Skip to content

Orthopaedic Spine Surgery Fellowship

Department of Orthopaedics

Accreditation: ACGME
Positions: 1
Program Length: 1 year (August 1st – July 31st)


Program Overview

The goal of the fellowship is to provide a comprehensive spine surgical education enabling the fellow to be a well-rounded clinician capable of assessment and treatment of all spine problems. This fellowship will allow the graduate to continue with an academic career or succeed in private practice.

The combined patients of four full-time adult spine attendings and two pediatric spine attendings will provide the fellow with ample exposure to all areas of spine pathology, including:

  • trauma
  • tumors
  • infection
  • deformity and degenerative problems of the spine
  • spinal instrumentation

Nonoperative treatment as well as operative treatment of cervical, thoracic, and lumbar spine problems is emphasized. The surgery offerings would include anterior as well as posterior approaches to each of these areas. There is a close working relationship with the neurosurgery department in order to broaden the fellowship exposure. The fellow will be exposed to 300-400 surgical cases during the one-year period.

  • Percent of Fellowship devoted to Operative Care: 80%
  • Non-Operative Care: 10%
  • Research/Publication Obligation: 10%

Approximate percentage of exposure to the spine by region:

  • Cervical: 30%
  • Lumbar: 60%
  • Thoracic: 10%

Approximate percentage of Fellowship exposure to the spine by diagnostic category:

  • Degenerative: 50%
  • Trauma: 20%
  • Deformity: 20%
  • Tumor: 10%
  • Exposure to Level 1 Trauma Center
    • Jackson Memorial Hospital
  • Education of Residents and Students
    • PGY-4, PGY-2 on Spine service
  • Structured weekly didactic schedule
    • Indications Conference
    • Spine Surgery Lecture Series
    • Spine Journal Club
  • Basic Science and Clinical Research Opportunities with Dedicated Research Time
    • Clinical Outcomes Research - Cervical Spine, Deformity, Spine Oncology, Trauma
    • Biomechanical studies at Max Biedermann Institute/Mt. Sinai Hospital

Our Team

Directors

Joseph P. Gjolaj, M.D., FACS

Coordinator

Luis J. Garcia

Contact

Email: ljg89@miami.edu

Faculty

Frank J. Eismont, M.D., FACS 
Cervical Spine Pathologies

Nathan H. Lebwohl, M.D.
Non-operative Spine Care, Pediatric and Adult Spinal Deformity, Spine Trauma

Joseph P. Gjolaj, M.D., FACS
Adult & Pediatric Deformity, Spine Trauma 

Thomas Errico, M.D.
Pediatric Deformity

Stephen George, M.D.
Pediatric Deformity

Evan J. Trapana, M.D.
Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery, Disc Arthroplasty, Spine Trauma

Emmanuel N. Menga, M.D.
Complex Cervical Spine, Spinal Deformity, Spine Trauma, Spinal Oncology

Francis John Hornicek, Jr., M.D. Ph.D.
Spinal Oncology

Brian Grottkau, M.D.
Pediatric Deformity and Vertebral Body Tethering