International Skull Base Fellowships

[Guest_2024]

Has anyone done or heard of any skull base fellowships outside of the US that are open to taking US residency grads?

[Guest]

Some strong ones in Europe probably. Have heard about Charlie Teo but googling him should keep any self-respecting surgeon from going anywhere near him.

[Guest]

Jorge Mura in Santiago, Chile

[Guest]

Considering the large number of great skull base fellowships in the US, I can’t fathom why any self-respecting neurosurgeon would want to leave the country. Foreign fellowships are generally not “recognized” in the US with a few rare exceptions, so it would be essentially meaningless except to maybe 4 people in the country who would recognize the name/institution. The very question shows a lack of fundamental understanding of how organized neurosurgery works, how the job market works, and how the hospital accreditation process works.

Unfortunately or fortunately (depending on one’s perspective) US citizens who obtain foreign medical education (at any level) are looked down upon in American neurosurgery. When you are applying for skull base jobs (of which there are already not many) and you are compared to a surgeon who did a US fellowship, you will almost certainly be at a disadvantage. Especially considering that many academic skull base postings are obtained largely by word of mouth and phone calls from mentors, and obviously a foreign mentor will mean very little.

[Guest]

You realize some of the most well-respected skull base surgeons in the world weren’t trained in the US? And that most of the well-known US skull base surgeons have had “foreign medical education”? Good luck with your hospital accreditation and organized neurosurgery or whatever you’re talking about.

[Guest]

I provide info based on attending experience, to try to answer the questions asked. Whether you listen or don’t doesn’t matter to me in the slightest. Trying to argue with me doesn’t change the way things are, or the reality of the situation. Listen or don’t, apply internationally or don’t. The only person you are hurting is yourself. Best of luck kid.

[Guest]

Not to discredit anyone already replying here, but I am a skull base focused neurosurgeon at a large academic center in the states. My fellowship was from the states as well. You get accreditation based on where you did residency, not really fellowship, so if you went and did a fellowship abroad in anything I don’t think you would have trouble getting accredited so long as you did residency in the US… so I don’t fully agree with some of the previous posters on that. But it is absolutely true that most of the best jobs are not posted online so you rely heavily on residency and/or fellowship connections to have the finger on the pulse of the job market to help you. You will be at a disadvantage if abroad in that regard. Also, a lot of the better skull base fellowships abroad (Cappabianca for example) have retired. The path of least resistance is to stay in the US.