Michael Fehlings

Background

About Michael Fehlings

Dr. Fehlings is a Professor of Neurosurgery in the Department of Surgery and Co-Director of the Spinal Program at the University of Toronto. He holds the Robert Campeau Family Foundation/Dr. C.H. Tator Chair in Brain and Spinal Cord Research at UHN, is a Senior Scientist at the Krembil Brain Institute, and is a senior consultant neurosurgeon at Toronto Western Hospital/University Health Network. Dr. Fehlings combines an active clinical practice in complex spinal surgery with a translationally oriented research program focused on discovering novel treatments for the injured brain and spinal cord. This is reflected by the publication of over 1200 peer-reviewed articles chiefly in the area of spinal cord injury and complex spinal surgery. Dr. Fehlings leads a multi-disciplinary team of researchers who are examining the application of stem cells, nanotechnology and tissue engineering for spinal cord repair and regeneration. 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 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), the Olivecrona Award (2009)- the top award internationally for neurosurgeons and neuroscientists awarded by the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm for his important contributions in CNS injury repair and regeneration, the Reeve-Irvine Research Medal in Spinal Cord Injury (2012), the Golden Axon Leadership Award (2012), the Mac Keith Basic Science Lectureship Award for significant contributions to the basic science of cerebral palsy and childhood onset disabilities (2012), and was the Mayfield Lecturer (2012). Dr. Fehlings is a Fellow of the Royal Society (Canada) and a Fellow of the Canadian Acadamy of Health Sciences. In 2014, Dr. Fehlings was elected to the Fellowship of the Royal Society of Canada and to the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences, and in 2016 won the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons Mentor of the Year Award. In 2019, he received the Ryman Prize for his work enhancing the quality of life for older people. He also received the Vilhelm Magnus Medal (2019) for his contributions to the neurosurgery field and the American Spinal Injury Association Apple Award (2016 & 2022) for excellence in spinal cord injury research publishing.