Fellowships

The AO CMF Fellowship Program offers a unique educational experience to the most promising young surgeons in the entire field of craniomaxillofacial surgery. With this program, AO CMF provides a gateway to our worldwide network and fosters cross-pollination and networking opportunities across our global community.

Fellows will have the opportunity to learn from leading AO CMF experts in the carefully selected and renowned centers, covering the entire scope of craniomaxillofacial (CMF) surgical procedures performed around the world. The duration of the AO CMF Fellowship Program is from 6 to 8 weeks. We support between 75–85 fellowships yearly.

The list of our AO CMF Fellowship Host Centers can be found here.

AO CMF Short-term International Fellowship Program

The call for application for the 2026 AO CMF program is now open!

CLICK HERE to apply.

Deadline for applications: June 11, 2025 (17.00 CEST).

“It's not just a fellowship. It's a life experience!”

Dr. Varun Menon P, 2017 fellow at University Hospital Basel, Switzerland

Selection criteria

We aim to identify the most promising young surgeons who dedicate their practice to craniomaxillofacial (CMF) surgery and support them in deepening their understanding and extending their knowledge and skills.

Selection criteria for AO CMF Fellows

AO Fellowships are in high demand, and we receive more applications than we can accommodate.

Fellows are selected by the AO CMF Regional Fellowship Coordinators and confirmed by their AO CMF Regional Boards, based on the following criteria:

Graduation from a training program in one of the CMF specialties
Must have completed an AO CMF MFT or any other AO CMF course (with hands-on practical exercises)
Active AO CMF membership. We are looking for fellows with a long-term interest to stay involved in the AO.
- Starting a fellowship in 2026, a minimum of two-year membership prior to the Fellowship application will be a prerequisite
Younger than 40 years old in the year of application (exceptions may be possible depending on the applicant's origin due to different education paths)
Employment by a teaching hospital is recommended
Engage in lifelong learning AO is a worldwide community of health care professionals in different fields. Diversity and inclusion is one of our guiding principles. AO has worked on an attractive learning pathway dedicated to Diversity, Inclusion and Mentorship—AO Access.
- It is recommended that selected fellows complete the AO Access Breaking Biases Pathway before or during their fellowship. From the 2026 open call onwards, the module will be a prerequisite to apply for a CMF fellowship.

Application process

The application requires the upload of supporting documentation. Please have these files ready for upload before you begin to fill in your application. (Accepted file formats are PDF, JPG, PNG, and GIF.)

Download example PDF to see what information will be required.

You will need the following documents:

Letter of motivation
Curriculum vitae (CV)
Copy of AO CMF MFT course certificate(s) and/or any other AO CMF course (with hands-on practical exercises) certificate(s)
Copy of your medical and/or dental school diploma(s)
Two letters of recommendation (from your departmental head and any AO member who knows you personally)
Copy of your passport
A copy of the AO Access “Breaking Biases Pathway” certificate (recommended)

Submission of a photograph and/or evidence of vaccinations and your English language proficiency is optional.

Only complete applications will be considered. Make sure you have an active AO CMF membership.

Stipends

During your fellowship, you will receive a small stipend fund to contribute to your accommodation and living costs.

Please note that the stipend is a contribution to the costs for travel, accommodation and meals and may not necessarily cover all the costs. AO CMF is not able to arrange accommodation in the host country. Travel as well as insurance costs must be funded entirely by the fellow.

The AO CMF Fellowship stipends are calculated using a benchmark of USD 550 for 1 week's fellowship in the United States. The stipends for all other countries are adjusted for the local price level. To calculate the adjustment, the price level ratio of purchasing power parity (PPP) conversion factor to market exchange rate provided by the World Bank is used. The World Bank data can be accessed here. The stipends are paid in Swiss francs equivalents.