Overview

The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences' (UAMS) Spine Surgery Fellowship is a one-year, integrated orthopaedic spine and neurosurgery program (August 1 - July 31) that provides a comprehensive clinical exposure to a wide variety of pediatric and adult spinal disorders and injuries. The fellowship offers the opportunity to learn the clinical and surgical skills to manage all aspects of a modern surgical spine practice including anterior/lateral approaches to the spine, minimally invasive techniques and robotic technology, as well as traditional methods of fusion.

Surgical experience will involve all aspects of spinal surgery and will be proctored by a group of 5 fellowship-trained spinal surgeons from both orthopedic and neurosurgical backgrounds. The fellow experience a broad range of surgical cases for both adult and pediatric patients with complex spinal pathology, including primary and revision degenerative problems of the cervical and lumbar spine, adult and pediatric spinal deformities including sagittal misalignment, scoliosis, kyphosis, neuromuscular and congenital disorders, as well as oncologic, and spinal trauma including spinal cord injuries.

Working side by side with orthopaedic spine and neurosurgical faculty in and out of the operating room, fellows receive extensive mentoring in managing, treating, and operating on patients with complex spinal injuries, degenerative disorders, and deformity, while gaining experience with the most advanced spinal instrumentation systems, technology, and techniques.

The fellow will be exposed to and participate in the care of approximately 1500 newly referred patients annually, with an anticipated operative volume of 300-400 cases for the year. The fellow will participate with the attending in all decisions relative to the prescribed treatment. The fellow’s operative responsibility will be assigned commensurate with ability. Residents and medical students are also assigned to the team, giving the spine fellow the opportunity to demonstrate leadership and educational skills.

Goals

The primary goals of our fellowship program are to provide state-of-the-art training in an environment that emphasizes a multidisciplinary approach to the management of adult and pediatric spinal surgery, to develop leaders in the field of spinal surgery, and to provide a rigorous academic experience in which fellows can participate in clinical, translational, and outcomes-based research under the guidance of a faculty mentor.

Highlights

• Broad exposure to all spinal pathology and surgery, in the context of a high-volume tertiary academic referral center with a strong history of excellence in spine care.
• Extensive experience in surgical management of adult and pediatric complex deformity correction and revision surgery.
• High-volume, broad range spinal trauma experience from the state’s only level 1 trauma center.
• Participation and engagement in a true multidisciplinary approach for spine tumors, both primary and metastatic disease.
• Exposure to direct and anterior-to-psoas lateral lumbar and thoracolumbar techniques.
• Routine use of O-arm intra-operative stereotactic navigation and spinal robotic technology.
• State-of-the-art training lead by fellowship-trained spinal surgeons in a unique combined ortho-neuro service line.
• Clinical and lab research opportunities including a state of the art gait and 3D motion-force detection laboratory, top of the line MTS high force multi-vector testing system for biomechanics, real-time PROMIS patient reported outcome data, and several trauma database repositories.
• Exposure and education related to ancillary services such as interventional spine pain management, physical therapy, radiation oncology, bone endocrinology, neuro-radiology, and neuro-interventional radiology.
• Teaching and leadership opportunities with both orthopedic and neurosurgery residents.

Locations

Our adult inpatient services occur at The Orthopaedic & Spine Hospital and UAMS Medical Center. Outpatient services take place at the Jack T. Stephens Spine Institute and UAMS Orthopaedic Clinic locations in Little Rock and Conway. Pediatric services are provided at Arkansas Children's Hospital and clinics.

Application and Selection

Applicants must be a U.S. citizen or possess a Permanent Resident Card or an appropriate educational visa.
Applicants must be a graduate of an ACGME accredited orthopaedic surgery or neurosurgery residency program as applicable to the fellowship.

The fellowship selection will be made via the SF Match. Applications must be submitted directly to the SF Match. Simply complete the online registration using the central application service (mandatory for applicants and programs) and provide the required documents as posted.

Apply through SF Match

Medical Plans

Insurance Rates

Retirement Plans

Living in Little Rock

Spine Surgery Faculty

Samuel Overley, M.D.
Fellowship Director
Department of Orthopaedic Surgery

David Bumpass, M.D.
Division Director
Orthopaedic Spine

Noojan Kazemi, M.D
Division Director
Neurosurgery Spine

T. Glenn Pait, M.D.
Director
Jackson T. Stephens Spine Institute