Fellowship Opportunity at the Anand Spine Group

Comprehensive Minimally Invasive & Outpatient Spine Surgery Fellowship

The Comprehensive Minimally Invasive & Outpatient Spine Surgery Fellowship is a six-month or one-year opportunity offered by Dr. Neel Anand and DOCS Spine + Orthopedics. This fellowship program was established in 2019 by Dr. Neel Anand, who has pioneered minimally invasive techniques in the field of spine surgery, particularly in the management of spinal deformities.  He desires to share his experience and expertise with the fellows.

The mission of the fellowship is to engage and train motivated spine surgeons who desire to learn and adopt minimally invasive spine surgery and outpatient spine surgery as the foundation for their practice. We aim to graduate inquisitive leaders, who will continue to push the boundaries of spinal care and improve the patient experience. Graduates will develop a profound knowledge of the entire spectrum of spinal disorders and proficiency in delivering state of the art care.     

Fellows will train at several facilities, including Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, DOCS Outpatient Center for Surgery, DOCS Surgical Hospital, and other area surgery centers. The fellow will participate in inpatient and outpatient surgeries, conduct daily patient rounds, and evaluate and formulate treatment plans for patients in clinic. Inpatient care will focus on the management of spinal trauma, spondylolisthesis, revision cases, and the execution of a systematic protocol for the circumferential MIS correction of spinal deformities. Outpatient care will focus on the management of disc herniations, stenosis, and single-level disc disease using minimally invasive techniques and motion preservation devices. 

The fellow will learn advanced treatment options for thoracic and lumbar disorders including:

  • tubular microdecompression/microdiscectomy
  • lateral lumbar interbody fusion (OLIF/DLIF/ XLIF)
  • anterior lumbar interbody fusion (ALIF)
  • MIS tubular and mini-open transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (TLIF)
  • MIS posterior lumbar interbody fusion (PLIF)
  • MIS percutaneous lumbar pedicle instrumentation and fusion
  • robot-assisted posterior instrumentation (with Mazor robot)
  • lumbar artificial disc replacement (ADR)
  • other non-fusion stabilization techniques

The fellow will also learn advanced treatment options for cervical disorders including:

  • MIS posterior cervical decompression (foraminotomy, laminectomy, laminoplasty)
  • anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF)
  • cervical artificial disc replacement (ADR)
  • cervical posterior instrumentation and fusion
  • navigation-assisted posterior instrumentation (with O-arm)

An abstract and a publication-ready paper are expected prior to the end of the fellowship. Applicants must be Board Eligible/Certified. A California state medical license and full privileges are required. A stipend of $70,000 plus benefits will be provided for a 1-year term; $35,000 plus benefits for a 6-month term.

If you are interested in applying to the fellowship, please complete the Fellowship Application and submit your application and CV to the

Fellowship Coordinator, Cheri Phillips, PA-C at cheri.phillips@cshs.org.

Meet Our Fellows

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Jose Jimenez-Almonte, MD

Dr. Jose Jimenez-Almonte is the fourth Comprehensive MIS & Outpatient Spine Surgery fellow. He attended the University of Puerto Rico for medical school and the University of Kentucky for his orthopaedic surgery residency. He spent one year with the University of Colorado completing his spine fellowship before joining the Anand Spine Group in August 2021.   He will begin private practice in February 2022 near Orlando, FL.

David Gendelberg, MD

Dr. David Gendelberg became the third Comprehensive MIS & Outpatient Spine Surgery fellow in February 2021. He completed medical school at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School.  He completed his orthopaedic surgery residency at Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center. He then completed a year-long spinal surgery fellowship at Harborview/University of Washington Medical Center in Seattle, WA. He is now working at the UCSF Orthopaedic Trauma Institute. 

Andrew Chung, DO

Dr. Andrew Chung joined Dr. Anand as the second Comprehensive MIS & Outpatient Spine Surgery fellow in August 2020. He received his Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine degree from the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine. He completed his orthopedic surgery residency at the Mayo Clinic in Arizona. This was followed by a one-year spine fellowship at the University of Southern California. He began private practice in February 2021 in Scottsdale, AZ. 

Alisa Alayan, MD

Dr. Alisa Alayan was the program’s first fellow, beginning in August 2019. Dr. Alayan received her Doctor of Medicine from Georgetown University School of Medicine. She completed her orthopedic surgery residency and a one-year spine fellowship at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. She co-authored two publications with Dr. Anand on minimally invasive techniques in correction of adult spinal deformities. 

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