Training & Curriculum

The Spinal Surgery Fellowship Program at the Cedars-Sinai Spine Center provides training in the care for the entire spectrum of spinal diseases. This spectrum of care can be divided broadly into six categories:

Core knowledge
Clinical evaluation
Operative management
Pre- and postoperative care
Nonoperative management
Basic and clinical research experience

Candidates will be expected to not only assist with ongoing projects but will be encouraged to develop lab investigations of their own design and interest.

Fellows are trained to deliver comprehensive spinal care through:

Patient evaluation and diagnosis
Operative and nonoperative management
Preoperative and postoperative care
Advanced clinical decision-making
Research development
Teaching and mentorship of residents and students

Regular participation includes:

Weekly spine conferences
Monthly Journal Club
Biweekly multidisciplinary didactics

Clinical Focus Areas

Fellows develop expertise across the full spectrum of spinal care, including:

Deformity correction (scoliosis, kyphosis)
Degenerative conditions (cervical, thoracic, lumbar)
Disc surgery
Pediatric spine disorders
Tumors
Trauma and fractures
Spinal arthritis

Treatment techniques include:

Endoscopic and microscopic surgery
Minimally invasive spine surgery
Motion preservation strategies
Conservative, noninvasive management

Cedars-Sinai emphasizes diverse surgical ideologies—offering daily exposure to advanced motion preservation, minimally invasive techniques, major deformity corrections and complex trauma cases.

Cedars-Sinai's fellowship training has provided an invaluable stepping stone to both excellent private practice and academic positions at the nation's most prestigious medical centers.

Curriculum

The Spinal Surgery Fellowship Program consists of monthly rotations among the reading faculty and two months of dedicated research time.

The clinical educational program is coordinated through faculty interaction, didactic lectures, conferences and outpatient clinics that emphasize diagnosis, pathogenesis, operative and nonoperative decision-making, along with results and complications of all treatments.

The outpatient clinics of the program occurs at the Cedars-Sinai Spine Center, located in the Mark Goodson Building.

The center fully supports the attendance of the fellows at one national meeting during their fellowship. The choices of annual meetings are those of the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons, Cervical Spine Research Society, North American Spine Society, Scoliosis Research Society, American Association of Neurological Surgeons, Congress of Neurological Surgeons and Joint Section of the Disorders of the Spine and Peripheral Nerves. Additionally, there may be an opportunity to attend another meeting with the availability of the sponsorship.

Cedars-Sinai also sponsors and offers ongoing education in E & M coding, ethics, ACLS and medico-legal issues.

Didactics

Spine Conference Lecture Series

The Spine Conference is held every Wednesday at 7 a.m. with presentations by the spine fellows with faculty mentors on all aspects of spine topics. The spine conferences provide lecture and case studies on spine-related topics relevant to spine surgeons, fellows, neuroradiologists, physical therapists, psychiatrists, anesthesiologists and other healthcare professionals interested in spinal care. This activity is essential for the teaching of the spine fellows and provides a format to discuss specific cases that have relevance to spine care providers.

The spine conference consists of three components:

Case presentations. This conference topic is held the second Wednesday of every month. Each fellow will present unique and interesting cases relating to the spine.
Core curriculum lectures. This conference is held one Wednesday a month. The fellow is given a list of core curriculum topics and will select two to three topics on which to prepare a didactic presentation.
Current Concepts in Spinal Disorders Clinical Symposia series. This consists of lectures on spinal disorders and treatments by invited speakers as well as members and associates of the Cedars-Sinai Spine Center.

Quality Assurance Conference

This conference is held every two months during the Wednesday Spine Conferences. Cases are independently submitted by the fellows to the directors, who in turn select the cases to be presented. The conference is moderated by one of the directors.

Journal Club

Journal Club is held monthly, hosted by a teaching faculty member and attended by faculty and fellows. The topics are selected by the attending physician and articles are assigned to each fellow. The fellows discuss the content, scientific method and conclusions of the articles.

Research

Research is a vital component of the fellowship. The Cedars-Sinai Spine Center provides facilities and support personnel, including technicians and statisticians, with clinical supervisory support available through the department faculty. Fellow research has been presented at national and international meetings and also has been published in all major orthopedic and neurosurgical peer-reviewed journals. All fellows are required to participate in research projects as a condition of graduation.

Fellows work in a state-of-the-art biomechanical laboratory for spinal biomechanics research. We are at the forefront of biomechanical research and testing with one of the most comprehensive labs in the country. In conjunction with our basic science endeavors the center is also intimately involved with several biotechnology companies that fund several active clinical research projects.

Current research studies are:

Comparison of biomechanical stability and facet strain of laminectomy, laminectomy with fusion, laminoplasty
The addition of a cross-link to the C1 lateral mass/C2 pedicle screw fixation construct: a biomechanical study
Mechanical evaluation of dynamic stabilization spinal systems
Static multiaxial testing of implanted human lumbar disc
Nuclear regeneration
Mechanical evaluation of adjacent level pressures in the Charite disc prothesis

Fellows are expected to:

Contribute to ongoing clinical or basic science research
Design independent research projects
Present findings at national meetings
Publish in peer-reviewed journals

Cedars-Sinai provides access to extensive research infrastructure, spine outcome databases and mentorship.