Duration · not publishedNot stated in NASS or on the practice website. The NASS entry describes a 2026–27 application cycle.
Clinical exposureA clinical fellowship in a high-volume 'privademic' practice with four spine surgeons and a vascular surgeon, operating at two high-volume academic trauma centres (St. Joseph's University Medical Center, Paterson; Morristown Medical Center) and an ambulatory surgery centre. Training covers MIS (tubular cervical and lumbar decompression and fusion, MIS-TLIF, percutaneous instrumentation with or without navigation or robot, lateral interbody fusion), cervical and lumbar arthroplasty, and open surgery with an emphasis on freehand screw placement, plus spine trauma, tumour and infection. The fellow runs their own clinic and books their own cases. NASS reports 75% operative and 25% non-operative care, case mix 50% degenerative, 30% deformity and 20% trauma/tumour, and regions 45% cervical, 45% lumbar and 10% thoracic.
Funding · not publishedNot published
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
Applicants must be graduates of an accredited US orthopaedic or neurosurgery residency and ABOS/AOBOS or ABNS/AOBNS board eligible or certified. Graduates of residencies outside the US are therefore not eligible.
✓Published by official source
Required training level
Board eligible or board certified by ABOS/AOBOS or ABNS/AOBNS · Graduate of an accredited US orthopaedic or neurosurgery residency program · Eligible for an unrestricted New Jersey medical license, malpractice insurance and hospital privileges
✓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 unrestricted New Jersey medical license, malpractice insurance and hospital privileges
?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
—Not published
Funding availability
Not published
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✓ positions✓ eligibility✓ international eligibility✓ registration✓ application process✓ application portal✓ official contact✓ faculty✓ verified faculty photograph✓ verified institution logo✓ official source✓ accreditation / organisation source✓ verification date— duration · not published by the cited official source— commencement / intake · not published by the cited official source— 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— 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— required documents · not published by the cited official source— institutional source · source temporarily inaccessible
APPLICATION TIMELINE & CONTACT
Plan the application
Application deadlineNo current deadline published in the cited evidence
Commencing dateIntake date not published
Application route / cycleSF Match. NASS says applications for the 2026–2027 cycle are open and interviews are held in person. Candidates may email Dr Sahai to arrange a meeting at SMISS (Las Vegas) or CSRS (Washington, DC).
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
Board eligible or board certified by ABOS/AOBOS or ABNS/AOBNS
Graduate of an accredited US orthopaedic or neurosurgery residency program
Eligible for an unrestricted New Jersey medical license, malpractice insurance and hospital privileges
Registration, licence & examinations
Eligibility for an unrestricted New Jersey medical license, malpractice insurance and hospital privileges
Visa / work authorisation
Not published
Application documents
SF Match application (programme-specific documents not published)
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 one-position clinical spine fellowship in a high-volume private-academic practice across the Hudson from New York City, emphasising MIS, motion preservation and freehand open technique, with trauma, tumour and infection cover at two trauma centres.
HOST INSTITUTION
About University Spine Center (with St. Joseph's University Medical Center and Morristown Medical Center)
University Spine Center is a multidisciplinary spine practice based in Wayne, New Jersey (main office 504 Valley Road, Suite 203), with an office in Morristown; its surgeons operate at St. Joseph's University Medical Center (Paterson) and Morristown Medical Center.
Fellowship Co-Director; Chairman of Orthopedics and Chief of Spine Surgery, St. Joseph's University Medical CenterOfficial profile & photo verified
Current position
Fellowship supervisor / program leadership
Affiliation
University Spine Center / St. Joseph's University Medical Center
Clinical focus
Spine training and clinical practice
Qualifications
Not published on the cited profile
Arash Emami is listed in the cited programme evidence as fellowship co-director; chairman of orthopedics and chief of spine surgery, st. joseph's university medical center for University Spine Center – Northern New Jersey Spine 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.
Arash Emami is listed by the official programme source as fellowship co-director; chairman of orthopedics and chief of spine surgery, st. joseph's university medical center. A separate individual short CV has not yet been verified by OrthoFellow.
University Spine Center / St. Joseph's University Medical Center
Clinical focus
Spine training and clinical practice
Qualifications
Not published on the cited profile
Nikhil K. Sahai is listed in the cited programme evidence as fellowship co-director for University Spine Center – Northern New Jersey Spine 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.
Nikhil K. Sahai is listed by the official programme source as fellowship co-director. A separate individual short CV has not yet been verified by OrthoFellow.
University Spine Center / St. Joseph's University Medical Center
Clinical focus
Spine training and clinical practice
Qualifications
Not published on the cited profile
Ki S. Hwang is listed in the cited programme evidence as faculty spine surgeon for University Spine Center – Northern New Jersey Spine 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.
Ki S. Hwang is listed by the official programme source as faculty spine surgeon. A separate individual short CV has not yet been verified by OrthoFellow.
Kumar G. Sinha is listed in the cited programme evidence as faculty spine surgeon for University Spine Center – Northern New Jersey Spine 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.
Kumar G. Sinha is listed by the official programme source as faculty spine surgeon. A separate individual short CV has not yet been verified by OrthoFellow.
Massimo M. Napolitano is listed in the cited programme evidence as vascular (access) surgeon for University Spine Center – Northern New Jersey Spine 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.
Massimo M. Napolitano is listed by the official programme source as vascular (access) surgeon. 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.
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INTERNATIONAL APPLICANTS
Published international eligibility information
Applicants must be graduates of an accredited US orthopaedic or neurosurgery residency and ABOS/AOBOS or ABNS/AOBNS board eligible or certified. Graduates of residencies outside the US are therefore not eligible.
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.
