John Dr. Wainwright, M.D., is a fellowship-trained, board-certified neurosurgeon specializing in complex and minimally invasive spine surgery at Westchester Medical Center, the flagship hospital of 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 takes a patient-centered, multidisciplinary approach to spine care, working to know each patient personally so that treatment can be tailored to their individual needs, expectations, and lifestyle. His goal is to restore as much function as possible so patients can return to full and satisfying lives, and he continues to follow his patients long after they leave the operating room.
Dr. Wainwright completed his residency in neurological surgery at Westchester Medical Center, earning multiple grants and awards for his research, including the Mayfield Basic Science Award from the AANS/CNS Joint Section on Disorders of the Spine for work on spinal cord injury conducted with Dr. Meena Jhanwar-Uniyal, director of the department's research laboratory.
He then completed a fellowship in complex spine surgery and spinal disorders at Thomas Jefferson University's Department of Neurological Surgery, training with leading spinal neurosurgeons and orthopaedic spine surgeons from the nationally acclaimed Rothman Orthopedics group.
His research focuses on therapeutics to enhance recovery after spinal cord injury, spinal biomechanics, optimizing clinical outcomes after spine surgery, opioid-sparing and regional anesthesia techniques for spine surgery, and novel imaging techniques for evaluating spinal disorders. He is an author and co-author of numerous peer-reviewed journal articles and book chapters and has delivered multiple podium presentations at national meetings.
A dedicated educator, Dr. Wainwright mentors neurosurgery residents and medical students in the operating room and clinic. He is developing a multidisciplinary spine education curriculum in collaboration with the Departments of Orthopedic Surgery, Anesthesia and Pain Management, and Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation.
Education
- Fellowship, Complex Spine Surgery and Spinal Disorders, Thomas Jefferson University
- Residency, Neurological Surgery, Westchester Medical Center
- M.D., New York Medical College
- M.S., Physiology and Biophysics, Georgetown University
- B.S., Chemistry, The George Washington University
Areas of Expertise
- Neurological Surgery
- Spinal Disorders
- Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery
- Endoscopic Spine Surgery
- Motion-Preserving Spine Procedures
- Complex Spine and Deformity Surgery
Honors and Awards
- Member, Alpha Omega Alpha Medical Honor Society
- Member, Gold Humanism Honor Society
- AO Spine Global Diploma for international recognition of expertise in full-spectrum spine care, 2022
- Research Excellence Award for Clinical Study, 17th Annual Louis R.M. Del Guercio Surgical Research Day at New York Medical College, 2020
- Resident Research Competition Award, First Annual Brain and Spine Surgeons of New York Neuroscience Symposium, 2019
- Mayfield Basic Science Award from the AANS/CNS Joint Section on Disorders of the Spine and Peripheral Nerves at Spine Summit, 2019
- Anna Samrtzis Research Excellence Award for Best Basic Science Research Paper, 15th Annual Louis R.M. Del Guercio Surgical Research Day, 2018
Publications
- Mureb M, Busse S, Wainwright JV. Intramedullary Hemorrhage Causing Quadriplegia in the Setting of a Type B Aortic Dissection. JAMA Neurol. 2026 Apr 1;83(4):404-405. doi: 10.1001/jamaneurol.2025.4192. PubMed PMID: 41182806.
- Rajkovic C, Jain A, Shafi M, Omobhude O, Azad T, Carpenter A, Witham TF, Kinon MD, Wainwright JV. Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist use and clinical outcomes after posterior cervical spinal fusion for degenerative pathologies: A large cohort retrospective analysis. N Am Spine Soc J. 2026 Jun;26:100873. doi: 10.1016/j.xnsj.2026.100873. eCollection 2026 Jun. PubMed PMID: 41938705; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC13049663.
- Rajkovic C, Jain A, Davis E, MacElroy D, Khanna S, Park S, Wainwright JV, Kinon MD. A Systematic Review of Pneumocephalus as a Complication of Spinal Procedures. Clin Spine Surg. 2026 Feb 23;. doi: 10.1097/BSD.0000000000002035. [Epub ahead of print] PubMed PMID: 41738880.
- Siddiqui A, Sofjan I, Wainwright J, Stein A, Malhotra A, Salik I, Abramowicz AE. O-C2 Angle May Be a Modifiable Threshold for Airway and Swallowing Complications After Occipitocervical Fusion: Preliminary Results From a Retrospective Study. J Neurosurg Anesthesiol. 2026 Jan 2;. doi: 10.1097/ANA.0000000000001092. [Epub ahead of print] PubMed PMID: 41612548.
- Rajkovic C, Koltenyuk V, Davidar AD, Sacknovitz A, Tracz J, Gopal A, Merckling M, Parisier E, Jain A, Spirollari E, Nolan B, Shafi M, Zeller SL, Wainwright JV, Witham TF, Kinon MD. Infectious complications of stereotactic navigation in posterior or posterolateral thoracic and lumbar spinal fusion and posterior lumbar interbody fusion for degenerative spinal disease: an ACS-NSQIP study. Spine J. 2026 Apr;26(4):732-741. doi: 10.1016/j.spinee.2025.10.026. Epub 2025 Oct 15. PubMed PMID: 41106599.
- Wang R, Karp A, Clare K, Nolan B, Spirollari E, Zeller S, Frid I, Gandhi CD, Kinon M, Tyagi R, Wainwright JV. Gabapentinoids in ERAS Protocols For Spine Surgery: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Clin Spine Surg. 2026 Jun 1;39(5):244-260. doi: 10.1097/BSD.0000000000001877. Epub 2025 Sep 1. PubMed PMID: 40888504.
- Gulko E, Lerman S, Spirollari E, Zeller S, Mureb M, Wainwright J, Oishi A, Kouyoumdjian A, Clare K, Rozenshtein A, Al-Mufti F, Gandhi C, Mehta H. The delayed spectral sign in Post-transfer CT imaging: an imaging marker of stroke severity and hemorrhagic risk. Neuroradiology. 2025 Sep;67(9):2349-2356. doi: 10.1007/s00234-025-03718-7. Epub 2025 Aug 7. PubMed PMID: 40773060.
Memberships and Affiliations
- American Association of Neurological Surgeons
- AO Spine
- Cervical Spine Research Society
- Congress of Neurological Surgeons
- Lumbar Spine Research Society
- New York Society of Neurosurgery
- North American Spine Society
- Society for Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery
