The membership of the North American Skull Base Society (NASBS) is a tremendous resource for the training of fellows, who are the future of the development of our specialty. The society has developed a registry of skull base fellowships that are offered by the society membership.
The society recognizes that we are a diverse and multidisciplinary group comprised of several different specialties, all of whom have significant interest and focus in the management of skull base neoplasia. Likewise, the nature and character of the various fellowships will represent and reflect their differences. In addition, we recognize that there will be variation between individual fellowship experiences resulting from the differences in the preceptor’s approaches and practices.
To post a Fellowship, please go to the Fellowship Registry Entry Form. You must be a member of NASBS to add a Fellowship to the Registry.
To edit an entry, please log in under the Member credentials used to add the entry to the registry and make edits to the listing.
To apply for Fellowship training, please contact the program directly.
If you need assistance or have questions, please contact the NASBS office at [email protected].
| Title of Fellowship | Open and Endoscopic Cranial Base Surgery |
|---|---|
| Contact Name for Applications | Mary Jo Tutchko |
| Fellowship Type |
|
| Location | Pittsburgh, PA |
| Date Fellowship Established | 08/01/2006 |
| Fellowship Director | Paul Gardner, MD and Georgios A. Zenonos, MD |
| Participating Faculty | Gregory Basura, MD, PhD (Neurotology) |
Fellowship Information | |
| Duration | 1 Year |
| Required Prior Training Program |
|
| Required Prior Training Program Other | None |
| Fellow needs to have full medical license | Yes |
| Accept Foreign Medical Graduates (outside US & Canada) | No |
| Residency Training in US/Canada Required | Yes |
| USMLE |
|
| Percentage of Fellow Workload that is Skull Base | 90% |
| Number of Fellows Accepted Per Year | 1 |
| Salaried Position | Yes- contact Program Director for more information |
| Night and Weekend Call | No |
| Clinical Work | |
| Average Operative Skull Base Cases Per Year | 350 |
| Open Cranial Base | |
| Anterior | 50 |
| Anterolateral/Infratemporal | 7 |
| Lateral (temporal bone) | 25 |
| Posterior | 50 |
| Endonasal Cranial Base | |
| Pituitary/Sella | 90 |
| Sagittal Plane (excluding pituitary) | 80 |
| Transpterygoid/ Coronal Plane | 40 |
| Temporal Bone | |
| Transtemporal/ Transcochlear | 5 |
| Middle fossa | 20 |
| Retrosigmoid | 50 |
| Craniofacial Anomalies/ Reconstructive | |
| Craniofacial Anomalies/ Reconstructive | 5 |
| Trauma | |
| Craniocervical | |
| Transcervical | 5 |
| Transoral | 1 |
| Endonasal | 25 |
| Reconstruction | |
| Cranioplasty | 25 |
| Regional, Pedicled Flap Repair | 25 |
| Free Flap Repair | 5 |
| Stereotactic Radiosurgery | |
| Gammaknife | 50 |
| Cerebral Vascular Surgery | |
| Transcranial | 35 |
| Anatomical Dissection Laboratory | A dedicated surgical neuroanatomy laboratory is available and includes three high-definition endoscopic stations with complete instrumentation and a microsurgery station. Fellows are expected to utilize this outstanding resource to prepare for complex cases, improve surgical skills and develop independent anatomical research projects. |
| Laboratory Research Opportunities | Fellows are expected to engage in scholarly activity through clinical and/or laboratory research. The Center for Cranial Base Surgery has multiple avenues for the pursuit of these projects. A comprehensive research registry of skull base patients is available to address clinical questions. A dedicated clinical research manager assists in the development and execution of prospective trials affecting the management and quality of life of skull base patients. The Surgical Neuroanatomy Laboratory can be utilized to develop novel surgical corridors and reconstructive techniques. Finally, ongoing collaborations with basic science researchers within the University of Pittsburgh can be expanded to address translational research questions. |
| Application Deadline | 06/16/2025 |
| Decision Deadline | 11/03/2025 |
| Fellowship Institution Website | pitt.edu |
| Previous Fellows | Paul Gardner, MD; Daniel Prevedello, MD; Ricky Madhok, MD; Juan Fernandez-Miranda, MD; Alessandro Paluzzi, MD; Matthew J. Tormenti, MD; Maria Koutourousiou, MD; Francisco Vaz Guimaraes, MD; Ali Kooshkabadi, MD; Joseph Chabot, DO; Nathan Zwagerman, MD; Georgios Zenonos, MD; Pradeep Setty, DO; Debraj Mukherjee, MD, MPH; Ezequiel Goldschmidt, MD, PhD; Andrew Venteicher, MD, PhD; Michael M. McDowell, MD; Pierre-Olivier Champagne, MD, PhD; Sean Polster, MD; Christina Jackson, MD; M. Salman Ali, MD; Hanna Algattas, MD; Bhuvic Patel, MD; David Fernandes-Cabral, MD; Zachary Gersey, MD; Hussam Abou-Al-Shaar, MD; Ivo Petoe, MD |
| Additional Features of the Fellowship | Quarterly Journal Club; Participation in teaching skull base CME courses; Gamma Knife Radiosurgery course and mini rotation |
| Committee on Advanced Subspecialty Training (CAST) Accredited | Yes |
| How to apply | Applications are accepted through the NASBS Fellowship Match Program (https://www.nasbs.org/skull-base-fellowship-match/). If you have any questions about our program or have any difficulty submitting your application, please contact Mary Jo Tutchko by email: [email protected]. |