Dr. John Varmaa Wainwright, MD

WATCH: Minimally Invasive Spinal Surgeries at Westchester Medical Center (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SiUOtgS2xdo)Dr. Wainwright is a fellowship-trained, board-certified neurosurgeon specializing in complex and minimally invasive spine surgery at Westchester Medical Center, the flagship hospital for the Westchester Medical Center Health Network.His practice focuses on the comprehensive surgical management of adult spinal disorders including degenerative conditions, disc disease, spinal deformity, spine tumors and spinal cord injury. He is committed to a patient-centered, multi-disciplinary approach to patients with spinal disorders. He believes in a dynamic approach to spine care and works hard to get to know each patient on a personal level in order to tailor his approach based on their individual needs, expectations and lifestyle. His goal is to restore as much function as possible so that his patients can return to living a full and satisfying life and to that end he continues …to follow his patients long after they leave the operating room.Dr. Wainwright utilizes a comprehensive, evidence-based approach to achieve optimal treatment outcomes whether it involves coordination of non-surgical interventions or surgery. He is a strong advocate for exhausting all possible avenues for non-surgical treatments and when surgery is necessary, he employs traditional open as well as minimally invasive techniques utilizing cutting edge technology including navigation, robotics and spinal endoscopy. He has particular expertise in:Complex Spine and Spinal DeformityMinimally-invasive Spine SurgeryMotion-preserving Spine ProceduresRobot-assisted Spine ProceduresEndoscopic Spine SurgeryDr. Wainwright received his medical degree from New York Medical College where he was inducted into the Alpha Omega Alpha Medical Honor Society and was the recipient of the Department of Neurosurgery Award. He then completed his residency training in Neurological Surgery here at Westchester Medical Center and was the recipient of multiple grants and awards for his research contributions including the prestigious Mayfield Basic Science Award from the AANS/CNS Joint Section on Disorders of the Spine for work on spinal cord injury he performed with Dr. Meena Jhanwar-Uniyal, the Director of the department's research laboratory. Following residency, he completed a fellowship in Complex Spine Surgery and Spinal Disorders at Thomas Jefferson University in the Department of Neurological Surgery where he had the opportunity to learn from some of the leading spinal neurosurgeons as well as orthopaedic spine surgeons from the nationally-acclaimed Rothman Orthopedics group.Dr. Wainwright's research focuses on therapeutics to enhance recovery after spinal cord injury, spinal biomechanics, optimizing clinical outcomes after spine surgery, opioid sparing anesthetic and regional anesthesia techniques for spine surgery and novel imaging techniques for the evaluation of spinal disorders. He is author and co-author of numerous peer-reviewed journal articles and book chapters and he has given multiple podium presentations at national meetings. He is also the recipient of multiple research awards and grants.Dr. Wainwright is a dedicated educator, mentoring our Neurosurgery residents and medical students in the operating room and clinic. He is actively developing a multi-disciplinary spine education curriculum in collaboration with the Departments of Orthopedic Surgery, Anesthesia and Pain Management, and Physical Medicine and Rehab.Dr. Wainwright is active in several local, national, and international Neurosurgical and Spine Societies including:American Association of Neurological SurgeonsAO SpineCervical Spine Research SocietyCongress of Neurological SurgeonsLumbar Spine Research SocietyNew York Society of NeurosurgeryNorth American Spine SocietySociety for Minimally Invasive Spine SurgeryHe is also one of a select few U.S. spine surgeons who have been awarded the AO Spine Global Spine Diploma, which recognizes his expertise in spine care.Other Awards/Recognition:The Mayfield Basic Science Award. AANS/CNS Joint Section on Disorders of the Spine and Peripheral Nerves. Spine Summit 2019 35th Annual Meeting. Miami, FL.Author/co-author of numerous peer reviewed publications, journal articles, presentations, and book chapters.Advancing Care"The Back Pain Was Like a 'Lightning Bolt.' Now, the Pain is Gone!" (https://www.wmchealth.org/blogs/the-back-pain-was-like-a-lightning-bolt-now-the-pa-691)Taking Care of Your Neck: The Importance of Motion and Alignment (https://spinehealth.org/article/taking-care-of-your-neck-the-importance-of-motion-and-alignment/)National Spine Health Foundation | Taking Care of Your Neck: The Importance of Motion and Alignment (https://spinehealth.org/article/taking-care-of-your-neck-the-importance-of-motion-and-alignment/)