[CLOSED FILLED] 2025-2026 Cedars-Sinai Spine Research Fellowship - Dr. David Skaggs & Dr. Kenneth Illingworth
Dr. David Skaggs, Executive Vice Chair of the Department of Orthopaedics, Director of Pediatric Orthopaedics, and Director of the Spine Center
Dr. Kenneth Illingworth, Director of Pediatric Orthopaedic Trauma, Assistant Program Director for Orthopaedic Residency Program
We invite United States MD/DO graduate and medical students to submit an application for one of two, paid year-long research fellowship positions at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, CA. Specifically, research fellows will work with Dr. Skaggs, Dr. Illingworth, and other nationally renowned spine surgeons. This will be awarded to applicants who demonstrate a strong interest in orthopaedics and are competitive future candidates for a residency in orthopaedic surgery. Research fellows will have the unique opportunity to work closely with attending surgeons, fellows, and residents at Cedars-Sinai – ranked 2nd in the nation for orthopaedics. Project types will include single-institution studies, prospective research trials, biomechanics studies, meta-analyses and systematic reviews, national database research, and joint projects with the Pediatric Spine Study Group (PSSG).
2025-2026 Cedars-Sinai Spine Research FellowshipTitle: Clinical Research Associate
Duration: 1 year (can be extended)
Where: Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA.
Positions: 2
Start Date: May 2025 – May 2026 (negotiable, but recommended).
Salary: $35,000-$40,000
Responsibilities include:
- Production of abstracts/posters/presentations/manuscripts
- Developing research questions and hypotheses
- Performing comprehensive literature reviews
- Weekly research meetings with Drs. Skaggs and Illingworth, and interface/coordination with 25+ other faculty, fellows, residents, students and permanent research staff
Benefits of the position:
- The fellow should expect to have 10-20 peer-reviewed publications by the end of the research year
- Fellows will have the opportunity to be 1st author on all papers that he/she significantly contributes to
- Enhance competitiveness for a position in orthopaedic surgery residency
- Opportunities to collaborate with spine fellows, orthopaedic residents, and other attendings at Cedars-Sinai
- Opportunities to observe surgical procedures and gain clinical experience
- Opportunities to attend Spine and/or Orthopaedic Grand Rounds, Spine Indication Conferences, and resident education lecture series
- Opportunities to present research at national orthopaedic surgery and spine conferences
- Dr. Skaggs fully expects this fellowship will put applicants in a strong position to match into Orthopaedic Surgery and will help mentor the candidate throughout the match process.
Interested applicants should send the following items to the Clinical Research Coordinator for Drs. Skaggs and Illingworth, Rachel Lee, at the following email:
[email protected], cc:
[email protected]
Email Subject: Research Fellowship – Last Name, First Name
- A 1-page cover letter detailing your interest
- 1 Letter of Recommendation (Orthopaedic recommended, but not required)
- CV (include Step 1/2 scores)
- Start Date - End Date
The application deadline is April 2nd, 2025; Applicants will be contacted for video interviews on a rolling basis; early applications recommended.
Thank you for your interest in this position.
