Clinical exposureMore than 850 surgical cases a year (50% degenerative, 20% deformity, 20% trauma, 10% tumour) at URMC, the Level I trauma, regional cancer and spinal cord injury centre for the Finger Lakes region. Training runs from occiput to pelvis and includes open, MIS and microscope-assisted cervical and lumbar surgery, cervical arthroplasty, adult and pediatric deformity including three-column osteotomies, early-onset scoliosis, anterior/posterior reconstruction and revision surgery, and cadaver training. The fellow runs a spine clinic with faculty support and learns injection and interventional physiatry techniques at Strong Memorial Hospital/Golisano Children's Hospital, Highland Hospital and FF Thompson Hospital. There is no in-house call.
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
Not addressed. No licensing, visa or international eligibility policy is published.
✓Published by official source
Required training level
Not published on the programme page beyond applying through the SF Match Spine Fellowship Match
✓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
Not published
?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
69% 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 Every unresolved field keeps its exact evidence state—unpublished, not yet researched, historical, conflicting, inaccessible or not applicable—so an absence is never converted into a fact.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✓ commencement / intake✓ application process✓ required documents✓ application portal✓ official contact✓ faculty✓ verified faculty photograph✓ verified institution logo✓ official source✓ institutional source✓ accreditation / organisation source✓ verification date— 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— eligibility · not published by the cited official source— international eligibility · not published by the cited official source— 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
APPLICATION TIMELINE & CONTACT
Plan the application
Application deadlineNo current deadline published in the cited evidence
Commencing dateAugust 1 each year
Application route / cycleSF Match Spine Fellowship Match. Interview dates are January 29 and January 30, 2027.
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
Not published on the programme page beyond applying through the SF Match Spine Fellowship Match
Registration, licence & examinations
Not published
Visa / work authorisation
Not published
Application documents
SF Match Fellowship Application
Three letters of recommendation
Current CV
Personal statement
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-year, one-position comprehensive adult and pediatric spine surgery fellowship named for SRS founder Louis A. Goldstein, with more than 850 cases a year, no in-house call and an expectation of a publishable research paper. More than 40 fellows have completed it.
HOST INSTITUTION
About University of Rochester Medical Center, Department of Orthopaedics & Physical Performance
URMC Orthopaedics & Physical Performance is the largest orthopaedic practice in the nine-county Rochester, New York region, based at the Level I trauma, regional cancer and spinal cord injury centre for the Finger Lakes.
Varun Puvanesarajah is listed in the cited programme evidence as fellowship director for Louis A. Goldstein 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.
Varun Puvanesarajah is listed by the official programme source as fellowship director. A separate individual short CV has not yet been verified by OrthoFellow.
Ashley Rogerson is listed in the cited programme evidence as co-fellowship director for Louis A. Goldstein 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.
Ashley Rogerson is listed by the official programme source as co-fellowship director. A separate individual short CV has not yet been verified by OrthoFellow.
Assistant Professor, Orthopaedic SurgeryOfficial profile & photo verified
Current position
Teaching faculty / co-leadership
Affiliation
URMC Orthopaedics & Physical Performance
Clinical focus
Spine training and clinical practice
Qualifications
Not published on the cited profile
Alexander Akoto is listed in the cited programme evidence as assistant professor, orthopaedic surgery for Louis A. Goldstein 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.
Alexander Akoto is listed by the official programme source as assistant professor, orthopaedic surgery. A separate individual short CV has not yet been verified by OrthoFellow.
Assistant Professor, Department of OrthopaedicsOfficial profile & photo verified
Current position
Teaching faculty / co-leadership
Affiliation
URMC Orthopaedics & Physical Performance
Clinical focus
Spine training and clinical practice
Qualifications
Not published on the cited profile
Mark C. Lawlor is listed in the cited programme evidence as assistant professor, department of orthopaedics for Louis A. Goldstein 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.
Mark C. Lawlor is listed by the official programme source as assistant professor, department of orthopaedics. A separate individual short CV has not yet been verified by OrthoFellow.
Professor, Orthopaedic SurgeryOfficial profile & photo verified
Current position
Teaching faculty / co-leadership
Affiliation
URMC Orthopaedics & Physical Performance
Clinical focus
Spine training and clinical practice
Qualifications
Not published on the cited profile
Robert W. Molinari is listed in the cited programme evidence as professor, orthopaedic surgery for Louis A. Goldstein 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 W. Molinari is listed by the official programme source as professor, orthopaedic surgery. A separate individual short CV has not yet been verified by OrthoFellow.
Assistant Professor, Orthopaedic SurgeryOfficial profile & photo verified
Current position
Teaching faculty / co-leadership
Affiliation
URMC Orthopaedics & Physical Performance
Clinical focus
Spine training and clinical practice
Qualifications
Not published on the cited profile
Andrew Megas is listed in the cited programme evidence as assistant professor, orthopaedic surgery for Louis A. Goldstein 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 Megas is listed by the official programme source as assistant professor, orthopaedic surgery. A separate individual short CV has not yet been verified by OrthoFellow.
Assistant Professor, Orthopaedic SurgeryOfficial profile & photo verified
Current position
Teaching faculty / co-leadership
Affiliation
URMC Orthopaedics & Physical Performance
Clinical focus
Spine training and clinical practice
Qualifications
Not published on the cited profile
Susan Nelson is listed in the cited programme evidence as assistant professor, orthopaedic surgery for Louis A. Goldstein 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.
Susan Nelson is listed by the official programme source as assistant professor, orthopaedic surgery. A separate individual short CV has not yet been verified by OrthoFellow.
Paul T. Rubery is listed in the cited programme evidence as chair, orthopaedic surgery for Louis A. Goldstein 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.
Paul T. Rubery is listed by the official programme source as chair, orthopaedic surgery. 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
Not addressed. No licensing, visa or international eligibility policy is published.
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.
