The appointment rewards Professor Wright's advances in the field of paediatric orthopaedics, notably in identifying the optimal treatment for a number of childhood conditions requiring surgery.
Professor Wright is a global leader in orthopaedic surgery and has made important contributions to the care of children with surgical illness in Canada and around the world. He was the first orthopaedic surgeon to gain advanced clinical research training in North America and is a leader in applying evidence in orthopaedics, which is transforming the care of patients worldwide.
He was the inaugural editor for evidenced-based orthopaedics of the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery (the premier orthopaedic journal). In that role over the past 12 years, Professor Wright introduced the concept of Levels of Evidence (LOE) to orthopaedics. Now, all five major orthopaedic journals rate every published article with an LOE, and LOE has become the standard of nomenclature of research quality in orthopaedics.
As Surgeon in Chief and Medical Vice President at SickKids Hospital in Toronto, one of the world's premier children's hospitals, his leadership has led to improved care of children in Ontario and Canada. The pinnacle of Professor Wright's accomplishment was improving the care of children in Canada by shortening their wait times for surgery, saving and improving the lives of countless Canadian children.
Professor Wright is among the top academic paediatric orthopaedic surgeons in the world and has won the highest research awards of the Canadian, U.S. and North American orthopaedic surgery associations. Professor Wright is also committed to the teaching of orthopaedics and has inspired a generation of faculty and trainees to bring evidence-based approaches to the field.
Established in 1967, the Order of Canada recognises outstanding achievement, dedication to the community and service to the nation.
Professor Wright moved to the University of Oxford at the end of 2015 and is currently establishing his research group at NDORMS.
