Faculty / program leadership: Markus Loibl · Tamas Fekete
Profile completeness97%
Comprehensive · Source does not publish commencement date
DECISION SUMMARY
Key facts at a glance
Eligibility
International route mentioned
Funding
Small stipend contribution (benchmark USD 550 per fellowship week in the United States, adjusted for local price level using World Bank PPP data; paid in Swiss-franc equivalents). It is only a contribution; travel and insurance are paid by the fellow and AO Spine does not arrange accommodation. No host fee published.
Deadline
May 2027 (AO Spine call ends in May 2027; exact day not published)
Duration
4 to 12 weeks (AO Spine Short-term International Fellowship)
Hands-on
No hands-on role indicated
Clinical exposureAO Spine host centre with about 1,450 spine operations a year (50 beds): open, minimally invasive, endoscopic, anterior, navigated and intradural surgery. Fellows may scrub in (no special licence required). Research group (Fabio Galbusera) and an in-house spine registry (since 2004) are available.
Participation levelObservational pathway. No independent patient care or operative privileges are implied.
INTERNATIONAL APPLICANT CHECK
Can an international surgeon apply?
≈Partially published
International applicants
Open to AO Spine members worldwide; AO Spine selects fellows centrally. The host asks fellows to provide a copy of the medical licence of the country of origin.
?Confirm directly with host
Clinical role
Observational pathway; no independent patient care is implied. Hands-on clinical activity is not described for this observational pathway.
≈Partially published
Medical registration
Copy of the medical licence of the country of origin (host requirement); no Swiss registration requirement published.
—Not published
Language
No formal language requirement is published by the cited source.
≈Partially published
Visa or work authorisation
Not published on the host page.
DATA QUALITY & AVAILABILITY76% of core application fields verifiedChecked 3 Oct 2026 · Next scheduled editorial review: 2027-04-01
✓ programme title✓ institution / department✓ city and country✓ programme classification✓ subspecialty✓ current status evidence✓ duration✓ funding✓ accommodation / relocation✓ eligibility✓ international eligibility✓ registration✓ deadline✓ application process✓ required documents✓ application portal✓ faculty✓ verified institution logo✓ official source✓ institutional source✓ accreditation / organisation source✓ verification date— positions · not published by the cited official source— commencement / intake · not published by the cited official source— benefits · not published by the cited official source— Language requirement not published · queued for source review— visa / work authorisation · not published by the cited official source— official contact · not published by the cited official source— Verified faculty photograph not available · queued for source review
APPLICATION TIMELINE & CONTACT
Plan the application
Application deadlineMay 2027 (AO Spine call ends in May 2027; exact day not published)
Commencing dateIntake date not published
Application route / cycleAO Spine call for the 2028 programme: opens April 2027, ends May 2027, results September 2027. The most recent window (call for the 2027 programme) has ended.
Official contactMarkus Loibl (surgeon in charge of fellows)
Spine physician or specialist in orthopaedics, neurosurgery or trauma surgery with a strong interest in spine surgery
Previous participation in at least one AO course or AO event (online or face to face)
At least two years of AO Spine membership before applying
No Spine Fellowship in the past two years (self-funded fellowships excepted)
Up to 45 years old at the time of application
Application documents
Letter of motivation
Most recent curriculum vitae including list of publications
Copy of medical diploma or specialization diploma (orthopaedics or neurosurgery)
Most recent AO Spine course/event certificate
One recommendation letter from a senior surgeon (signed, with contact details, not older than 6 months)
Copy of passport
Proof of English proficiency (certificate or self-statement)
PROGRAM OVERVIEW
What this program offers
AO Spine short-term fellowship (4 to 12 weeks) at the Schulthess Klinik spine department; the main operating-room language is German (English written and spoken proficiency 5/5).
BENEFITS & SUPPORT
Published benefits and support
AO Spine stipend contribution; AO Spine fellowship community (myAO group).
ACCOMMODATION & RELOCATION
Published housing information
✓ Official source mentions accommodation
⌂
Accommodation is mentioned in the published funding or benefits information: Small stipend contribution (benchmark USD 550 per fellowship week in the United States, adjusted for local price level using World Bank PPP data; paid in Swiss-franc equivalents). It is only a contribution; travel and insurance are paid by the fellow and AO Spine does not arrange accommodation. No host fee published.
HOST INSTITUTION
About Schulthess Klinik, Department of Spine Surgery
Schulthess Klinik is a leading orthopaedic clinic in Zurich; its spine department has been a certified AO Spine Center since 2019 and receives guest spine surgeons as AO Spine fellows.
