
Biography
Dr. Wai has obtained the following degrees from the University of Toronto: Medical Degree (1994), Masters of Science in Community Health / Clinical Epidemiology (1999), Fellow of Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada in Orthopaedic Surgery (2001) and the Royal College Clinical Investigator Program (2001). He has also completed additional fellowships in Spinal Surgery and Orthopaedic Trauma (2002, Sunnybrook Hospital) and Orthopaedic and Neurosurgical Spinal Surgery (2003, Royal Adelaide Hospital). He has been an attending surgeon at the Ottawa Hospital since 2003 and has received several Guardian Angel nominations for his care of patients.
Dr. Wai holds the rank of Associate Professor with a cross appointment to the School of Epidemiology and Public Health and has authored over 100 peer-reviewed publications in spinal disorders. He is a member of the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute Research Ethics Board (2007-present). He was the medical lead of the Integrated Spine Program for over 15 years and won the Department of Surgery Leadership Award (2020). Dr. Wai has served on a number of Provincial and National leadership positions in spinal surgery including: executive of the Canadian Spine Society (2007-2016), expert panelist for Health Quality Ontario (2017 – 2021), board member for Spinal Cord Injury Ontario (2019-present).
Areas of Expertise
Adult Cervical / Thoracic / Lumbar Spinal Surgery. Subspecialty interest in minimally invasive spinal surgery.
Areas of Research
Clinical Epidemiology
Administrative Assistant
Practicing Location(s)
- Civic Campus
Office Location
The Ottawa Hospital – Civic Campus
1053 Carling Avenue, Suite J141
Ottawa, ON K1Y 4E9
CV
How to refer
To optimize wait times, there is an expanded Central Intake for spine conditions in our region. All elective referrals for spine conditions need to come through Central Intake first. Referrals will be triaged and assigned to the most suitable surgeon based on specialty, wait time, and patient/referrer preference.
The preferred method of referral is through eReferral, which the referring doctor can set up through their EMR.
Alternatively referrals may be faxed to 613-721-7889 (Central Intake).
Referral forms and other helpful information can be obtained from the site: www.ChamplainMSKcare.ca
Your doctor may also be able to get a quick opinion through the eConsult service.