Spine Fellowship Program
Like many other qualified programs that we offer, the Spine Fellowship Program offers the fellow to enhance their skills and polish their healthcare skills.
There are three main goals of our Spine Fellowship Program:
- To develop the physician’s knowledge along with surgical techniques for treating diseases of the spine
- To provide experience in conducting appropriate research in the laboratory and/or clinical setting
- To demonstrate an ability to transmit information to other professionals through education and dissemination of research results
The Spine Fellow will be involved in a variety of education activities. The Spine Fellow can expect to gain experience with the diagnosis and management of degenerative, traumatic, infectious, and neoplastic conditions involving the cervical, thoracic, and lumbar regions of the spine. Extensive exposure to patients with spine deformities helps the fellow to get valuable hands-on experience.
The Spine Fellow is actively involved in the outpatient clinic. Clinical and basic science research is carried out under the guidance of research and clinical faculty members. Surgical experience is gained under the supervision of faculty members from the orthopedic and neurosurgical departments. This fellowship also participates in the San Francisco spine match program.
This fellowship is ACGME accredited and Physicians entering the Fellowship program must have successfully completed an ACGME (or ACGME-I) accredited residency program or Canadian equivalent (Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada (RCPSC)-accredited or College of Family Physicians of Canada (CFPC)-accredited residency program), in Orthopedic Surgery.
The links below are additional resources for information on the Spine Fellowship at Upstate Orthopedics:
Our fellowship has a long tradition of success and excellence. It was founded by Dr. Hansen Yuan and Dr. Bruce Fredrickson in 1984.
Clinical Activities
The fellowship is principally a clinical fellowship. Educational activities include hands-on experiences in the outpatient and surgical settings. These experiences are designed to develop the physician's knowledge of surgical techniques for treating diseases of the spine. It is our firm belief that graduated clinical responsibility is critical to the development of a spine surgeon.
During a typical week, three to four days are spent in the operating room with at least one day being spent in the office settings. We feel that the office-based component of the fellowship is important to the development of outpatient care, as well as to provide the fellow with an environment to learn surgical indications.
Routine educational experiences take place in two major settings:
- Upstate Bone and Joint Center
Enclosed within this space are offices of the attending spine staff, outpatient clinics of the Orthopedic Department, radiography with an up-to-date MRI imaging facility, outpatient surgery facility, and a pain management center for performing therapeutic and diagnostic block. - SUNY Upstate Medical University Hospital, Crouse Hospital, VA Hospital
Surgery experiences occur predominantly at the SUNY Upstate Medical University and associated clinics. Upstate Orthopedics is a tertiary care Level 1 trauma center with a pediatric hospital. This institution is capable of treating virtually all spinal pathologies in adults and children, including traumatic, degenerative, and deformity types of spinal pathology. Crouse Hospital is a private hospital that is connected to the Upstate by a bridge. Upstate Orthopedics maintains an elective spine practice that runs out of this facility. Fellows also have the option of participating in patient care at Crouse to work at the VA Hospital.
Compensation
The salary for spine fellows for fiscal year 2024 is $81,661. Fellows are covered by an institutional medical malpractice insurance policy. Health and hospital insurance is provided through Upstate Medical University.
- Monday Morning Spine Core Curriculum Conference
The spine service hosts a weekly interactive session that is open to the all Orthopedic and Neurosurgery residents. These sessions occur each Monday, beginning at 7:00AM. Sessions are topic-based as outlined by the core lecture. A PowerPoint lecture concerning the topic is given. The lectures are topical presentations that have been prepared by the attending staff. An open discussion forum follows the lecture. - Spine Indications Conference\Complex Spine Case Conference
This is a small group session where upcoming difficult cases are reviewed and discussed. The chief complaint along with a clinical history is presented along with supporting radiographic studies. All participants are asked to propose a surgical plan. The indications, possible surgical treatments, potential complications, and current supporting literature are discussed. - Quarterly Spine Morbidity and Mortality Conference
During the course of the quarter, all of the medical and surgical complications on the spine service are tracked. These are formally presented in a session that is only open to the residency and spine surgery service. During this quality assurance conference, complications as well as techniques for their prevention are reviewed. - Bimonthly Spine Journal Club
Every other month, a journal club session will occur outside of the workplace. A classical spine article along with a series of interesting and current articles are usually reviewed. These sessions are voluntary but provide the current fellow and residents who attend a relaxed environment to review spine topics and stay up to date on the current body of spine literature.
You can read through the Spine Fellowship Training Manual to have a thorough insight about the program:
Spine Fellowship Training Manual
William Lavelle, MD
Adult and Pediatric Spine Surgery- Mike Sun, MD
Spine Surgery - Richard Tallarico, MD
Spine Surgery
William Lavelle, MD
Mike Sun, MD
Richard Tallarico, MD- 2024 - Michael Stark, DO, Palm Beach Health Network Physician Group, 970 N. Central Park Boulevard, Suite 400-A, Boca Raton, Florida, 33428
- 2023 - Mitchell Long, DO, Total Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine, 115 Eileen Way, Syosset, NY 11791
- 2022 - Abduljabbar Alhammoud, MD, UAMS Health Spine Fellowship, 4301 West Markam Street, Little Rock, AR 72205
- 2021 - Michael Shumaker, DO, Southwoods Hospital, 7630 Southern Blvd, Youngstown, OH 44512
- 2020 - Dylan Morris, DO, Kansas Orthopaedic Center, Wichita, KS 67205
- 2018 - Travis Loidolt, DO, Orthopedic Specialty Center, 2801 K St, Ste 310, Sacramento, CA 95816
- 2017 - Brittney Lambie, MD, The Orthopedic Clinic, 1075 Mason Avenue, Daytona Beach, FL 32117
- 2016 - Henaku Yirenkyi, MD, OrthoAtlanta, 1240 Eagles Landing Pkwy Suite 300, Stockbridge, Georgia 30281
- 2015 – Rakesh Ramakrishnan, MD, Michigan Orthopaedic Specialists, 21031 Michigan Ave., Dearborn, MI, 48124
- 2014 – Tarush Rustagi, MBBS, Pitampura, New Delhi 110034, India
- 2013 – Niranjan Kavadi, MD, Blythewood, SC 29016.
- 2012 – Siddharth Badve, MD, Cleveland Clinic, 9500 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44195
- 2011 – Umesh Metkar, MD, Hartsville, SC 29550
- 2010 – Satyajit Marawar, MBBS, Syracuse, NY 13202
- 2006 – William Schrantz, MD (Deceased)
- 2005 – Thomas J. Raley, MD, Baltimore, MD 2123
- 2004 - Nikola Nenadovich, MD, Valparaiso, IN 46385-6277
- 2003 – Robert Garrison, MD, Ortho Arkansas PA, 10301 Kanis Rd., Little Rock, AR 72205
- 2002 – Dahari Brooks MD, Greensboro Orthopaedics, 3200 Northline Ave., Ste. 160, Greensboro, NC 27408
- 2001 – Claude Sagi MD, Tampa, FL 33629
- 2000 – Robert Benz, MD, Ft. Collins, CO 80525
- 2000 – Richard Manos, MD, Sharp Rees-Stealy Medical Ctr. 2929 Health Center Drive, San Diego, CA 92123
- 1999 - Anthony Matan, MD, 275 Hospital Pkwy., Ste. 310, San Jose, CA 95125
- 1998 - Eric Seybold, MD, Binghamton, NY 13903
- 1997 - Arnold Criscitiello, M.D., Ridgewood, NJ 07450
- 1996 - Mark Chang, M.D., 1100 Joliet St., Ste. 104, Dyer, IN 46311
- 1995 - Geoffrey McCullen, M.D., Lincoln, NE 68506
- 1994 - Kenneth Kopacz, M.D., 556 Eagle Rock Ave. - Suite 5, Roseland, NJ 07068
- 1993 - Kenneth Easton, M.D., Kent Orthopaedic Associates, 750 East Beltline NE, Grand Rapid, MI 49525
- 1992 - Rand Schleusener M.D.,Black Hills Orthopedic Clinic,PO Box 6850 7220 S. Hwy 16, Rapid City, SD 57709
- 1991 - Pablo Vazquez-Seoane M.D., 2424 Babcock Road, Suite 100, San Antonio, TX 78228
- 1991 - Jung Yoo M.D., Oregon Health & Sciences University, 12th floor, 3303 S.W. Bond Ave., Portland, OR 97239, Phone: 503 418-9888
- 1990 - David M. Kruger M.D., Hartford, CT 06105
- 1989 - John Schlegel M.D., Salt Lake City, UT 84121
- 1988 - Mark H. Falahee III M.D., Orthopedic Surgery Associates, 5333 McAuley Drive, Ypsilanti, MI 48197
- 1987 - Thomas Helbig M.D., 61 Orange, NJ 07079
- 1986 - Victor Frankel M.D., Linwood, NJ 08221
- 1986 - Ernest Found M.D., Department of Orthopedics, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa 52242
- 1985 - Jay Krompinger M.D., Orthopedic Associates, 85 Seymour St., Hartford, CT 06106
- 1984 - Alan Froehling M.D., Mt. Vernon, IL 62864-5116
Affordability/Accessibility- Syracuse has a population of about 147K according to the US Census Bureau. The cost of living in Syracuse is relatively lower than the surrounding cities in the region. Not only is Syracuse affordable but it is easy to get from place to place. With many clinical sites being in downtown Syracuse, you are able to get there by walking or transit.
Eat and Play- In the mood for something quick to eat or a nice sit-down dinner? Downtown Syracuse is the place for that. With hundreds of restaurants and eateries, you’ll be sure to find exactly what you’re craving! Don’t miss the opportunity to visit Destiny USA and its many attractions, dining options, and amazing shopping experiences. You can also visit various State and County Parks in the area with many activities to choose from for all different ages.
Sports- The home of the Syracuse Orange! Named one of the Final Four best cities for college basketball. Syracuse University features 18 Division l men’s and women’s teams with the famous Carrier Dome as the largest structure of its kind on a college campus.
Looking to catch a baseball game? Head on over to the NBT Bank Stadium to watch the Syracuse Mets with Scooch, the team mascot.
The Syracuse Crunch knows how to keep it hot during the winter months! The professional ice hockey team has provided enjoyment at the Upstate Medical University Arena since 1994.
Location- Our location in Central New York has limitless multicultural experiences to offer. We are within 350 miles of many areas including New York City, Boston, Toronto, and Philadelphia. Take a day trip to some of your soon-to-be favorite locations such as the Adirondacks, one of the many great lakes, Canada, Niagara Falls, New York City, and many more.
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Want to learn more about the spine fellowship at Upstate Orthopedics in Syracuse, NY? Please call at (315) 464-6448 for any queries you may have about this program.
