NeuroSurgFellowFellowship intelligenceBrowse programmes →
Travelling fellowshipCurrent availability unconfirmed
Spine →

AO Spine Short-Term International Fellowship — Hospital Universitario Marqués de Valdecilla

Hospital Universitario Marqués de Valdecilla — Department of Neurosurgery & Surgical Spine Unit

⌖ Santander · Spain

Profile completeness48%13 decision fields need confirmation
DECISION SUMMARY

Key facts at a glance

Source reviewed 9 Oct 2026. Verify the current intake with the host.

Eligibility
Fully trained orthopaedic surgeons and neurosurgeons interested in spine surgery, up to 45 years old at application, with at least two years of AO Spine membership 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
Not recorded · check the official call
Duration
4–12 weeks
Hands-on status
Scrub-in requires a medical licence obtained in an EU country or validated by the Spanish Ministry of Health.
PROGRAMME OVERVIEW

AO Spine fellowship host centre in the Valdecilla neurosurgery department offering 4–12 week short-term international spine fellowships through AO Spine's annual call.

Neurosurgery department and surgical spine unit: about 443 surgical cases per year and 29 beds, including degenerative, fragility-fracture, trauma, oncology, intradural tumour and spinal AVM/dural fistula cases; techniques include open, endoscopic, minimally invasive, anterior, navigated and intradural surgery, plus a pain clinic and multidisciplinary spine meeting.

✓
Official AO Spine host-centre profileLast checked 9 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

Fully trained orthopaedic surgeons and neurosurgeons interested in spine surgery, up to 45 years old at application, with at least two years of AO Spine membership and no (non-self-funded) spine fellowship in the past two years.

≈Partially supported

Training level & pathway

Travelling fellowship · Spine

✓Published in profile

Participation / hands-on scope

Scrub-in requires a medical licence obtained in an EU country or validated by the Spanish Ministry of Health.

✓Published in profile

Medical registration & licensing

Medical licence from an EU country or validated by the Spanish Ministry of Health to scrub in.

✓Published in profile

Language requirement

Spanish is the dominant operating-room language; host rates team English 4/5 written and 4/5 spoken.

?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 · 48% of decision fields recorded
DATA QUALITY & AVAILABILITY

48% of tracked decision fields are published

Checked 9 Oct 2026. Unavailable details below were not published in the cited material and have not been guessed.

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

Plan the application.

Application status
Current availability unconfirmed
Commencement
Not published
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
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

Fully trained orthopaedic surgeons and neurosurgeons interested in spine surgery, up to 45 years old at application, with at least two years of AO Spine membership and no (non-self-funded) spine fellowship in the past two years.

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. Programme fees are not published. Travel and insurance costs must be covered by the fellow. Accommodation support is not published.

Application documents

No verified document checklist is stored for this profile.

Licence, examinations, language & visa

Medical licence from an EU country or validated by the Spanish Ministry of Health to scrub in. Examination requirements are not published. Spanish is the dominant operating-room language; host rates team English 4/5 written and 4/5 spoken. Visa and work-authorisation requirements need direct confirmation.

HOST INSTITUTION

Hospital Universitario Marqués de Valdecilla — Department of Neurosurgery & Surgical Spine Unit

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
9 Oct 2026
Editorial status
Source-linked profile
Programme lead
Paloma de la Dehesa Cueto-Felgueroso (surgeon in charge of fellows); head of department Rubén Martín Láez
Accreditation / recognition
AO Spine Fellowship Host Centre
Planned editorial review
9 Apr 2027
Open official programme page ↗
KEEP EXPLORING

Related fellowship profiles.

View all Spine pathways →
Research fellowshipContact programme
Spine →

International Sonntag Spine Research Fellowship

Barrow Neurological Institute

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.

Clinical fellowshipContact programme
Spine →

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 12 Oct 202668% of decision fields recorded
View details →Official source ↗
Source & missing information (8)

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: Current status · Deadline · Positions · International eligibility · Examinations · Fees · Insurance · Accommodation

Source: Official University of Pittsburgh page. Reviewed 12 Oct 2026. Status reflects the last review, not a live vacancy check. Completeness is not a quality rating.

Clinical fellowshipContact programme
Spine →

Spine Surgery Fellowship

Cleveland Clinic

Cleveland, Ohio · United States

Duration
1 year (optional additional research year for select candidates)
Deadline
Not recorded · check official call
Funding
Employment salary and benefits follow Cleveland Clinic appointment terms for the spine fellowship positions.
Exposure
Degenerative cervical/thoracic/lumbar disease, deformity, intra- and extradural tumours, trauma, infection, congenital abnormalities and complex reconstruction/revision; about 60% non-fusion / 40% fusion; roughly 30% cervical, 60% lumbar, remainder thoracic.
Source reviewed 13 Oct 202660% of decision fields recorded
View details →Official source ↗
Source & missing information (10)

Funding: Employment salary and benefits follow Cleveland Clinic appointment terms for the spine fellowship positions.

Exposure: Degenerative cervical/thoracic/lumbar disease, deformity, intra- and extradural tumours, trauma, infection, congenital abnormalities and complex reconstruction/revision; about 60% non-fusion / 40% fusion; roughly 30% cervical, 60% lumbar, remainder thoracic.

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

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

Source: Official Cleveland Clinic fellowship 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?