Mission & Goals

The mission of Rush Spine Surgery Fellowship is to deliver outstanding medical education focused on patient care, research, and community service. Our diverse students learn in a practitioner-teacher model, which promotes collaboration, accountability and respect. We graduate physicians who are dedicated to the pursuit of excellence in clinical practice, research, and service through continuous learning. 

The Spine Fellowship Program consists of fellows at the PGY-6 level of training, having completed an accredited Orthopaedic Surgery residency program. The Rush University Medical Center Fellowship program is built on the philosophy of progressively increasing responsibility.  This fellowship program provides comprehensive training in the surgical and conservative treatment of spinal disorders covering pediatric spinal disorders, cervical spine, acute spinal injuries, degenerative disorders, minimally invasive procedures, spinal injection techniques, adult deformities, and tumors. Fellows will follow the Orthopedic Practice’ goals, to provide the world’s best orthopaedic patient care, education and research.

During the course of the one-year fellowship, the fellows will gain experience in the broad array of procedures involved in Spine orthopedic surgery. These procedures include:

1. Patient evaluation, interpretation of diagnostic tests, administration of conscious sedation, and non-operative and operative treatment of traumatic, congenital, metabolic, neoplastic, neurologic, developmental and degenerative disorders of the skeletal system.
2. The fellow will have gained expertise in simple and complex spinal problems. It is expected that the fellow will be able to formulate a differential diagnosis for the painful spinal surgery. 
3. Fellows will gain expertise in the administrative and management aspects of a Spinal Surgery Practice.
4. Fellows are responsible for at least two clinical or basic science research projects and several lectures. Lectures include indication spine conferences and combined pediatric-adult spine deformity conferences which are held weekly.  A monthly Combined Spine Conference is held with Neurosurgery on the 4th Friday of the month at Rush University Medical Center. 
5. This fellowship program provides comprehensive training in the surgical and conservative treatment of spinal disorders covering pediatric spinal disorders, cervical spine, acute spinal injuries, degenerative disorders, minimally invasive procedures, spinal injection techniques, adult deformities, and tumors. The emphasis is on patient care, education, surgery and research
6. Research (biochemistry and biomechanics) meetings, research conferences, and journal clubs are organized monthly. Research facilities in the Department of Orthopedic Surgery include the biomechanics laboratory, lifting and gait laboratories, biomaterial and histopathology laboratories, biochemistry and molecular biology, and an animal surgery facility.  The fellow is responsible for at least 2 clinical or basic science research projects and several lectures.