Faculty / program leadership: Eugen Cezar Popescu · Bogdan Costachescu
Profile completeness89%
Comprehensive · Missing commencement date
DECISION SUMMARY
Key facts at a glance
Eligibility
International route mentioned
Funding
No programme fee is stated by AO. AO pays the fellow a small stipend toward accommodation and living costs, calculated from a benchmark of USD 550 per week of fellowship in the United States and adjusted by a purchasing-power-parity price-level ratio for other countries, paid in Swiss-franc equivalents; it is a contribution only and may not cover all costs. Travel and insurance are paid entirely by the fellow; AO does not arrange accommodation. The exact weekly stipend for this country is not shown on the AO pages.
Deadline
Not published
Duration
4 to 12 weeks
Hands-on
No hands-on role indicated
Clinical exposureShort-term AO Spine fellowship (observership-style placement) at Clinical Hospital "Prof. N. Oblu", Neurosurgery. The host department is neurosurgery; the AO host page does not say that orthopaedic surgeons are excluded, and AO's own eligibility criteria accept orthopaedic, neurosurgery and trauma surgeons. The host page states that AO fellows have an opportunity to scrub in; it does not say whether independent hands-on patient care is permitted. Techniques listed by the host: standard open surgery, endoscopy, robotics, tuberculosis surgery, minimally invasive surgery, anterior surgery, spinal navigation, intradural surgery.
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 orthopaedic, neurosurgical and trauma surgeons worldwide who meet the AO membership and course criteria; the host centre is allocated by AO from the applicant's preferences and available places. Nationality is not restricted on the AO page.
?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.
—Not published
Medical registration
Registration and licensing requirements are not published by the cited source.
—Not published
Language
No formal language requirement is published by the cited source.
≈Partially published
Visa or work authorisation
Not published on the AO programme page or the host page.
DATA QUALITY & AVAILABILITY72% 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✓ commencement / intake✓ funding✓ benefits✓ eligibility✓ international eligibility✓ 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— accommodation / relocation · queued for source review— Language requirement not published · 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— Current deadline not yet published · 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 deadlineNo current deadline published in the cited evidence
Commencing dateIntake date not published
Application route / cycleThe most recent window (2027 programme) has ended. The AO programme page states that applications for the 2028 programme reopen in April 2027 (open call April 2027, close call May 2027, results September 2027); exact dates are not published.
Official contactAO Foundation fellowship team (applications are handled by AO; do not contact the host before confirmation); surgeon in charge of fellows at host: Bogdan Costachescu
Spine physician, or specialised 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 (active membership required)
Has not taken part in a spine fellowship in the past two years (except self-funded)
Up to 45 years old at the time of application
Application documents
Letter of motivation
Curriculum vitae including list of publications
Copy of medical diploma or specialisation diploma (orthopaedics/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-coordinated short-term fellowship (placement through AO Spine) at Clinical Hospital "Prof. N. Oblu"; operating-room language Romanian, English written/spoken proficiency written (4)* / spoken (4)* (scale 1-5, as published).
BENEFITS & SUPPORT
Published benefits and support
AO Spine fellowship stipend as above; no salary is mentioned.
HOST INSTITUTION
About Clinical Hospital "Prof. N. Oblu"
Clinical Hospital "Prof. N. Oblu" is an AO Spine fellowship host centre (Neurosurgery). AO host page lists 155 beds in the department and 1200 surgical cases per year.
