Wilson Zachary Ray, MD, is an assistant professor of neurological surgery and orthopedic surgery at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. He also provides care at Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis. He is a member of the North American Spine Society, American Society for Peripheral Nerve, American Association of Neurological Surgeons and Congress of Neurological Surgeons.
Dr. Ray has a wide array of clinical interests including spinal oncology, spinal cord injury, complex spinal reconstruction, cervical spondylosis, spondylolithesis, ankylosing spondylitis, rheumatoid arthritis, congenital disorders, cervical spine surgery and spinal instrumentation. He is actively involved in research, and in 2013, he won the AANS/CNS Spine & Peripheral Nerve Section Clinical Trial Award. He has received funding from various prestigious sources, including NIH. His work has been published in numerous peer-reviewed journals, such as Journal of Neuro-oncology, Neurosurgery and Spine.
"Some of the most exciting opportunities in spine today are the continued improvement and innovation in minimally invasive spine surgery and the continued incorporation of intraoperative navigation. As we strive to improve patient outcomes while minimizing tissue disruption we are identifying ways to combine open and MIS techniques to maximize patient outcomes and minimize hospital stays," says Dr. Ray. "Similarly, neuronavigation is now the standard of care and the norm for intracranial pathology. As we become more facile with intraoperative navigation and are able to seamlessly incorporate it into standard surgical procedures I believe we are going to see an increased utilization beyond just the "complex" cases. My focus in on SCI and neurooncology so my bias is toward this patient population, improving the quality of life in patients with terminal and often widespread metastatic disease is easily the most satisfying component of my practice."
Dr. Ray earned his medical degree at the University of Iowa College of Medicine in Iowa City. He completed his residency at Washington University in St. Louis. He has also completed numerous fellowships, including one in spine from the University of Utah in Salt Lake City.
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