The University of Pittsburgh Department of Neurological Surgery offers several fellowships including AO Spine and CAST (Committee on Advanced Subspecialty Training) approved fellowships. These fellowships include the following:
Complex and Minimally Invasive Spine Deformity Fellowship
Complex and minimally invasive spine fellows are trained for all spinal diseases, degenerative, deformity, oncology, and trauma spinal pathologies, with a special emphasis placed on open and minimally invasive techniques to treat adult spinal deformity and complex reconstructive spine surgery. Experience in all disorders of the craniocervical, cervical, thoracic, lumbar and sacral spine is available. The option for additional training in peripheral nerve, sports medicine and spinal stereotactic radiosurgery is available as well. More info.
Endoscopic and Open Skull Base Fellowship
The skull base fellowship is primarily focused on endoscopic and open skull base work surgery. About half of these cases are endoscopic endonasal surgeries and are performed in conjunction with their otolaryngology colleagues. The remaining cases are various open skull base cases, including lateral skull base approaches with neurotology, vascular, and brain tumor procedures, minimally invasive transorbital approaches and some general cranial surgery. More info.
Endovascular Neurosurgery Fellowship
The endovascular neurosurgery fellowship at UPMC provides exceptional training in the management of complex cerebrovascular disease, with robust endovascular volumes totaling over 2,000 cases per year including over 300 stroke thrombectomies and over 150 aneurysm treatments. Fellows engage in innumerable multicenter ischemic and hemorrhagic disease trials gaining direct exposure and experience. More info.
Intraoperative Neuromonitoring Fellowship
The intraoperative neuromonitoring fellowship provides exceptional training in interpreting evoked potentials, electroencephalography, electromyography, as well as electrocorticography and cortical mapping during awake craniotomies. Fellows will have diverse opportunities for clinical and translational research and will be well prepared for careers in intraoperative neuromonitoring. More info.
Neurocritical Care Fellowship
Neurocritical care fellows are part of the intensive care unit’s patient care team that also includes Critical Care Medicine faculty, anesthesia and surgical residents and medical students. This collaborative team then develops a single treatment plan based on current evidence-based guidelines and local consensus-based protocols. As the fellows progress through the program, they are expected to take on more of a leadership role in the ICU, leading rounds and making decisions regarding patient care. This culminates in the junior attending rotation, during which faculty allow the fellow significant autonomy and provide feedback on leadership and decision-making skills. More info.
Neurosurgical Oncology Fellowship
The neurosurgical oncology fellowship is primarily focused on the surgical management of primary and metastatic brain tumors incorporating skull base tumors and spinal oncology. Fellows will have the opportunity to treat brain tumor patients with important technologies such as Gamma Knife stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) and focused ultrasound. They will also be exposed to novel surgical approaches/treatments that include fluorescence-guided surgery (FGS), laser interstitial thermal therapy (LITT), tumor-related epilepsy surgery, photodynamic therapy, and robotic-assisted exoscope neurosurgery. Awake craniotomy and intraoperative brain mapping techniques (direct and subcortical stimulation) will be an important component of the fellowship. More info.
Neurotrauma Fellowship
The UPMC neurotrauma fellowship provides advanced training in surgical and medical management of traumatic brain and spinal cord injuries. The goal is to train the next generation of neurotraumatologists by providing a comprehensive and supervised educational experience. Fellows are incorporated into all aspects of service leadership and engage with colleagues in Trauma Surgery, Critical Care, Neurology, Neuroradiology and other disciplines to master multi-disciplinary management of the neurotrauma population. Progressive independence in patient evaluation and management and service leadership is encouraged during the course of the fellowship. More info.
Pediatric Fellowship
The ACPNF-accredited pediatric neurosurgery fellowship at UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh focuses on an overall training philosophy that covers the full gamut of the field with cutting edge approaches to brain tumors, epilepsy, movement disorders, vascular lesions, spinal cord malformations, and cranial base surgery, among other areas. We follow a graded responsibility model that provides increasing independence in the management of an extensive array of pediatric neurosurgery cases in one of the most picturesque pediatric hospitals in the country, supported by a panoply of state-of-the-art instrumentation. A detailed summary of our program and training faculty is provided on our Pediatric Neurosurgery page.
Spine/Trauma Fellowship
Fellows in the spine and neurotrauma track receive advanced training across all aspects of spinal disorders, with a special emphasis on management of acute neurosurgical emergencies. Fellows are integrated into the UPMC neurotrauma service and have the opportunity to pursue additional training in sports neurosurgery, including concussion evaluation and management and care of sports-related spine and peripheral nerve injuries. Spine/trauma fellows can shadow program faculty with professional and collegiate sports teams in Pittsburgh. More info.
Sports Fellowship
The Joseph Maroon Sports Fellowship provides an excellent opportunity for interested residents to spend a dedicated period of their training with neurosurgeons working with Pittsburgh area professional and collegiate sports teams. Residents also have the opportunity to rotate with other specialties such as neuropsychology, orthopedics, and athletic training. These rotations would allow the participant to experience how these specialties approach mutual pathologies that we treat as a team. More info.
Stereotactic Radiosurgery & Functional Fellowship
Stereotactic radiosurgery and functional fellows participate in all patient care activities at the UPMC Center for Image-Guided Neurosurgery including evaluation and management leading to decision making, participation in procedures designed to increase learning in the field, and pre- and post-operative care. Fellows participate in educational activities that improve clinical skill acquisition, prepare outcomes research, and publish in the clinical or basic science research arena. This fellowship has two tracks: Track A reflects a nine-month focus on the spectrum of indications, use and outcomes of Gamma Knife stereotactic radiosurgery. It includes three months experience in functional and epilepsy surgery under the direction of Jorge González-Martínez, MD, PhD. Track B reflects a nine-month focus on modern functional neurosurgery for movement disorders and the surgical management of epilepsy. The emerging role of HIFU and LIFU will be explored. The remaining time will include experience with the use of Gamma knife stereotactic radiosurgery. More info.
To apply for any of these fellowships, submit the following information to the contacts listed in the associated desciptions.
- CV
- Three Letters of Reference
- Program Letter of Good Standing
- USMLE/COMPLEX scores
- Completion of ACGME Neurological Surgery Residency