Spine Program / Research

Multidisciplinary Clinical and Fundamental Research

The Program draws faculty, scientists, and researchers form across the University and the affiliated research units to include spine research in Neurosurgery; Orthopaedic Surgery, Physical Therapy, Health Policy Management and Evaluation, Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology, Biomaterials and Biomedical Engineering, Psychiatry, Radiation Oncology, Medical Biophysics, Medical Imaging, Medicine, Molecular Genetics, and Pediatrics.

Under its umbrella, The University of Toronto Spine Program brings together a number of ongoing multi-centre clinical trials being conducted at the affiliated hospitals with collaboration from national and international spine societies. See clinical trials here

The Program also facilitates Data Sharing Agreement between the main hospitals for these trials.  The Riluzole in Spinal Cord Injury Study (RISICS) is a good example of this collaboration between the three main spine hospitals: Toronto Western Hospital (TWH); Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre (SHSC); and St. Michael’s Hospital (SMH).

The Program organizes research update meetings to update the clinical and Fundamental research spine community of faculty, fellows, residents, and post graduate trainees on citywide key research investigations being conducted accross the affiliated research units. The meeting is chaired and organized by Drs. Carlo Ammendolia, and Karl Zabjek. The meeting has been conducted in combination with citywide journal club on several occasions.