General Information

Fellowship Position(s) Available: One (1)
Duration: One (1) year
Dates: July 1, 2026, to June 30, 2027
Interviews for the 2026/2027 academic year will be held between March 11 and July 11, 2025. Specific dates will be determined by the program directors.
Combined Salary & Housing Allowance (AY2026-27): $104,453.00
Currently accepting applications for the 2026/2027 academic year.
Deadline for applications: Tentative deadline of March 31, 2025. The final deadline will be confirmed by program leadership, based on interview scheduling.
Application Link: The link for candidates to apply will go live on January 28, 2025 and can be found here: https://www.spine.org/education/ismm

Fellowship Directors:

Paolo Mimbella, MD, MSc
Lyndly Tamura, MD
Patricia Zheng, MD

Mailing address:
400 Parnassus Avenue, #A2300
San Francisco, CA 94143
Phone: (415) 514-0840

Contact: Brad Stark,  Brad.Stark@ucsf.edu

Fellowship Overview

The Interventional Spine and Musculoskeletal Medicine Fellowship at UCSF is a one-year, highly specialized program designed to provide advanced training in the clinical evaluation, radiographic interpretation, management, and procedural intervention of spine and musculoskeletal disorders. This fellowship is ideally suited for physicians seeking to develop expertise in spinal interventions such as fluoroscopic-guided injections, radiofrequency ablation, and other advanced interventional techniques.

Prospective fellows must have successfully completed ACGME-accredited residency training in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. Fellows will work alongside a diverse array of faculty members and multidisciplinary teams to gain hands-on experience in outpatient and ambulatory surgery center settings, including spine, physiatry, MSK, and EMG clinics, as well as interventional fluoroscopy and musculoskeletal ultrasound procedure suites. Our faculty are board-certified and experienced in Physiatry, Anesthesiology, Electrodiagnostics, and Pain Medicine. There will also be opportunities to work directly with our Sports Medicine board-certified faculty and Surgical Spine faculty.

Fellows are expected to take on increasing responsibility throughout the year, gradually managing their own cases, performing procedures, and leading patient care under the supervision of experienced faculty. Fellows will also have the chance to run their own general physiatry clinics. Additionally, fellows will be actively involved in academic activities, including case discussions, journal clubs, and participation in ongoing and/or novel research projects. There will be ample academic opportunities to present at regional or national conferences, as well as publish in peer-reviewed journals.

The fellowship offers a stipend that will adjust annually in line with the PGY-5 level at UCSF (currently $99,479 for the academic year 2024-2025). Benefits are similar to those for other UCSF residents/fellows/faculty. For specific salary details, please refer to the UCSF Residency Benefits page here.

Approximate Percentage of Training in Interventional Spine Procedures by Region:

• Cervical: 30%
• Thoracic: 5%
• Lumbar: 65%

Approximate Percentage of Training in Interventional Spine Procedures by Condition:

• Degenerative: 35%
• Trauma: 5%
• Deformity: 5%
• Tumor: 3%
• Pediatric: 2%
• Other: 20%

Procedures Taught: 

• Epidural Steroid Injections (including Cervical)
• Medial Branch Blocks (including Cervical)
• Radiofrequency Ablation
• Fluoroscopic Peripheral Joint Injections
• PRP/Regenerative Medicine
• Ultrasound-guided Interventions
• EMG/NCS
• Kyphoplasty
• Basivertebral Nerve Ablation
• Spinal Cord Stimulation Trials