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Christopher Witiw

MD, MS, FRCSC

Investigator

Email: christopher.witiw@mail.utoronto.ca
Tel: (416) 864-5060
Twitter: @cwitiw

Biography

Christopher Witiw entered the neurosurgery residency program at the University of Toronto after completing his MD at the University of Manitoba in 2012. During his residency he completed a MS degree with a focus on Health Economics at The University of Chicago after receiving an award from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research. His thesis on the value of surgery for Degenerative Cervical Myelopathy was awarded the prestigious Outstanding Paper Award from the North American Spine Society in 2016. He has received numerous other awards including the Shafie S. Fazel Outstanding Resident Surgeon and Investigator Award from the University of Toronto Department of Surgery and the Alan R. Hudson Neurosurgery Resident Teaching Award from the University of Toronto Division of Neurosurgery. After obtaining his FRCSC in Neurosurgery in 2018, Chris undertook a subspecialty fellowship in Complex and Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago. Chris returns to Toronto as a Surgeon Investigator at St. Michael’s Hospital where his clinical work is directed toward treating the full spectrum of spinal disorders. He has a specific interest in minimally invasive approaches to spinal conditions. Chris’ research work is centered on Health Economics and Health Services pertinent to spinal pathology and he is especially interested in ‘big data’ analytics as a means to optimize efficiency and quality of spine surgery.

Recent Publications

  1. Jaja, BNR, Witiw, CD, Harrington, EM, He, Y, Moghaddamjou, A, Fehlings, MG et al.. Analysis of recovery trajectories in degenerative cervical myelopathy to facilitate improved patient counseling and individualized treatment recommendations. J Neurosurg Spine. 2023; :1-9. doi: 10.3171/2023.1.SPINE221053. PubMed PMID:36933253 .
  2. Fuetsch, M, Proemmel, P, Witiw, CD. Complete Resection of a Recurrent Cervical Dumbbell Schwannoma After Initial Subtotal Resection and Radiotherapy: 2-Dimensional Operative Video. Oper Neurosurg (Hagerstown). 2022;23 (5):e324. doi: 10.1227/ons.0000000000000377. PubMed PMID:36227255 .
  3. Malhotra, AK, Malhotra, AR, Landry, AP, Balachandar, A, Guest, W, Bharatha, A et al.. Calcium pyrophosphate dihydrate crystal deposition disease and retro-odontoid pseudotumor rupture managed via posterior occipital cervical instrumented fusion: illustrative case. J Neurosurg Case Lessons. 2022;3 (8):. doi: 10.3171/CASE21662. PubMed PMID:36130550 PubMed Central PMC9379618.
  4. Jack, AS, Hayman, E, Pierre, C, Ramey, WL, Witiw, CD, Oskouian, RJ et al.. Cervical Spine Research Society-Cervical Stiffness Disability Index (CSRS-CSDI): Validation of a Novel Scoring System Quantifying the Effect of Postarthrodesis Cervical Stiffness on Patient Quality of Life. Spine (Phila Pa 1976). 2022;47 (18):1263-1269. doi: 10.1097/BRS.0000000000004402. PubMed PMID:35797641 .
  5. Eguchi, K, Malhotra, AR, Malhotra, AK, Harrington, EM, Munoz, DG, Nishimura, Y et al.. Pure extraosseous spinal epidural cavernous hemangioma presenting with acute paraplegia: a case report. Spinal Cord Ser Cases. 2022;8 (1):63. doi: 10.1038/s41394-022-00531-9. PubMed PMID:35773281 PubMed Central PMC9247050.
  6. Zeng, KL, Myrehaug, S, Soliman, H, Husain, ZA, Tseng, CL, Detsky, J et al.. Mature Local Control and Reirradiation Rates Comparing Spine Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy With Conventional Palliative External Beam Radiation Therapy. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys. 2022;114 (2):293-300. doi: 10.1016/j.ijrobp.2022.05.043. PubMed PMID:35675854 .
  7. Davies, BM, Phillips, R, Clarke, D, Furlan, JC, Demetriades, AK, Milligan, J et al.. Establishing the Socio-Economic Impact of Degenerative Cervical Myelopathy Is Fundamental to Improving Outcomes [AO Spine RECODE-DCM Research Priority Number 8]. Global Spine J. 2022;12 (1_suppl):122S-129S. doi: 10.1177/21925682211039835. PubMed PMID:35174730 PubMed Central PMC8859704.
  8. Byrne, JP, Witiw, CD, Schuster, JM, Pascual, JL, Cannon, JW, Martin, ND et al.. Association of Venous Thromboembolism Prophylaxis After Neurosurgical Intervention for Traumatic Brain Injury With Thromboembolic Complications, Repeated Neurosurgery, and Mortality. JAMA Surg. 2022;157 (3):e215794. doi: 10.1001/jamasurg.2021.5794. PubMed PMID:34910096 PubMed Central PMC8674806.
  9. Merali, Z, Malhotra, AK, Balas, M, Lorello, GR, Flexman, A, Kiran, T et al.. Gender-based differences in physician payments within the fee-for-service system in Ontario: a retrospective, cross-sectional study. CMAJ. 2021;193 (41):E1584-E1591. doi: 10.1503/cmaj.210437. PubMed PMID:34663601 PubMed Central PMC8547248.
  10. Burkhardt, BW, Kerolus, MG, Witiw, CD, Oertel, JM, Fessler, RG. Anterior cervical discectomy and fusion with a dynamic translational plating versus a rigid carbon fiber reinforced PEEK plating system - a comparison study of radiographic parameters. Br J Neurosurg. 2021; :1-5. doi: 10.1080/02688697.2021.1976394. PubMed PMID:34524041 .
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Affiliations & Other Activities

Assistant Professor, Division of Neurosurgery, University of Toronto