Research & teaching

Research interests

Dr. Sarraj’s work focuses on degenerative cervical myelopathy, shared treatment decisions, spine surgery outcomes, and quality improvement. This includes research on the natural history of myelopathy, patient preferences, spinal fusion, and mechanical complications after deformity surgery.

Selected publications

A selection of spine-related work. The profiles above provide a broader publication list.

1. The Impact of Screw Density on Mechanical Complications in Lumbar Spine Deformity Constructs ↗

   Williams JL, Sarraj M, Mechas CA, et al. · Spine

2. Diagnosis and Management of Degenerative Cervical Myelopathy ↗

   Mechas CA, Sarraj M, Helgeson M. · Journal of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons

3. Treatment decision-making factors among patients with cervical myelopathy: a discrete-choice experiment ↗

   Sarraj M, Majeed M, Zarrabian M, Bhandari M, Pahuta M. · Journal of Patient-Reported Outcomes

4. Nonoperative Care Versus Surgery for Degenerative Cervical Myelopathy: An Application of a Health Economic Technique to Simulate Head-to-Head Comparisons ↗

   Pahuta M, Sarraj M, Busse J, Guha D, Bhandari M. · JBJS Open Access

5. Natural History of Degenerative Cervical Myelopathy; a Meta-Analysis and Neurologic Deterioration Survival Curve Synthesis ↗

   Sarraj M, Hache P, Foroutan F, et al. · The Spine Journal · Online publication

Teaching & academic service

Dr. Sarraj’s teaching experience includes serving as Administrative Spine Fellow at Mayo Clinic and Chief Orthopaedic Resident at McMaster University, organising conferences and journal clubs, and supervising medical learners.

He has taught clinical skills, helped organise spine cadaver laboratories, examined medical students, and delivered presentations at spine conferences and orthopaedic grand rounds.

He serves on the Global Spine Journal editorial review board and has reviewed for The Spine Journal, Global Spine Journal, Journal of Spine Surgery, and Journal of Orthopaedic Surgery and Research.