Ed Benzel Cleveland Spine Review: Hands-On 2026

Ed Benzel Cleveland Spine Review: Hands-On 2026 is organized by Cleveland Clinic and will be held from Jul 15 - 20, 2026 at Cleveland Clinic - Lutheran Hospital, Cleveland, Ohio, United States of America.

Overview:
Ed Benzel Cleveland Spine Review: Hands-On 2026 is a comprehensive course utilizing the cadaver laboratory and didactic sessions with ample time for discussion. This intensive course emphasizes the fundamentals of spine surgery, particularly biomechanical considerations, and the surgery decision-making process.

Through intensive, hands-on sessions utilizing cadavers, participants study surgical techniques and strategies for a range of procedures including occipitocervical, cervical, thoracic, and lumbar fixation techniques. Complex surgical exposures in all regions of the spine are emphasized.

Led by experienced faculty, the course examines the multiple adjuncts to surgery, including soft tissue and bone retractors and distractors, minimally invasive surgical techniques, spinal implants (from multiple vendors), and dissection tools. Non-operative strategies are also emphasized. Significant time is dedicated to operative indication discussions. The problem-based decision-making process is introduced and emphasized during these very interactive discussions.

Upon completion of the Cleveland Spine Review, the participant will be able to:

• Utilize problem-based decision-making to develop logical algorithms for solving complex problems.
• Employ physiological and surgical principles to spinal fusion and instrumentation.
• Apply anatomic and physiologic principles to the variety of surgical approaches available to access all regions of the spine.
• Recognize the fundamental skills required to perform the most appropriate operation for any given clinical pathology, and to recognize one’s own limitations in this regard.
• Evaluate available instrumentation systems and appreciate the advantages of each, as well as the relative indications for their use.

5 Reasons Not to Miss the Final Cleveland Spine Review 2026:

1. Appropriate for oral board preparation. Emphasis is given to the fundamentals of spine surgery (especially biomechanical considerations) and the surgery decision-making process, but the week-long program also allows for a deep dive into a rich array of subtopics in spine care with more than 50 lectures and daily case review sessions.
2. A serious devotion to “hands-on.” The course is true to its name by pairing its didactic lectures with eight dedicated hands-on sessions in the cadaver laboratory.
3. Ample time for discussion and problem-based learning. Participant questions are highly encouraged throughout all portions of the course, and significant time is dedicated to operative indication discussions.
4. An extensive faculty from across the nation and the globe. Half of the course’s faculty are from or trained at Cleveland Clinic and the remaining half is from US and internationally renowned universities and medical centers.
5. This activity has been approved for AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™, ANCC Contact Hours, and AAPA Category 1 CME Credits with more than 50 credit hours.