfirmed
Commencement
Not published
Duration
Short-term fellowships of 4 to 12 weeks under the AO Spine Short-term International Fellowship programme.
Positions
Not published
Application route
Apply through the central AO Spine Short-term International Fellowship call (the 2027 call is closed; the 2028 call opens April 2027 and closes May 2027, with results in September 2027).
Standalone deadline
No separate deadline field is recorded; check the current official call.
Official contact
Not published in this profile
Open application source ↗
ELIGIBILITY & REQUIREMENTS

Published entry requirements.

Clinical or academic eligibility

Spine physician or specialist in orthopaedics, neurosurgery or trauma surgery with a strong interest in spine surgery; previous participation in at least one AO course or event; at least two years of AO Spine membership before applying; no Spine Fellowship in the past two years (except self-funded); up to 45 years old at application.

Funding and support

AO Spine pays a small stipend as a contribution toward travel, accommodation and meals; travel and insurance costs must be covered by the fellow and AO Spine does not arrange accommodation.

Benefits, fees & relocation

Benefits not published in this profile. Programme fees are not published. Insurance details are not published. Accommodation support is not published.

Application documents

  • Letter of motivation
  • Most updated curriculum vitae including list of publications
  • Copy of medical diploma or specialization diploma (orthopedics or neurosurgery)
  • Most recent AO Spine course or event certificate
  • One recommendation letter from a senior surgeon (signed, with contact details, no older than 6 months)
  • Copy of passport
  • Proof of English proficiency (certificate or self-statement)

Licence, examinations, language & visa

Registration requirements need direct confirmation. Examination requirements are not published. Language requirements are not published. Visa and work-authorisation requirements need direct confirmation.

HOST INSTITUTION

Kantonsspital St. Gallen — Interdisciplinary Spine Center, H-OCH Health Ostschweiz

1 sourced pathway is currently indexed for this institution.

View institution profile →Visit official source ↗
SOURCE & VERIFICATION

Official programme information.

Source
Official AO Spine fellowship host-centre page (AO Foundation)
Coverage
Official programme or institutional starting point
Last checked
15 Oct 2026
Editorial status
Source-linked profile
Programme lead
Martin Nikolaus Stienen, head of department as published on the AO host-centre page; surgeon in charge of fellows: Martin Nikolaus Stienen
Accreditation / recognition
Not recorded · confirm with the host or accreditor
Planned editorial review
15 Apr 2027
Open official programme page ↗
KEEP EXPLORING

Related fellowship profiles.

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International Sonntag Spine Research Fellowship

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Phoenix, Arizona · United States

Listed lead Brian P. Kelly, PhD (research supervisor)

Duration
1 year
Deadline
2027–2028 cycle: applications closed 15 September 2026.
Funding
Published as a funded laboratory-based fellowship (salary/benefit detail on the CommonSpirit careers posting linked from the page).
Exposure
Spinal biomechanics, implantable devices, surgical techniques, publications and major spine conferences.
Source reviewed 13 Oct 202652% of decision fields recorded
View details →Official source ↗
Source & missing information (12)

Funding: Published as a funded laboratory-based fellowship (salary/benefit detail on the CommonSpirit careers posting linked from the page).

Exposure: Spinal biomechanics, implantable devices, surgical techniques, publications and major spine conferences.

Eligibility: Oriented to international spine surgeons or neurosurgery residents from low- and middle-income countries.

Still to confirm: Current status · Positions · Medical registration · Examinations · Visa / work authorisation · Benefits · Fees · Insurance · Accommodation · Application documents · Official contact · Accreditation

Source: Official Barrow International Sonntag Spine Research Fellowship page. Reviewed 13 Oct 2026. Status reflects the last review, not a live vacancy check. Completeness is not a quality rating.

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Spine and Neurotrauma Fellowship

University of Pittsburgh / UPMC

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania · United States

Listed lead David O. Okonkwo, MD, PhD

Duration
1 year · July–June
Deadline
Not recorded · check official call
Funding
Research funding and moonlighting opportunities are published.
Exposure
Neurotrauma, deformity correction, minimally invasive and robotic spine surgery, navigation and clinical research.
Source reviewed 15 Oct 202672% of decision fields recorded
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Source & missing information (7)

Funding: Research funding and moonlighting opportunities are published.

Exposure: Neurotrauma, deformity correction, minimally invasive and robotic spine surgery, navigation and clinical research.

Eligibility: All fellows must be eligible for work within the United States and hold a permanent Pennsylvania medical licence and DEA licence.

Still to confirm: Current status · Deadline · Positions · Examinations · Fees · Insurance · Accommodation

Source: Official University of Pittsburgh page. Reviewed 15 Oct 2026. Status reflects the last review, not a live vacancy check. Completeness is not a quality rating.

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Spine and Peripheral Nerve Surgery Fellowship

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Stanford, California · United States

Listed lead John Ratliff, MD, FACS and Jon Park, MD, FRCSC (co-directors)

Duration
1 year (1 July–30 June)
Deadline
Not recorded · check official call
Funding
Not published on the directory page.
Exposure
Diseases of the spine including minimally invasive, robotic, reconstructive and oncologic spine surgery, plus spine radiation therapy and radiosurgery; clinical sites include Stanford Hospital, Santa Clara Valley Medical Center and VA Palo Alto.
Source reviewed 13 Oct 202668% of decision fields recorded
View details →Official source ↗
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Funding: Not published on the directory page.

Exposure: Diseases of the spine including minimally invasive, robotic, reconstructive and oncologic spine surgery, plus spine radiation therapy and radiosurgery; clinical sites include Stanford Hospital, Santa Clara Valley Medical Center and VA Palo Alto.

Eligibility: International applicants are considered; the page asks them to allow more time for processing.

Still to confirm: Funding · Current status · Deadline · Medical registration · Examinations · Benefits · Fees · Insurance

Source: Official Stanford Spine Clinical Instructorship page. Reviewed 13 Oct 2026. Status reflects the last review, not a live vacancy check. Completeness is not a quality rating.

BEFORE YOU APPLY

Confirm the details
that affect your move.

  1. Is the stated intake still open?
  2. Are international graduates eligible?
  3. Does the role include hands-on clinical privileges?
  4. Which licence, visa and language requirements apply?
  5. What salary, fees, insurance and relocation costs apply?