Clinician Investigator, Acute Care Research
Ottawa Hospital Research Institute

Novel minimally-invasive surgical techniques
Osteobiologics for spinal bone growth
Clinical epidemiological studies relating to low back pain
Colloborative, multi-center clinical trials in spine + orthopedics (e.g hips, knees)

Clinical interest:
Adult Spinal Trauma
Adult Spinal Reconstruction
Minimally Invasive Spinal Surgery

Academic Appointments:
Associate Professor, Department of Surgery, University of Ottawa, 2011
Clinical Investigator, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, 2003
Director of Research, Canadian Spine Society, 2011

Administrative Appointments:
Head, University of Ottawa Spine Unit; Attending Physician, The Ottawa Hospital, 2005

Fellowship Training:
Neurosurgical and Orthopaedic Spinal Surgery, University of Adelaide, 2003
Spinal Surgery and Orthopaedic Trauma, University of Toronto, 2002

Residency Training:
Orthopaedic Surgery, University of Toronto, 2001

Medical Doctorate:
University of Toronto, 1994

Other Degrees:
MSc. Community Health (Clinical Epidemiology), University of Toronto, 1999

Rampersaud YR, Fisher C, Yee A, Dvorak MF, Finkelstein J, Wai E, Abraham E, Lewis SJ, Alexander D, Oxner W. Health-related quality of life following decompression compared to decompression and fusion for degenerative lumbar spondylolisthesis: a Canadian multicentre study. Can J Surg. 2014 Aug;57(4):E126-33.

Roffey DM, Ashdown LC, Dornan HD, Creech MJ, Dagenais S, Dent RM, Wai EK. Pilot evaluation of a multidisciplinary, medically supervised, nonsurgical weight loss program on the severity of low back pain in obese adults. Spine J. 2011 Mar;11(3):197-204.

Wai EK, Roffey DM, Bishop P, Kwon BK, Dagenais S. Causal assessment of occupational bending or twisting and low back pain: results of a systematic review. Spine J. 2010 Jan;10(1):76-88.

Wai EK, Howse K, Pollock JW, Dornan H, Vexler L, Dagenais S. The reliability of determining "leg dominant pain". Spine J. 2009 Jun;9(6):447-53.

Wai EK, Rodriguez S, Dagenais S, Hall H. Evidence-informed management of chronic low back pain with physical activity, smoking cessation, and weight loss. Spine J. 2008 Jan-Feb;8(1):195-202