Faculty / program leadership: Ye Tian · Huajiang Chen
Profile completeness87%
Comprehensive · Missing application deadline
DECISION SUMMARY
Key facts at a glance
Eligibility
International route mentioned
Funding
No fee stated. AO Spine pays a small stipend towards accommodation and living costs (benchmark USD 550 per week in the United States, adjusted to local price level, paid in Swiss francs equivalents). Travel and insurance are paid by the fellow.
Deadline
Not published
Duration
4 to 12 weeks (AO Spine short-term international fellowship)
Hands-on
No hands-on role indicated
Clinical exposureShort-term hosted spine surgery placement at the department of Huajiang Chen (450 department beds, about 10000 surgical cases a year per the AO host-centre record). Scrub-in opportunity: yes; a formal surgeon licence and sufficient training are needed to scrub in.
Participation levelObservational pathway. No independent patient care or operative privileges are implied.
INTERNATIONAL APPLICANT CHECK
Can an international surgeon apply?
≈Partially published
International applicants
AO Spine fellowships are open to eligible AO Spine members worldwide; fellows are placed at host centres in other countries or regions.
?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
Active AO Spine membership for at least two years before applying.
—Not published
Language
No formal language requirement is published by the cited source.
≈Partially published
Visa or work authorisation
Not published on the AO Spine page or the host-centre record; fellow must arrange the visa or permission for the host country.
DATA QUALITY & AVAILABILITY83% 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✓ benefits✓ accommodation / relocation✓ eligibility✓ international eligibility✓ registration✓ deadline✓ application process✓ required documents✓ application portal✓ official contact✓ 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— Language requirement not published · queued for source review— visa / work authorisation · not published by the cited official source— Verified faculty photograph not available · queued for source review
APPLICATION TIMELINE & CONTACT
Plan the application
Application deadlineNo current deadline published in the cited evidence
Commencing dateIntake date not published
Application route / cycleAnnual central call run by AO Spine. The most recent window (call for the 2027 programme) has ended. AO Spine publishes that applications for the 2028 programme open in April 2027 and close in May 2027, with results in September 2027 (exact opening and closing days not published).
Spine physician or orthopaedic / neurosurgery / trauma surgeon (fully trained) 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' AO Spine membership before applying (membership must be active)
Has not taken part in an AO Spine fellowship in the past two years (except self-funded)
Aged up to 45 at the time of application
Medical licence of the visiting fellow's nation is required where the host asks for it to scrub in (see host entry)
Application documents
Letter of motivation
Most recent curriculum vitae including list of publications
Copy of medical diploma or specialisation 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 international fellowship hosted at Shanghai Changzheng Hospital.
BENEFITS & SUPPORT
Published benefits and support
Small AO Spine stipend; AO Spine does not arrange accommodation; access to the AO Spine community and myAO fellowship group.
ACCOMMODATION & RELOCATION
Published housing information
✓ Official source mentions accommodation
⌂
Accommodation is mentioned in the published funding or benefits information: Small AO Spine stipend; AO Spine does not arrange accommodation; access to the AO Spine community and myAO fellowship group.
HOST INSTITUTION
About Shanghai Changzheng Hospital, Department of Spine Surgery
Shanghai Changzheng Hospital, Department of Spine Surgery; AO Spine host centre with 450 department beds and about 10000 surgical cases a year (AO host record). Dominant operating-room language: Chinese; team English written 4/5, spoken 4/5.
