AHN Spine Surgery Fellowship Research
Research is a core component of the AHN Spine Surgery Fellowship. The program is built on a strong, established research engine: fellows complete two publishable-quality research projects during the year and are supported throughout by a dedicated spine research team led by Boyle C. Cheng, PhD, Director of Orthopaedic Research.
Spine Research Group
The AHN Spine Research Group is an established, faculty-led research engine with active programs in:
- Cervical disc arthroplasty and ACDF outcomes (including industry-funding bias analyses and device-constraint comparative meta-analyses)
- Robotic-assisted spine instrumentation
- Bone graft substitutes, interbody device biomechanics, and implant innovation
- Return-to-sport outcomes after operative and non-operative management of lumbar disc herniation
- Spine trauma classification and management
What the fellow does
- Selects two research projects in collaboration with the faculty and the research group early in the fellowship year
- Has access to biostatistical, data, and writing support through the research team
- Is supported in submitting abstracts to national meetings and manuscripts to peer-reviewed journals
- May contribute to ongoing studies in addition to leading two primary projects
Recent representative publications
- Sauber R, Cheng BC, et al. Biomechanical Characterization of Unilateral Resection of the Superior Articular Process: Unilateral Transforaminal Endoscopic Approaches for Lumbar Decompression May Cause Instability in the Spine. Spine. Accepted for publication, 2026.
- Sauber R, Dandu N, Zavras AG, Acosta JR, Jeyamohan H. Lumbar Endoscopic Spine Surgery: Where Are We? In: Singh K, Park DK, Kim J-S, eds. Essentials of Endoscopic Spine Surgery. Academic Press / Elsevier; 2025.
- Zavras AG, Acosta JR, Jeyamohan HR, Breyer GM, Holmberg KJ, Cheng BC, Altman DT, Sauber R. Effect of industry funding on outcome reporting in cervical disc arthroplasty: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. The Spine Journal. 2025;25(5):929–938.
- Zavras AG, Acosta JR, Holmberg KJ, Cheng BC, Altman DT, Sauber R. Effect of device constraint: a comparative network meta-analysis of ACDF and cervical disc arthroplasty. The Spine Journal. 2024;24(10):1858–1871.
- O’Connor SB, Holmberg KJ, Hammarstedt JE, Sauber R, et al. Return-to-play outcomes of athletes after operative and nonoperative treatment of lumbar disc herniation. Current Reviews in Musculoskeletal Medicine. 2023.
- Barri K, Zhang Q, Swink I, Holmberg KJ, Sauber R, Altman DT, Cheng BC, et al. Patient-specific self-powered metamaterial implants for detecting bone healing progress. Advanced Functional Materials. 2022;32:2203533.