Global Spine Diploma Program Modules

The GSD Program includes five 8-week modules covering all major areas of modern spine care—trauma, cervical degeneration, lumbar degeneration, adult and pediatric deformity, tumor and infection.

Each module is grounded in the trusted AO Spine Curriculum, ensuring globally consistent, expert-validated content. It addresses core competencies needed for the surgical management of spinal disorders: patient assessment and diagnoses, evidence-based treatment planning, patient communication and shared decision-making, multidisciplinary collaboration, choosing and performing appropriate surgical procedures, complication prevention and management.

Format of the modules
Module content opens week-by-week. It includes journal articles, book chapters, teaching videos, and other learning assets for self-directed learning. Participants are asked to contribute to weekly faculty-moderated discussion forums and attend live case discussions held online.

Assessment
Assessment tasks include brief weekly quizzes and discussion forum contributions.

Interested in focused learning?

Some individual modules are also available for surgeons seeking focused training in a specific area of spine care.

Trauma (August–October 2026)

Deformity (August–October 2026)

Or enroll in the 12-month training program

Explore the modules

Trauma
Acute spinal trauma—initial management

Radiological assessment and injury classification systems

Upper cervical injuries

Lower cervical injuries

Thoracolumbar injuries

Osteoporotic and ankylotic fractures

Sacral and spinopelvic injuries

Outcomes and complications
Tumor and Infection
Assessment of the patient with a spinal tumor

Treatment planning

Surgical procedures—primary

Surgical procedures—metastatic

Assessing the patient with spinal infection

Postoperative infection

Pyogenic spondylodiscitis

Spinal tuberculosis
Cervical degeneration
Clinical and radiological assessment

Non-operative management

Cervical radiculopathy

Degenerative cervical myelopathy

Anterior surgery for DCM

Posterior surgery for DCM

Cervical rheumatoid disease

Outcomes and complications
Lumbar degeneration
Clinical and radiological assessment

Biopsychosocial model of pain

Non-operative treatment

Lumbar disc herniation

Degenerative spondylolisthesis

Lumbar stenosis

Lumbar fusion—open and MISS

Outcomes and complications
Adult and Pediatric deformity
Adult deformity—assessment and treatment planning

Surgical procedures—choosing the approach: anterior, posterior, or both

Surgical procedures—augmentation and proximal junctional fixation

Outcomes and complications

Paediatric deformity—assessment and treatment planning

Surgical procedures—idiopathic scoliosis

Spondylolisthesis

Complications and outcomes

AO Spine Spinal Trauma Pathway - master spinal trauma surgery in 3 steps!

The Global Spine Diploma Program modules are an integral part of the AO Spine Competency-Based curriculum courses.

Explore courses and events

The AO Spine Principles

The four AO Spine Principles that create the foundation for proper spinal patient management lie at the core of the design and delivery of the curriculum.