AHN Spine Surgery Fellowship

Program Director: Ryan D. Sauber, MD 
Accreditation: Non-ACGME-accredited (offered through SF Match / NASS)
Program Length: 1 year (August 1 – July 31)
Fellows per year: 1
Operative / non-operative split: 70% operative, 30% non-operative
Anatomic exposure: Lumbar 60%, cervical 30%, thoracic 10%
Diagnostic mix: Degenerative 50%, trauma 20%, deformity 20%, tumor 5%, pediatric 5%
Research obligation: Two publishable-quality research projects
Match: SF Match administered by NASS
Stipend: Approximately $70,000 plus benefits

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Application Process
Curriculum
Faculty
Research

About the program

The Allegheny Health Network Spine Surgery Fellowship is a one-year, fellow-focused program based at Allegheny General Hospital in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It is a non-ACGME-accredited fellowship offered through the SF Match administered by the North American Spine Society (NASS) — the standard pathway for academic spine surgery fellowships. We train one fellow per year to become a confident, well-rounded spine surgeon who is fluent in the full range of modern operative techniques, including the next generation of minimally invasive and endoscopic approaches.

Why train with us

• Exceptional breadth and complexity of cases. Uniportal and biportal endoscopy, minimally invasive decompressions with tubular retractors, MIS fusions, anterior lumbar surgery (fusion and disc replacement), cervical disc replacement, and laminoplasty — alongside the full spectrum of complex spine surgery, including adult and pediatric deformity, spinal trauma, en-bloc tumor resection, and infection.
• One of the few U.S. fellowships training to competency in lumbar endoscopic disc surgery. Fellows graduate prepared to bring uniportal and biportal endoscopic techniques into their first practice, paired with deep exposure to complex spine surgery across deformity, trauma, and oncology.
• Level 1 trauma center with complex spine care. Allegheny General Hospital is a regional Level 1 trauma center, giving fellows extensive experience in acute vertebral column trauma, metastatic and primary spinal oncology, emergent decompression, and operative management of spinal infection.•  Nationally recognized program quality.  AGH is one of the earliest recipients of the Joint Commission’s Advanced Certification in Spine Surgery (ACSS) — an external mark of program quality, safety, and outcomes infrastructure earned by only a select group of spine programs nationwide.
• A strong, established research program. Fellows complete two publishable-quality projects supported by a dedicated spine research team led by Boyle Cheng, PhD, Director of Orthopaedic Research, with an active record of peer-reviewed publication in journals such as The Spine Journal.
• Graduated operative autonomy. Fellows do not take primary call and instead supervise the resident call team, allowing operative learning to remain the primary focus of the year.

A welcome from the program director

Thank you for your interest in the AHN Spine Surgery Fellowship. Our program was built around a simple idea: a single, well-supported fellow each year deserves the full attention of a faculty group that operates together every day. That means dedicated teaching cases, structured graduated autonomy, and a curriculum that prepares you for the spine practice you actually want — not just the one we want you to have.What anchors the year is the breadth and complexity of the case experience. Allegheny General Hospital is a Level 1 trauma center and one of the earliest recipients of the Joint Commission’s Advanced Certification in Spine Surgery. From early in the fellowship you will see the full spectrum of complex spine — acute vertebral column trauma, en-bloc resection for spinal oncology, operative management of spinal infection, adult and pediatric deformity correction, and the high-acuity cervico-thoracic and emergent decompression that come with a regional trauma referral base. Few programs in the country deliver that range in a single training year.

Paired with that breadth is what we believe sets the program apart technically: the way we teach minimally invasive and endoscopic surgery. We are among only a handful of fellowships in the country training to competency in lumbar endoscopic disc surgery — both uniportal and biportal — and we pair that with extensive tubular MIS, cervical disc replacement, anterior lumbar fusion and disc replacement, and robotic-assisted instrumentation. You should leave fluent in these techniques and ready to bring them into your first practice.

Equally important is the team you will work with. Our faculty are clinically active, academically engaged, and easy to find. The fellow does not take primary call and instead supervises the resident call team, so the operating room remains the focus of your year.If you are looking for a high-volume, fellow-focused spine fellowship — one that gives you both the breadth and complexity of a Level 1 trauma referral practice and the technical training to lead in minimally invasive and endoscopic surgery — we would love to hear from you

Ryan D. Sauber, MD 
Program Director & Division Director
Orthopaedic Spine Surgery

Contact us

For all questions about the AHN Spine Surgery Fellowship — application materials, interview scheduling, eligibility, and program logistics — please contact our fellowship coordinator. Clinical or program-substance questions can be directed to the Program Director.

Chris Pilarski
Fellowship Coordinator
(412) 359-4212
chris.pilarski@ahn.org

Ryan D. Sauber, MD
Program Director
ryan.sauber@ahn.org