Faculty / program leadership: Leo Donnan and Michael Johnson
Profile completeness88%
Comprehensive · Missing funding
✓ Primary programme source linked✓ Dated source review current— Current cycle evidenced✓ Faculty identity sourced✓ Institution mark verified
DECISION SUMMARY
What matters before you keep reading.
Eligibility
International route mentioned
Funding
Not published
Deadline
Applications are currently open for the August 2028 start; the official form states that applications close in August, but the exact closing day is not published
Duration
12 months
Hands-on
Unclear — confirm privileges
Last checked
26 Aug 2026
Duration · published12 months
Clinical exposureApproximately 75% paediatric spine training plus 25% general paediatric orthopaedics, including scoliosis, kyphosis, lordosis, spine tumour and infection, spondylolisthesis and adolescent disc disease, supervised operating, clinics, on-call, research, teaching and audit
Funding · not publishedStipend included; amount not published in the cited profile
DestinationAustralia
Participation levelClinical participation and hands-on restrictions must be confirmed directly with the host.
INTERNATIONAL APPLICANT CHECK
What the official evidence currently supports
Decision-critical fields are separated into confirmed facts, partial information and points requiring direct confirmation.
≈Partially published
International applicant eligibility
Suitable overseas candidates may apply. Indonesian applicants must hold the published equivalent postgraduate orthopaedic qualification and satisfy RCH English-language and clinical credentialing requirements.
✓Published by official source
Required training level
Completed preliminary orthopaedic training · Fellowship of a Royal College or an equivalent overseas postgraduate diploma · Appropriate qualifications for an Australian or overseas fellowship appointment
✓Published by official source
Programme classification
Clinical or combined training pathway; exact duties remain appointment-specific.
?Confirm directly with host
Hands-on restrictions
Hands-on participation and operative restrictions are not explicitly published.
≈Partially published
Medical registration
The public programme page does not state the exact AHPRA registration pathway; overseas applicants should confirm clinical registration and hospital credentialing directly with RCH.
?Confirm directly with host
Licensing examinations
Any examination requirement must be confirmed with the relevant regulator and host.
✓Published by official source
Language requirements
Submit IELTS or OET results, or evidence that all secondary and tertiary education was completed in English. The application form states that applicants whose secondary education was outside the United Kingdom, Ireland, Canada, United States, New Zealand or South Africa must provide current IELTS Academic results of at least 7 in every category.
≈Partially published
Visa or work authorisation
Visa sponsorship or support is not published; overseas applicants should confirm work-authorisation arrangements directly with RCH.
✓Published by official source
Funding availability
Stipend included; amount not published in the cited profile
DATA QUALITY & AVAILABILITY
86% of core application fields verified
Checked 26 Aug 2026. Next scheduled editorial review: 2027-02-22. Every unresolved field keeps its exact evidence state—unpublished, not yet researched, historical, conflicting, inaccessible or not applicable—so an absence is never converted into a fact.
✓ programme title✓ institution / department✓ city and country✓ programme classification✓ subspecialty✓ current status evidence✓ duration✓ commencement / intake✓ funding✓ benefits✓ eligibility✓ international eligibility✓ language✓ deadline✓ application process✓ required documents✓ application portal✓ official contact✓ faculty✓ verified faculty photograph✓ verified institution logo✓ official source✓ institutional source✓ accreditation / organisation source✓ verification date— positions · queued for source review— accommodation / relocation · queued for source review— Registration information not published · not published by the cited official source— visa / work authorisation · not published by the cited official source
APPLICATION TIMELINE & CONTACT
Plan the application
Application deadlineApplications are currently open for the August 2028 start; the official form states that applications close in August, but the exact closing day is not published
Commencing dateAugust 2028
Application route / cycleApplications open in January and close in August two years before the start; shortlisting is in September, interviews in October, selection in November and notification in December. A separate application is required for each RCH stream.
Deadlines and intake dates can change between cycles. The data-quality ledger above explicitly labels application fields that the cited official source does not publish.
ELIGIBILITY & REQUIREMENTS
Published entry requirements
Clinical / academic eligibility
Completed preliminary orthopaedic training
Fellowship of a Royal College or an equivalent overseas postgraduate diploma
Appropriate qualifications for an Australian or overseas fellowship appointment
Registration, licence & examinations
The public programme page does not state the exact AHPRA registration pathway; overseas applicants should confirm clinical registration and hospital credentialing directly with RCH.
Visa / work authorisation
Visa sponsorship or support is not published; overseas applicants should confirm work-authorisation arrangements directly with RCH.
Application documents
Typed fellowship application form for this stream
Cover letter of no more than 400 words explaining the application and intended career pathway
Current curriculum vitae
Publication document for publications with a DOI
Passport photograph
IELTS or OET results, or eligible English-education evidence
Copy of the original medical degree
Three recent references supporting an RCH paediatric orthopaedic fellowship
Licensing, visa and document rules depend on the individual programme and application cycle. OrthoFellow does not infer USMLE, AHPRA, ECFMG, recommendation-letter or visa requirements from the country alone.
PROGRAM OVERVIEW
What this program offers
A 12-month Royal Children's Hospital paediatric spine stream covering deformity, tumour, infection and other adolescent spinal disorders. RCH currently states that applications for an August 2028 start are open and publishes the selection timetable, eligibility, English evidence, application checklist and named supervisors.
BENEFITS & SUPPORT
Published benefits and support
A tertiary paediatric service with dedicated operating theatres, outpatient facilities, a gait laboratory, research links with MCRI, weekly case conferences, teaching seminars and supervised clinical responsibility.
Benefits may depend on appointment type, training level, visa status and the active academic year. OrthoFellow keeps stipend and benefits separate so a salary figure is not mistaken for the full package.
HOST INSTITUTION
About The Royal Children's Hospital Melbourne
The Royal Children's Hospital is a major tertiary paediatric referral centre in Melbourne; its orthopaedic fellowship streams include a dedicated paediatric spine pathway.
Program leadership and paediatric orthopaedic facultyOfficial profile & photo verified
Current position
Fellowship supervisor / program leadership
Affiliation
The Royal Children's Hospital Melbourne
Clinical focus
Spine training and clinical practice
Qualifications
Not published on the cited profile
Leo Donnan is listed in the cited programme evidence as program leadership and paediatric orthopaedic faculty for RCH Paediatric Spine Fellowship. The verified individual profile describes a focus in Spine training and clinical practice. This association does not by itself confirm personal supervision, operative privileges or availability for a future intake.
Leo Donnan is listed by the official programme source as program leadership and paediatric orthopaedic faculty. A separate individual short CV has not yet been verified by OrthoFellow.
Michael Johnson is listed in the cited programme evidence as paediatric spine faculty for RCH Paediatric Spine Fellowship. The verified individual profile describes a focus in Spine training and clinical practice. This association does not by itself confirm personal supervision, operative privileges or availability for a future intake.
Michael Johnson is listed by the official programme source as paediatric spine faculty. A separate individual short CV has not yet been verified by OrthoFellow.
Kris Lundine is listed in the cited programme evidence as paediatric spine faculty for RCH Paediatric Spine Fellowship. The verified individual profile describes a focus in Spine training and clinical practice. This association does not by itself confirm personal supervision, operative privileges or availability for a future intake.
Kris Lundine is listed by the official programme source as paediatric spine faculty. A separate individual short CV has not yet been verified by OrthoFellow.
Names and fellowship roles come from the cited programme source. A green “individual profile verified” label means the position, qualifications and biography were also checked against an official personal or institutional profile. OrthoFellow displays a portrait only when it can be tied to an official profile or faculty source; otherwise the host institution brandmark is shown, with initials retained only when neither image is available. Faculty rosters may change.
Orthopaedic surgeons who have completed preliminary training and hold Fellowship of a Royal College or an equivalent overseas postgraduate diploma.
LANGUAGE REQUIREMENTS
Published language requirement
Submit IELTS or OET results, or evidence that all secondary and tertiary education was completed in English. The application form states that applicants whose secondary education was outside the United Kingdom, Ireland, Canada, United States, New Zealand or South Africa must provide current IELTS Academic results of at least 7 in every category.
OrthoFellow keeps language requirements separate from clinical eligibility. A programme may use English operationally without publishing a formal test score.
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INTERNATIONAL APPLICANTS
Published international eligibility information
Suitable overseas candidates may apply. Indonesian applicants must hold the published equivalent postgraduate orthopaedic qualification and satisfy RCH English-language and clinical credentialing requirements.
This note is shown only when the official source publishes information relevant to overseas applicants. Applicants should confirm licensing and visa eligibility directly with the host.
