Salary or stipend is not published on the reviewed programme page
Deadline
The programme deadline is not published on the current Penn page
Duration
1 fellowship year
Hands-on
Unclear — confirm privileges
Latest source audit
3 Oct 2026
Duration · published1 fellowship year
Clinical exposureAdult degenerative and deformity spine surgery across Pennsylvania Hospital, Presbyterian Medical Center, Chester County Hospital and Virtua: interbody fusion, cervical, thoracic and lumbar osteotomy, corpectomy, complex anterior and posterior reconstruction, endoscopic and minimally invasive surgery, laminoplasty, arthroplasty and navigated or robotic screw placement, plus Level 1 trauma, revision, tumour and infection cases. The fellow operates 3–4 days a week; at least two publishable research projects are required
Funding · publishedSalary or stipend is not published on the reviewed programme page
DestinationUnited States
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.
—Not published
International applicant eligibility
The cited source does not explicitly confirm international-applicant eligibility.
✓Published by official source
Required training level
Completed an ACGME-accredited or ACGME-I-accredited residency
✓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.
—Not published
Medical registration
Registration requirements are not published by the cited source.
?Confirm directly with host
Licensing examinations
No licensing-examination information is published.
—Not published
Language requirements
No formal language requirement is published by the cited source.
≈Partially published
Visa or work authorisation
Visa sponsorship is not published on the reviewed programme page
✓Published by official source
Funding availability
Salary or stipend is not published on the reviewed programme page
DATA QUALITY & AVAILABILITY
66% of core application fields verified
Checked 3 Oct 2026. Next scheduled editorial review: 2027-04-01. Every unresolved field keeps its exact evidence state—unpublished, not yet researched, historical, conflicting, inaccessible or not applicable—so an absence is never converted into a fact.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✓ positions✓ eligibility✓ application process✓ application portal✓ official contact✓ faculty✓ verified faculty photograph✓ verified institution logo✓ official source✓ institutional source✓ accreditation / organisation source✓ verification date— commencement / intake · queued for source review— Funding information not published · not published by the cited official source— benefits · not published by the cited official source— accommodation / relocation · queued for source review— international eligibility · queued for source review— Language requirement not published · queued for source review— Registration information not published · queued for source review— visa / work authorisation · not published by the cited official source— Current deadline not yet published · not published by the cited official source— required documents · not published by the cited official source
APPLICATION TIMELINE & CONTACT
Plan the application
Application deadlineThe programme deadline is not published on the current Penn page
Commencing dateIntake date not published
Application route / cycleRegister with SF Match and apply to the Comprehensive Adult Spine Surgery Fellowship; incomplete or late applications are not considered. 2026–2027 NASS Spine Fellowship Match through SF Match: applicant registration opened 3 August 2026, interviews run 30 November 2026–19 March 2027 and rank lists are due 6 April 2027. Deadlines are set by each programme.
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 an ACGME-accredited or ACGME-I-accredited residency
Registration, licence & examinations
AHPRA, USMLE/COMLEX, ECFMG, medical-board or local-licence requirements are not stated by the cited source.
Visa / work authorisation
Visa sponsorship is not published on the reviewed programme page
Application documents
CV, personal statement, recommendation-letter, transcript and identity-document requirements are not published by the cited official source.
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 non-ACGME, two-fellow adult spine fellowship based at Pennsylvania Hospital and Penn Presbyterian, covering degenerative, deformity, revision, trauma, tumour and infection surgery with navigation and robotics, matched through SF Match.
HOST INSTITUTION
About University of Pennsylvania Department of Orthopaedic Surgery / Pennsylvania Hospital
Penn Orthopaedics runs two separate SF Match spine fellowships. This adult track keeps both fellows within the University of Pennsylvania Health System for the whole year, and Penn is an official AO Spine fellowship site with combined neurosurgery, physiatry and pain conferences.
Co-Director, Spine Surgery FellowshipOfficial program roster
Current position
Fellowship supervisor / program leadership
Affiliation
University of Pennsylvania
Clinical focus
Spine training and clinical practice
Qualifications
Not published on the cited profile
Amrit S. Khalsa is listed in the cited programme evidence as co-director, spine surgery fellowship for Penn Comprehensive Adult Spine Surgery 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.
Amrit S. Khalsa is listed by the official programme source as co-director, spine surgery fellowship. A separate individual short CV has not yet been verified by OrthoFellow.
Co-Director, Spine Surgery FellowshipOfficial program roster
Current position
Teaching faculty / co-leadership
Affiliation
University of Pennsylvania
Clinical focus
Spine training and clinical practice
Qualifications
Not published on the cited profile
David S. Casper is listed in the cited programme evidence as co-director, spine surgery fellowship for Penn Comprehensive Adult Spine Surgery 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.
David S. Casper is listed by the official programme source as co-director, spine surgery fellowship. A separate individual short CV has not yet been verified by OrthoFellow.
Penn spine facultyOfficial profile & photo verified
Current position
Teaching faculty / co-leadership
Affiliation
University of Pennsylvania
Clinical focus
Spine training and clinical practice
Qualifications
Not published on the cited profile
Harvey E. Smith is listed in the cited programme evidence as penn spine faculty for Penn Comprehensive Adult Spine Surgery 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.
Harvey E. Smith is listed by the official programme source as penn spine faculty. A separate individual short CV has not yet been verified by OrthoFellow.
Sherif Sherif is listed in the cited programme evidence as penn spine faculty for Penn Comprehensive Adult Spine Surgery 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.
Sherif Sherif is listed by the official programme source as penn spine faculty. A separate individual short CV has not yet been verified by OrthoFellow.
Andrew S. Zhang is listed in the cited programme evidence as penn spine faculty for Penn Comprehensive Adult Spine Surgery 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.
Andrew S. Zhang is listed by the official programme source as penn spine faculty. A separate individual short CV has not yet been verified by OrthoFellow.
J. Rush Fisher is listed in the cited programme evidence as penn spine faculty for Penn Comprehensive Adult Spine Surgery 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.
J. Rush Fisher is listed by the official programme source as penn 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.
APPLICANT PROFILE
Graduates of an ACGME- or ACGME-I-accredited residency
