Spine Fellowship
Welcome from our Spine Fellowship Director
Shane Burch, MD
Thank you for your interest in the UCSF Spine Surgery Fellowship Program. We are excited to share the unique opportunities our program offers, aimed at providing a comprehensive and diverse clinical experience that will prepare you for a successful career in spine surgery.
The UCSF Spine Surgery Fellowship is designed to provide fellows with comprehensive, rigorous training in the evaluation and operative management of a wide variety of spinal disorders. Our mission is to train surgeons to be compassionate and capable care providers, with the knowledge and skills to care for patients across a broad spectrum of complexities.
Unique aspects of this fellowship include significant exposure to spinal deformities, degenerative conditions, and complex reconstructive spine surgeries; the treatment of primary and metastatic spine tumors; and a strong educational program with teaching and research conferences held three days a week. In addition to traditional instrumentation procedures, the fellowship also offers exposure to new technologies, including minimally invasive approaches and investigational studies involving new devices and clinical trials. The faculty of the UCSF Spine Service performs more than 1,000 operative procedures annually, covering both simple and complex spinal pathologies.
Shane Burch, MD
Spine Fellowship Director
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- Current Spine Fellows
- Abdullah Alshammari MD
- Austen Katz MD
- Asra Toobaie MD
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- Class of 2023
- Rafid Kasir, MD
- Jay Shah, DO
- Zachary Sharfman, MD
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- Class of 2022
- Ian McNeill, MD.
- Joseph Mendelis, MD
- Rahul Samtani, MD
General Information
Duration: One (1) year
Dates: August 1, 2026 to July 31, 2027
Interviews for the 2026/2027 academic year will be held on Monday, Feb. 3, 2025.
Combined Salary & Housing Allowance (AY2024-25): $107,700.00
Currently accepting applications for the 2026/2027 academic year.
Deadline for applications: November 1, 2024.
Faculty
| Shane Burch, M.D. (Fellowship Director) Sigurd Berven,M.D. Alan Dang, M.D. Vedat Deviren, M.D. Lionel Metz,M.D. Bobby Tay, M.D. Alekos Theologis, M.D. |
ChristopherAmes,M.D.* *UCSF Department of Neurosurgery |
Fellowship Curriculum and Research Components
Research components
Extensive research opportunities exist in the fellowship, and all fellows are required to prepare one manuscript based upon original research for publication.
Opportunities exist for clinical research through the UCSF Orthopaedic Surgery Health Outcomes Center, a multi-disciplinary research center that includes orthopaedic surgeons, epidemiologists, and other health services researchers. Basic science facilities are also available, including bioengineering, biomechanics, and molecular biology laboratories. Specific research responsibilities include:
- To work with the UCSF Orthopaedic Outcomes Institute Research Coordinator to improve the quality and consistency of data collection.
- To assist residents and medical students in designing and carrying out research projects.
- To submit at least one research manuscript for publication in a peer-reviewed journal, based on research done during the fellowship year.
Didactic components
Monday:
- Spine Lecture Series – every other week 5:00 pm
- Spine Conference – Inman Resident’s Room 7 am, didactic, interactive, topic
directed conferences. - Case conference: 8 am: review of pre and postoperative cases for the week.
Tuesday: Resident and Fellows didactic teaching.
Wednesday: UCSF Grand Rounds- Grand Rounds is held weekly September through June and covers general orthopaedic topics. Grand Rounds are organized by the UCSF Department of Orthopaedic Surgery.
Thursday: Research conference one Thursday/month.
Friday: Fellowship Director Lecture Series
Other conferences
Journal Club: Every month
City-wide Grand Rounds: Occurs quarterly, and is attended by bay area orthopaedic surgeons. The topics are of interest to the general orthopaedic surgeon.