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AO Spine Short-Term International Fellowship — Seoul St. Mary's Hospital

Seoul St. Mary's Hospital, The Catholic University of Korea

⌖ Seoul · South Korea

Profile completeness72%7 decision fields need confirmation
DECISION SUMMARY

Key facts at a glance

Source reviewed 8 Oct 2026. Verify the current intake with the host.

Eligibility
Spine physicians or orthopaedic, neurosurgical or trauma surgeons with a strong interest in spine surgery, aged 45 or under at application, with at least two years of AO Spine membership, prior participation in an AO course or event, and no (non-self-funded) spine fellowship in the past two years.
Funding
AO Spine pays a small stipend towards accommodation and living costs (benchmark USD 550 per week in the United States, adjusted for local price levels); travel and insurance are paid by the fellow.
Deadline
2028 programme call opens April 2027 and closes May 2027; results September 2027 (AO states decisions are sent by the end of October at the latest).
Duration
4–12 weeks
Hands-on status
No scrub-in for AO fellows (observation).
PROGRAMME OVERVIEW

AO Spine fellowship host centre at Seoul St. Mary's Hospital, The Catholic University of Korea (Seoul) offering 4–12 week short-term international spine fellowships through AO Spine's annual call.

Neurosurgery: about 1200 surgical cases per year and 59 beds; techniques include standard open, endoscopic, minimally invasive, anterior, navigated, intradural, pain-management surgery. Other activities: Professor Jin Sung Kim is proficient in a range of advanced minimally invasive surgical techniques, including: - Full-Endoscopic Spine Surgery - Bi-portal Endoscopic Spine Surgery - Endoscopic Lumbar Fusion - Microscopic Tubular Decompression - Minimally Invasive Retropleural Thoracic Approach.

✓
Official AO Spine host-centre profileLast checked 8 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.

3/6fully publishedNot an admission decision
≈Partially supported

International eligibility

Spine physicians or orthopaedic, neurosurgical or trauma surgeons with a strong interest in spine surgery, aged 45 or under at application, with at least two years of AO Spine membership, prior participation in an AO course or event, and no (non-self-funded) spine fellowship in the past two years.

✓Published in profile

Training level & pathway

Fully trained orthopaedic surgeons and neurosurgeons (or spine physicians) seeking additional spine-surgery experience; age 45 or under.

✓Published in profile

Participation / hands-on scope

No scrub-in for AO fellows (observation).

?Confirm with host

Medical registration & licensing

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

✓Published in profile

Language requirement

Korean is the dominant operating-room language; host rates team English 5/5 written and 5/5 spoken.

≈Partially supported

Visa & work authorisation

AO Spine does not state any visa support; its FAQ lists visa and immigration among the factors applicants should weigh when choosing a host centre.

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

Data quality & missing information · 72% of decision fields recorded
DATA QUALITY & AVAILABILITY

72% of tracked decision fields are published

Checked 8 Oct 2026. Unavailable details below were not published in the cited material and have not been guessed.

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

Plan the application.

Application status
Current availability unconfirmed
Commencement
Fellowships take place in the year after selection; after acceptance AO proposes the dates and host centre.
Duration
4–12 weeks
Positions
Not published
Application route
Apply through the annual AO Spine Short-Term International Fellowship call, selecting this host centre; the 2027 call is closed and applications for the 2028 programme reopen in April 2027.
Standalone deadline
2028 programme call opens April 2027 and closes May 2027; results September 2027 (AO states decisions are sent by the end of October at the latest).
Official contact
spine@fellows.aofoundation.org
Open application source ↗
ELIGIBILITY & REQUIREMENTS

Published entry requirements.

Clinical or academic eligibility

Spine physicians or orthopaedic, neurosurgical or trauma surgeons with a strong interest in spine surgery, aged 45 or under at application, with at least two years of AO Spine membership, prior participation in an AO course or event, and no (non-self-funded) spine fellowship in the past two years.

Training level

Fully trained orthopaedic surgeons and neurosurgeons (or spine physicians) seeking additional spine-surgery experience; age 45 or under.

Funding and support

AO Spine pays a small stipend towards accommodation and living costs (benchmark USD 550 per week in the United States, adjusted for local price levels); travel and insurance are paid by the fellow.

Benefits, fees & relocation

Benefits not published in this profile. Host administration fee: USD $100 (Registration Fee to Confirm Participation). Travel and insurance costs must be covered by the fellow. AO Spine does not arrange accommodation.

Application documents

  • AO application: CV with publications, medical/specialist diploma, latest AO Spine course/event certificate, senior-surgeon recommendation letter (under 6 months old), proof of English proficiency
  • Host requirements: -Application form, Passport, CV, notarized board certificate, Verification of medical license, Verification of employment, ID Photo, Consent form, pledge, Covid-19 Vaccination report, Approval letter, Immunity checklist

Licence, examinations, language & visa

Registration requirements need direct confirmation. Examination requirements are not published. Korean is the dominant operating-room language; host rates team English 5/5 written and 5/5 spoken. AO Spine does not state any visa support; its FAQ lists visa and immigration among the factors applicants should weigh when choosing a host centre.

HOST INSTITUTION

Seoul St. Mary's Hospital, The Catholic University of Korea

1 sourced pathway is currently indexed for this institution.

View institution profile →Visit official source ↗
SOURCE & VERIFICATION

Official programme information.

Source
Official AO Spine host-centre profile
Coverage
Official programme or institutional starting point
Last checked
8 Oct 2026
Editorial status
Source-linked profile
Programme lead
Ryu Kyeong-Sik (surgeon in charge of fellows)
Accreditation / recognition
AO Spine Fellowship Host Centre
Planned editorial review
8 Apr 2027
Open official programme page ↗
KEEP EXPLORING

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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.
Exposure
Spinal biomechanics, implantable devices, surgical techniques, publications and major spine conferences.
Source reviewed 8 Oct 202636% of decision fields recorded
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Funding: Published as a funded, laboratory-based fellowship.

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

Eligibility: International spine surgeons or neurosurgery residents from low- and middle-income countries; confirm the active intake.

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

Source: Official Barrow Global page. Reviewed 8 Oct 2026. Status reflects the last review, not a live vacancy check. Completeness is not a quality rating.

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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 8 Oct 202668% of decision fields recorded
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Funding: Research funding and moonlighting opportunities are published.

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

Eligibility: Requires US work eligibility plus permanent Pennsylvania medical and DEA licensure.

Still to confirm: Deadline · Positions · International eligibility · Examinations · Language · Fees · Insurance · Accommodation

Source: Official University of Pittsburgh page. Reviewed 8 Oct 2026. Status reflects the last review, not a live vacancy check. Completeness is not a quality rating.

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Duration
1 year; optional additional research year for selected candidates
Deadline
Not recorded · check official call
Funding
Salary and benefits are employment-specific and should be confirmed with Cleveland Clinic.
Exposure
Degenerative disease, deformity, trauma, infection, intradural and extradural tumours, complex reconstruction, microsurgery and minimally invasive spine surgery.
Source reviewed 8 Oct 202652% of decision fields recorded
View details →Official source ↗
Source & missing information (12)

Funding: Salary and benefits are employment-specific and should be confirmed with Cleveland Clinic.

Exposure: Degenerative disease, deformity, trauma, infection, intradural and extradural tumours, complex reconstruction, microsurgery and minimally invasive spine surgery.

Eligibility: Possible only when the applicant can satisfy Ohio permanent-licence, USMLE Step 3 and acceptable work-authorisation requirements.

Still to confirm: Funding · Current status · Commencement · Deadline · Positions · Language · Benefits · Fees · Insurance · Accommodation · Programme director · Accreditation

Source: Official Cleveland Clinic fellowship page. Reviewed 8 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?