Researchers
Eve Tsai

Eve Tsai

MD, PhD, FRCSC, CIP

Scientist, Neuroscience

Ottawa Hospital Research Institute

Professor, Department of Surgery

Division of Neurosurgery

Suruchi Bhargava Chair in Spinal Cord and Brain Regeneration Research

Contact

etsai@ohri.ca

613-798-5555 x 18922

Research Only: Maitreya Patel, Clinical Research Assistant mapatel@ohri.ca Sasi Kumar Jagdeesan, Post Doc Fellow sjagadeesan@ohri.ca Clinical, Office Administration for Medical Appointments: Fatima Fashwal ffashwal@toh.ca

ORCID 0000-0002-8152-349X

Bio

Dr. Eve Tsai MD, PhD, CIP, FRCSC gained early acceptance into medical school and obtained her medical degree from the University of Toronto. She then completed her Neurosurgery Residency training at the University of Toronto. During her residency, she completed a PhD in spinal cord repair. Dr. Tsai then obtained subspecialty training in spine surgery and completed a Spine Fellowship at The Cleveland Clinic. She has won numerous clinical, research, teaching and humanitarian awards.

In 2010, she won Canada’s Top 40 Under 40 AwardTM, which honours achievement for vision and leadership; innovation and achievement; impact; growth/development strategy; and community involvement and contribution. In both 2012 and 2013, Dr. Tsai was selected by committee as one of the Top 25 Women of Influence by Women of Influence Magazine (one of only 6 women to have the honour of winning twice). She was also chosen as the winner of the Health Section Category and is the only woman to have won the cover of the magazine for two years in a row and is now in he running for a third. The cover was selected by the most online votes. http://www.womenofinfluence.ca/magazine/.

Dr. Eve Tsai began her practice at the Ottawa Hospital in 2006. Her main surgical interests focus on brain and all types of spine and spinal cord diseases and surgical treatment such as: spinal cord injury, spinal cord and brain and spine tumors, degenerative spine disease and myelopathy. Her focus is on successfully accomplishing results and maintaining motion with the most minimally invasive procedure and avoiding unnecessary instrumented fusion. Her research focuses on brain and spinal cord repair strategies, brain and spinal cord regeneration, biomaterials, stem cells, MRI imaging of spinal cord tracts in humans and animals, and clinical trials for brain and spinal diseases.

Research Goals and Interests

Dr. Eve Tsai is a Neurosurgeon who practices at The Ottawa Hospital, her main surgical interests focus on all types of spine and spinal cord diseases such as spinal cord injury, spinal cord and spine tumors, syringomyelia, and myelopathy. Her research will focus on spinal cord repair strategies, axonal regeneration, MRI imaging of spinal cord tracts in humans and animals, and clinical outcomes after spine surgery. 
Ongoing:
Improved detection of spinal cord lesions in MS patients using MRI Tractography, MRI Diffusion Tensor Imaging and Tractography of the Spinal Cord

Spinal Cord Tractography, A Novel Magnetic Resonance Imaging Technique to Enable Improved Diagnosis, Management and Prognosis of Spinal Cord Lesions. Improved detection of spinal cord lesions in MS patients using MRI Tractography MRI Diffusion Tensor Imaging and Tractography of the Spinal Cord

Brain regeneration, Utilization of endogenous stem cells to repair brain lesions

Biomedical Applications of Nanotechnology, utilization of Nanotechnology to improve neural repair and regeneration

Bioengineering strategies for neural regeneration, utilization of bioengineering strategies to improve neural repair and regeneration

Spinal Cord Injury Repair, Biodegradable hollow fiber channels to allow drug delivery for stimulation and propagation of endogenous stem cells for repair of spinal cord injury Nanoparticle Technology for channels Bioengineering strategies to enable combination therapy for the repair of spinal cord injury Bioengineering strategies to restore motor function after spinal cord injuries

Spinal Cord Injury Clinical Trials, Industry Grants (Acorda, Asubio) and Research Grant (Rick Hansen Minocycline) Trials awaiting ethical approval for clinical trials involving spinal cord injury patients.

Past Activities
2011 - 2013  International Sponsored Industry Grant, Cerapedics - Assessment of P-15 Bone Putty in Anterior Cervical Fusion with Instrumentation Role: Site Principal Investigator

2009 - 2014  National Registry for Spinal Cord Injury, Principal Investigator on the local Rick Hansen Spinal Cord Injury Registry Grant

2009 - 2011  Spinal cord injury repair, MicroRNA expression in rodents and axotls after spinal cord injury, Role: Co-PI, University of Minnesota Stem Cell Institute

2008 - 2012  International Sponsored Industry Grant, BioSET Inc. I was Co-Investigator on a multi-center, prospective, parallel group, randomized, pilot study evaluating safety and preliminary effectiveness of Prefix compared to iliac crest bone in participants with degenerative disc disease undergoing transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (TLIF): PFX-101.

1998 - 2004  Spinal Cord Injury Repair, hollow fiber channels to enable combination therapy for repair of spinal cord injury, mechanisms of spinal cord repair

News

Publications

Gender and racial diversity in leadership roles within academic surgery internationally: a retrospective cross-sectional study pre-COVID-19

2025-10-01 Go to publication

Processing and sectioning of organ donor spinal cord tissue for electrophysiology on acute human spinal cord slices

2025-07-31 Go to publication

Heterogeneity of synaptic NMDA receptor responses within individual lamina I pain‐processing neurons across sex in rats and humans

2024-10-01 Go to publication

Heterogeneity of synaptic NMDA receptor responses within individual lamina I pain processing neurons across sex in rats and humans

2023-08-10 Go to publication

Cannabinoid CB1 Receptor Expression and Localization in the Dorsal Horn of Male and Female Rat and Human Spinal Cord

2023-07-30 Go to publication
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