About Michael G. Fehlings, MD, PhD, FRCSC, FACS

Dr. Michael Fehlings is the Vice Chair Research for the Department of Surgery at the University of Toronto and Co-Director of the University of Toronto Spine Program. Dr. Fehlings is a Professor of Neurosurgery at the University of Toronto, holds the Gerry and Tootsie Halbert Chair in Neural Repair and Regeneration, a Scientist at the McEwen Centre for Regenerative Medicine, and a McLaughlin Scholar in Molecular Medicine. In the fall of 2008, Dr. Fehlings was appointed the inaugural Director of the University of Toronto Neuroscience Program. In 2014, he was elected to the Fellowship of both the Royal Society of Canada and the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences.

Dr. Fehlings combines an active clinical practice in complex spinal surgery with a translationally oriented research program focused on discovering novel treatments for traumatic and non-traumatic forms of spinal cord injury. He has published over 900 peer-reviewed articles chiefly in the area of spinal cord injury and complex spinal surgery. Dr. Fehlings leads a multi-disciplinary team of researchers examining novel approaches to repair and regenerate the central nervous system. He is also a principal investigator in the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation North American Clinical Trials Network, President of the International Neurotrauma Society, Chair of the AO Foundation Clinical Investigation and Documentation Advisory Committee, and leads several international clinical research trials.

Dr. Michael Fehlings has received numerous prestigious awards, including the Gold Medal in Surgery from the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons (1996), nomination to the Who's Who list of the 1000 most influential scientists of the 21st century (2001), the Lister Award in Surgical Research (2006), the Leon Wiltse Award from the North American Spine Society for excellence in leadership and/or clinical research in spine care (2009), and the Olivecrona Award (2009) from the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden (known as the "Nobel Prize of Neuroscience") for his important contributions in spinal cord injury. In 2012, he received the Reeve-Irvine research medal for his work on spinal cord injury. In 2013, he was honored by the North American Spine Society with the Henry Farfan Award for outstanding contributions in spine related basic science research. He was also honored in 2013 with the H. Richard Winn Award from the Society of Neurological Surgeons, which is the highest honor for academic neurosurgeons in North America, and the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal presented by the Honourable Stephen Harper. In 2019, the Right Honourable Jacinda Ardern, Prime Minister of New Zealand, presented him with the Ryman Prize for his work enhancing the quality of life for older people, as well as the Vilhelm Magnus Medal for his contributions to the neurosurgery field.

Dr. Fehlings is active in many medical societies and journal editorial boards, including Journal of Neurosurgery (Past-Chairman Editorial Board) and Spine where he holds the position of Deputy Editor.

Dr. Fehlings is a member of the following associations:

• AANS-CSN Section on Disorders of the Spine
• American Academy for the Advancement of Science
• American Academy of Neurological Surgery
• American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS)
• American College of Surgeons
• Canadian Association for Neuroscience
• Canadian Medical Association
• Canadian Neurosurgical Society
• Cervical Spine Research Society
• Congress of Neurological Surgeons (CNS)
• International Neurotrauma Society
• International Society for Stem Cell Research
• National Neurotrauma Society
• North American Spine Society
• Scoliosis Research Society
• Society of Neurological Surgeons
• Society for Neuroscience