Comprehensive · Source does not publish commencement date
DECISION SUMMARY
Key facts at a glance
Eligibility
International route mentioned
Funding
AO Spine pays fellows a small stipend as a contribution to accommodation and living costs; it is calculated from a benchmark of USD 550 per week of fellowship in the United States, adjusted for local price level (World Bank PPP ratio) and paid in Swiss-franc equivalents. AO Spine does not arrange accommodation; travel and insurance are the fellow's cost. Host administration fee: SGD 170 non-refundable application fee for a 4-week fellowship (formalities 6 to 10 weeks; subject to hospital approval); more than 4 weeks: minimum SGD 2,227 (formalities 8 to 18 months)
Deadline
May 2027 (exact day not published on the AO Spine page)
Duration
4 to 12 weeks (AO Spine Short-term International Fellowship)
Hands-on
No hands-on role indicated
Clinical exposureSpine surgery fellowship hosted at National University Hospital (Spine Division): 500 surgical cases per year and 1,239 beds in the department. Techniques marked 'Yes' on the host page: standard open, endoscopy, robotics, pain management, minimally invasive surgery, anterior surgery, spinal navigation, intradural surgery, thoracoscopy. Other activities: arthroplasty, endoscopy, navigation, robotics (listed on the page)
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 who meet the criteria; placement at host centres in other countries is part of the programme.
?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
All fellows need at least MBBS and MS Ortho qualification and must present an official registration certificate for the hands-off observer application; for more than 4 weeks, Singapore Medical Council and Ministry of Manpower approval is required (formalities 8 to 18 months)
—Not published
Language
No formal language requirement is published by the cited source.
≈Partially published
Visa or work authorisation
Not published on the host-centre page.
DATA QUALITY & AVAILABILITY79% 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 faculty photograph✓ 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
APPLICATION TIMELINE & CONTACT
Plan the application
Application deadlineMay 2027 (exact day not published on the AO Spine page)
Commencing dateIntake date not published
Application route / cycleAnnual call. The call for the 2027 programme has ended; the call for the 2028 programme is stated to open in April 2027 and close in May 2027, with results in September 2027.
Official contactAO Spine fellowship team (via AO Foundation); host surgeon in charge: Gabriel Liu
Spine physician or orthopaedic, neurosurgery or trauma surgeon 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
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
Most updated CV including 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)
Host centre also asks: letter of undertaking and observer agreement (provided by host); professional qualification certificates; medical registration certificate; valid passport; valid health insurance; vaccination proof or serology (varicella, MMR, Tdap, Covid-19) and chest X-ray; own laptop
PROGRAM OVERVIEW
What this program offers
AO Spine short-term international fellowship placement at National University Hospital (Spine Division). The catalogue rows isakos-024/025 and isakos-registry-1957 are NUH's separate ISAKOS-listed fellowships; sg-nuh-002 is NUH's own spine fellowship.
BENEFITS & SUPPORT
Published benefits and support
Stipend contribution; access to the AO Spine global network and fellowship community (AO Spine page).
ACCOMMODATION & RELOCATION
Published housing information
✓ Official source mentions accommodation
⌂
Accommodation is mentioned in the published funding or benefits information: AO Spine pays fellows a small stipend as a contribution to accommodation and living costs; it is calculated from a benchmark of USD 550 per week of fellowship in the United States, adjusted for local price level (World Bank PPP ratio) and paid in Swiss-franc equivalents. AO Spine does not arrange accommodation; travel and insurance are the fellow's cost. Host administration fee: SGD 170 non-refundable application fee for a 4-week fellowship (formalities 6 to 10 weeks; subject to hospital approval); more than 4 weeks: minimum SGD 2,227 (formalities 8 to 18 months)
HOST INSTITUTION
About National University Hospital, Dept of Orthopaedic Surgery, Spine Divis
National University Hospital, Dept of Orthopaedic Surgery, Spine Division, Singapore; listed as an AO Spine fellowship host centre.
Alexandra Hospital Motion-Preservation & Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery Unit
Singapore · Short format; the disc-arthroplasty pathway comprises evening teaching followed by a full day of live surgery, while the spinal-endoscopy pathway duration is not publishedView program profile →
