Long term fellows at an AO Spine Center are entitled to join the program as Associate Fellows. Participants can benefit from the AO Spine community network and have full access to the AO Spine educational platform.

Benefits:

• Joining the Continuing Education Program: lato sensu postgraduate certified by the University of Caxias do Sul (BR).

• AO Spine fellowship certificate upon completion.

• Access to AO Spine courses and seminars (subject to vacancy availability).

• Opportunity to network with the fellow community.

• Fellow toolkit.

Requirements:

• Registering directly through the reference center following each institution’s individual process. Once approved, the candidate is invited to join the program as an associate fellow.

• Submitting the required documents in due time.

Length:

From 12 to 24 months (according to each individual AO Spine Center’s rules).

Stipend:

No financial support is provided.

Enrollment:

According to each individual AO Spine center’s guidelines.

Application:

After being admitted to a fellow program, candidates must submit the application form available on our website.  The following documents must be attached:

• Résumé (listing papers published).

• Certificate of Neurosurgery and/or Orthopedics Specialist (copy/copies).

• Letter of acceptance from the selected AO Spine Center (with start and end dates).

Visit aospine.org to complete and submit your application form.

Certification Requirements:

To receive the certification, fellows must:

• Submit the required documents for the Associate Fellow Program application up to 3 months after the training starts.

• Answer the Continuing Education Program (CEP) quizzes during their fellowship (every fellow is automatically signed up onto the CEP virtual environment when approved).

• Keep their Logbooks (monthly reports regarding fellows’ activities in the Spine Centers) and upload them to the virtual environment in a timely manner.

• Participate in at least one clinical research project carried out by the Spine Center under the guidance of the center's director.

• Submit the fellow feedback report –a confidential assessment of the Spine Center and the training provided– at the end of the program.

The spine center will also evaluate the fellows regarding their commitment, technical and interpersonal skills, and their performance in all the mandatory activities mentioned above. A score of 70% or higher  is required for the fellow to obtain a fellowship attendance certificate.

General information:

• Fellows must provide their own health and travel insurance, which must valid in the country of destination for the entire duration of the program, with full medical coverage, following the requirements of the chosen institution.

• Visas and licenses: while attending programs outside their home countries, fellows will be subject to the local laws and the restrictions applicable to medical practice by foreigners. Fellows must be aware that, without a specific medical license, there is no guarantee that they will be allowed to take part in surgical procedures during their training, and may be restricted to observing and taking notes.

• Travel and accommodation expenses will be covered by the participants.

• To receive a fellowship attendance certificate, fellows must complete the quizzes of the CEP or complete the full CEP*; must also submit monthly reports via Logbooks. In the unlikely event of non-compliance with the fellowship duties and/or fellowship cancelation, the fellow in question will be automatically excluded from the virtual learning environment and will lose all program benefits.

*Answering the quizzes is a mandatory activity of the CEP, and is required in order to receive a fellowship certificate. However, associate fellows may join the full post-graduation course to obtain an academic certification by the University of Caxias do Sul (BR) without having to pay the course fe . In that case, fellows must:
- Complete all online modules and activities and pass the final exam.
- Pay the final exam fee (USD 100) at the end of the program.
If approved, they will receive both the fellowship attendance certificate and the post-graduation certificate.

I want to be an Associate Fellow

Training aimed at surgeons with more than one year of experience in spine surgery who wish to improve specific techniques or further their knowledge of spine pathologies.

Benefits:

• AO Spine fellowship certificate upon completion of the program.

• Access to AO Spine courses and seminars (subject to vacancy availability).

• Opportunity to network with the fellow community.

• Fellow toolkit.

Requirements:

• Being an AO Spine member for at least three years prior to the application deadline.

• Specialization in orthopedic surgery or neurosurgery.

• One-year experience in spine surgery.

• Proof of language proficiency, to be determined by the chosen center.

• Submitting the required documents in due time.

Length:

From 1 to 6 months.

Stipend:

During your fellowship, you may receive a small stipend fund to contribute to your accommodation and living costs. Please note that the stipend is a contribution to the costs for travel, accommodation and meals and may not necessarily cover all the costs. AO Spine is not able to arrange accommodation in the host country. Travel as well as insurance costs must be funded entirely by the fellow. Please note that the stipend will be paid within 4 weeks of the start of the fellowship, after we have received a confirmation of arrival from the center. The stipend is calculated based on the current World Bank Purchasing Power. To calculate the adjustment, the price level ratio of purchasing power parity (PPP) conversion factor to market exchange rate provided by the World Bank is used. The World Bank data can be accessed here. The stipends are paid in Swiss francs equivalents. The final amount of the stipend that will be awarded to the fellow is decided by the Regional Community Development Officer, depending on the budget available.

Enrollment:

Online application (open in July every year).

Application:

You must attach to the form the following documents:

• Resumé (listing papers published).

• Diploma or Certificate of Neurosurgery and/or Orthopedics Specialist (copy).

• Recommendation letter from a senior surgeon stating that the participant has more than one year of experience in spine surgery.

• Certificates of the most recent AO event taken (copy).

• Proof of language proficiency* (if applicable).

• Health Certificate.

*Applicants to centers in countries with language other than their own must formally attest advanced knowledge of English or the local language (as required by the center). Proficiency in English shall be attested by an internationally recognized certificate such as IELTS, TOEFL, or equivalent.

Certification Requirements:

• Answer the Continuing Education Program (CEP) quizzes during their fellowship (every fellow is automatically signed up onto the CEP virtual environment when approved).

• Keep their Logbooks (monthly reports regarding fellows’ activities in the Spine Centers) and upload them to the virtual environment in a timely manner.

• Participate in at least one clinical research project carried out by the Spine Center under the guidance of the center's director.

• Submit the fellow feedback report – a confidential assessment of the Spine Center and the training provided– at the end of the program.
The spine center will also evaluate the fellows regarding their commitment, technical and interpersonal skills, and their performance in all the mandatory activities mentioned above. A score of 70% or higher  is required for the fellow to obtain a fellowship attendance certificate.

General information:

• Participants must provide their own health and travel insurance, which must valid in the country of destination for the entire duration of the program, with full medical coverage, following the requirements of the chosen institution .

• No financial support will be provided to ex-fellows for at least two years after their last AO Spine Fellowship program with a stipend. This aims to encourage new applications while supporting new members in the program. Moreover, no financial support will be granted to fellows that choose the same institution where they did their medical residence.

• Visas and licenses: while attending programs outside their home countries, fellows will be subject to the local laws and the restrictions applicable to medical practice by foreigners. Fellows must be aware that, without a specific medical license,

there is no guarantee that they will be allowed to take part in surgical procedures during their training, and may be restricted to observing and taking notes.

• To receive a fellowship attendance certificate, fellows must attend and answer the quizzes on the Continuing Education Program (CEP) virtual environment. They must also submit monthly reports via Logbooks. In the unlikely event of non-compliance with the fellowship duties and/or fellowship cancelation, the fellow in question will be automatically excluded from the virtual learning environment and will lose all program benefits.

• Stipends are paid within four weeks of the fellowship’s starting date.

• The first payment will be made upon official confirmation of the fellow’s arrival at the AO Spine Center and analysis of his or her health insurance documentation.

• Bank transfers will only be made to a bank account in the fellow’s name. AO Spine will not transfer money to a third-party bank account.

• AO Spine will decide on the number of installments in which each fellow’s stipend will be paid during the program, in accordance with the AO’s cash flow policy.

• Travel and accommodation expenses will be covered by the participants.

• Applicants for English-speaking centers may be referred to a language proficiency assessment interview.

I want to be a Short-Term Fellow

The International Exchange Program is a unique opportunity for surgeons to experience the complexity of certain pathologies and issues. This program now reaches a wider range of centers around the world, including non-AO Spine centers. It was developed to ensure that the knowledge and skills acquired in AO Educational Events are applied in the daily work of spine surgeons of the region. It is an excellent way for Latin American members to further their careers, bringing benefits to the lives of their patients. For a period of time, participants will observe highly skilled spine surgeons work on specific issues or pathologies, such as MISS, trauma, adult and pediatric deformity, tumor, cervical, infection, degenerative and research. The goal is to acquire knowledge from some of the world’s leading experts in the fields of these disorders, who are willing to share their expertise with colleagues who wish to learn and apply these specific skills in their practices.

Requirements:

• Being an AO Spine member for at least three years prior to the application deadline.

• Having attended at least one AO Spine advanced course related to the particular topic.

• Specialization in orthopedic or neurosurgery.

• Over three years of proven experience in spine surgery of the corresponding topic.

• Proof of language proficiency, to be determined by the chosen center.

Length:

From one (1) to four (4) weeks (according to each center’s availability).

Stipend:

There is a possibility of financial support. The distribution of stipends will depend on the available budget and the final evaluation of AO Spine Latin America Community Development Officer.

Enrollment:

Online application according to specific calls.

Application:

You must attach to the form the following documents:

• Resumé (listing papers published).

• Diploma or Certificate of Neurosurgery and/or Orthopedics Specialist (copy).

• Recommendation letter from a senior surgeon stating that the participant has more than three years of experience in spine surgery.

• Certificates of the most recent AO event taken (copy/copies).

• Proof of language proficiency* (if applicable).

*Applicants to centers in countries with language other than their own must formally attest advanced knowledge of English or the local language (as required by the center). Proficiency in English shall be attested by an internationally recognized certificate such as IELTS, TOEFL, or equivalent.

Pathologies/topics available:

MISS

Trauma

Adult Deformity

Pediatric Deformity

Tumor

Cervical

Infection

Degenerative

Research

Terms and conditions:

• Travel and accommodation expenses will be covered by the participants.

• Participants must provide their own health and travel insurance, which must valid in the country of destination for the entire duration of the program, with full medical coverage, following the requirements of the chosen institution.

• Visas and licenses: while attending programs outside their home countries, observers will be subject to the local laws and the restrictions applicable to medical practice by foreigners. Observers must be aware that, without a specific medical license, there is no guarantee that they will be allowed to take part in surgical procedures during their training, and may be restricted to observing and taking notes.

• To receive the attendance certificate, participants must fill out the feedback form.

• Upon admission, the observers and the host surgeon will set the dates and the visits schedule.

• Bank transfers will only be made to a bank account in the observer’s name. AO Spine will not transfer money to a third-party bank account.

• Applicants for English-speaking centers may be referred to a language proficiency assessment interview.

I want to do an International Exchange

To receive the attendance certificate, you must conclude all the activities listed below:

I. Logbook: You must submit a monthly report of your training activities on the AO Spine Latin America portal. Failure to do so for three consecutive months will result in your being automatically removed from the program.

II. Continuing Education Program: an educational program for spine training aimed at orthopedic surgeons and neurosurgeons interested in spinal pathologies. Participation in the continuing education program will be required, and will only consist of online modules: readings and quizzes.

All content is organized into modules according to the spinal pathology. The student’s task is to read all the available PDF files (reading) and take the corresponding exams (quizzes). These modules can be taken in any order, as best suits the student’s own needs and preferences.

In order to be approved, students must answer all available quizzes and obtain a minimum score of 80% in each one.

Click here to know how to access the platform and complete the quizzes ONLY.

Important:

Answering the quizzes is a mandatory activity of the CEP, and is required in order to receive a fellowship certificate. However, associate fellows may join the full 18-month post-graduation course to obtain an academic certification by the University of Caxias do Sul (BR) without having to pay the course fee. In that case, fellows must:

- Complete all online modules and activities and pass the final exam.

- Pay the final exam fee (USD 100) at the end of the program.

If approved, they will receive both the fellowship attendance certificate and the post-graduation certificate.

Click here to know more details about the full program

III. Research Project: Fellows must participate in one of the research projects carried out by the reference center according to its research lines and under the guidance of the center director.

IV. Fellow Feedback: At the end of your training, you will be required to submit a confidential assessment of the activities in which you participated.

V. Center Feedback: The spine center will also evaluate the fellow regarding his or her commitment, technical and interpersonal skills, and his or her performance in all the mandatory activities mentioned above. The final score, awarded by the center director, must be at least 70% in order to obtain a fellowship attendance certificate.

Extra activities:

AO Spine courses and seminars

Free webinars for members (Case Based and Principles) & webinars with discounts for members (Meet the Expert)

Free AO Spine Centers Club Webinars

Fellows & Ex-Fellows Meeting: Event held during our AO Spine Latin America Regional Courses, and an excellent opportunity for our fellows and former fellows to interact with spine experts.