Programme page: 'Pay is competitive'. NASS directory: stipend of $70,000 per year.
Deadline
Not published
Duration
Twelve months (programme page); August 1 to July 31 (NASS).
Hands-on
Unclear — confirm privileges
Latest source audit
3 Oct 2026
Duration · publishedTwelve months (programme page); August 1 to July 31 (NASS).
Clinical exposureAcademic private-practice fellowship covering occiput to coccyx in adults and children (degenerative, deformity incl. revision scoliosis/kyphosis, tumour, infection, trauma) with anterior, lateral, posterior and MIS techniques. Three-month hospital-based rotations at HonorHealth Shea, HonorHealth North Mountain, the East Valley and a surgery centre; typical fellow volume 250–400 cases; no level-one trauma call.
Funding · publishedProgramme page: 'Pay is competitive'. NASS directory: stipend of $70,000 per year.
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.
≈Partially published
International applicant eligibility
Applications from physicians with medical school or residency training outside the United States cannot be considered because of Arizona licensing requirements; the non-clinical Research Fellowship is suggested instead.
✓Published by official source
Required training level
MD or DO from an LCME- or AOA COCA-accredited medical school · Successful completion of an ACGME-accredited residency in orthopaedic surgery or neurosurgery by the fellowship start · Letter of recommendation from spine mentor in the applicant's residency programme · Eligible for an Arizona medical licence · Board eligible in orthopaedic surgery or neurosurgery (NASS)
✓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.
≈Partially published
Medical registration
Eligibility for an Arizona medical licence (www.azmd.gov).
?Confirm directly with host
Licensing examinations
Any examination requirement must be confirmed with the relevant regulator and host.
—Not published
Language requirements
No formal language requirement is published by the cited source.
≈Partially published
Visa or work authorisation
Not published (international graduates are not considered for the clinical fellowship).
✓Published by official source
Funding availability
Programme page: 'Pay is competitive'. NASS directory: stipend of $70,000 per year.
DATA QUALITY & AVAILABILITY
83% 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✓ commencement / intake✓ funding✓ benefits✓ eligibility✓ international eligibility✓ registration✓ application process✓ required documents✓ application portal✓ official contact✓ faculty✓ verified faculty photograph✓ verified institution logo✓ official source✓ institutional source✓ accreditation / organisation source✓ verification date— positions · official sources conflict— accommodation / relocation · queued for source review— Language requirement 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
APPLICATION TIMELINE & CONTACT
Plan the application
Application deadlineNo current deadline published in the cited evidence
Commencing dateAugust 1 (NASS directory); programme page does not give a date.
Application route / cycleThrough the NASS/SRS/CSRS Spine Surgery Fellowship Match on SF Match: registration typically opens in August of the year prior to the match; interviews December–March; results typically released in April, one year and four months before the fellowship starts.
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
MD or DO from an LCME- or AOA COCA-accredited medical school
Successful completion of an ACGME-accredited residency in orthopaedic surgery or neurosurgery by the fellowship start
Letter of recommendation from spine mentor in the applicant's residency programme
Eligible for an Arizona medical licence
Board eligible in orthopaedic surgery or neurosurgery (NASS)
Registration, licence & examinations
Eligibility for an Arizona medical licence (www.azmd.gov).
Visa / work authorisation
Not published (international graduates are not considered for the clinical fellowship).
Application documents
Letter of recommendation from spine mentor in the applicant's residency programme
Other documents as required by SF Match (not itemised on programme page)
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 12-month academic private-practice spine surgery fellowship in the Greater Phoenix area with strong adult and pediatric deformity exposure, rotations across HonorHealth hospitals, weekly oral-board-style conferences and research through the Sonoran Spine Research and Education Foundation.
BENEFITS & SUPPORT
Published benefits and support
2 weeks of vacation and one paid meeting attendance (programme page). Research support via the Sonoran Spine Research and Education Foundation.
Benefits may depend on appointment type, training level, visa status and the active academic year. OrthoFellow keeps stipend and benefits separate so a salary figure is not mistaken for the full package.
HOST INSTITUTION
About Sonoran Spine Center (in collaboration with HonorHealth)
Sonoran Spine Center is a Phoenix-area academic private spine practice (in collaboration with HonorHealth) whose surgeons perform more than 1,500 surgeries a year.
Fellowship Director (NASS); Assistant Professor, University of ArizonaOfficial profile & photo verified
Current position
Fellowship supervisor / program leadership
Affiliation
Sonoran Spine Center
Clinical focus
Spine training and clinical practice
Qualifications
Not published on the cited profile
Michael S. Chang is listed in the cited programme evidence as fellowship director (nass); assistant professor, university of arizona for 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.
Michael S. Chang is listed by the official programme source as fellowship director (nass); assistant professor, university of arizona. A separate individual short CV has not yet been verified by OrthoFellow.
Faculty; Clinical Professor, University of Arizona School of MedicineOfficial profile & photo verified
Current position
Teaching faculty / co-leadership
Affiliation
Sonoran Spine Center
Clinical focus
Spine training and clinical practice
Qualifications
Not published on the cited profile
Dennis G. Crandall is listed in the cited programme evidence as faculty; clinical professor, university of arizona school of medicine for 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.
Dennis G. Crandall is listed by the official programme source as faculty; clinical professor, university of arizona school of medicine. A separate individual short CV has not yet been verified by OrthoFellow.
Terrence T. Crowder is listed in the cited programme evidence as faculty for 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.
Terrence T. Crowder is listed by the official programme source as faculty. A separate individual short CV has not yet been verified by OrthoFellow.
Jason C. Datta is listed in the cited programme evidence as faculty for 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.
Jason C. Datta is listed by the official programme source as faculty. A separate individual short CV has not yet been verified by OrthoFellow.
Lyle Young is listed in the cited programme evidence as faculty for 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.
Lyle Young is listed by the official programme source as faculty. A separate individual short CV has not yet been verified by OrthoFellow.
Robert Waldrop is listed in the cited programme evidence as faculty (nass only) for 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.
Robert Waldrop is listed by the official programme source as faculty (nass only). 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.
◎
INTERNATIONAL APPLICANTS
Published international eligibility information
Applications from physicians with medical school or residency training outside the United States cannot be considered because of Arizona licensing requirements; the non-clinical Research Fellowship is suggested instead.
This note is shown only when the official source publishes information relevant to overseas applicants. Applicants should confirm licensing and visa eligibility directly with the host.
