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Duan, Wanru M.D.

Duan, Wanru  M.D.

Director, Lab of Spinal Cord Injury and Functional Reconstruction

Associate Professor of Neurosurgery

Senior Consultant Neurosurgeon


Neurospine Center

Clinical Expertise:

E-mail: duanwanru@xwhp.org



Clinical Expertise

Degenerative cervical and lumbar spine diseases (e.g., spondylosis, disc herniation, stenosis), complex spinal conditions (e.g., craniovertebral junction malformations, spinal tumors, deformities), spinal cord injury and related complications (e.g., post-traumatic syringomyelia, neuropathic pain), and neuropathic pain syndromes. I also perform minimally invasive spinal procedures (e.g., discectomy, fusion, vertebroplasty) and spinal cord stimulation for pain management.


Research Interests

Research interests are centered on neural repair and functional reconstruction of spinal cord injuries, with a focus on spinal cord stimulation and neuromodulation for pain management and functional recovery. I also investigate the mechanisms and treatment of neuropathic pain following spinal cord injury, as well as the pathogenesis and surgical management of spinal deformities, including craniovertebral junction abnormalities and scoliosis. My work aims to translate these findings into improved clinical care for patients with spinal disorders.


Background

Dr. Duan is a consultant neurosurgeon at Xuanwu Hospital and serves as director of the Lab of Spinal Cord Injury and Functional Reconstruction in China INI. Her clinical interests include the surgical treatment of degenerative spine diseases of cervical and lumbar spine, employing minimally invasive techniques when possible. She also specializes in complex spinal conditions including CVJ malformation and spine tumors. She performs more than 400 surgeries per year. She began the research on the Mechanisms of Neuropathic Pain since 2008 and her research interests focus on the Spinal Cord Stimulation in Treating Pain after Spinal Cord Injury.

Dr Duan completed her M.D. degree at Peking Union Medical College (PUMC) in 2012. She received her Neurosurgery Residency training and Specialist training at Xuanwu Hospital in 2017. Then she spent one year of Postdoctoral Research in the Johns Hopkins University and trained in the Neurosurgery/spine Fellowship Programme in Xuanwu Hospital. Dr Duan was the primary investigator of a National Natural Science Foundation and started to direct the lab of Spinal Cord Injury and Functional Reconstruction in China INI in 2020. 

Dr Duan is one of several spine surgeons in China who believes female has intrinsic advantages in taking care of patients and surgical performance. She devotes herself in clinic and neuroscience research and has published more than 20 peer-reviewed articles as first author.


Education

M.D., Neurosurgery, Peking Union Medical College(2004—2012)


Residencies

1. Residency Training of Neurosurgery in Xuanwu Hospital, Capital Medical University(2012—2014)

2. Specialist training of Neurosurgery in Xuanwu Hospital, Capital Medical University(2015—2017)


Fellowships

1. Fellowship training of Spine surgery in Xuanwu Hospital, Capital Medical University (2017-2018).

2. Postdoctoral Research in the Pain Research Core, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. (Prof. Yun Guan). (2018-2019)

3. Short-term Visiting Scholar at Johns Hopkins Hospital, University of California San Francisco School of Medicine and University of Michigan Medical School.


Certifications

Physician’s practice license,2013

Certificate of resident standardized training of Surgery (Neurosurgery) Phase I:2013

Certificated Neurosurgeon of Beijing Municipal Health Commission,2017

Consultant Neurosurgeon, Associate Professor and Graduate Student Supervisor in Xuanwu Hospital, Capital Medical University,2019

Senior Consultant Neurosurgeon in Xuanwu Hospital, Capital Medical University,2024


Awards & Honors

1. Li-Ji Award for Resident Achievement, Xuanwu Hospital, (2014)

2. Outstanding Faculty, Xuanwu Hospital, (2017)

3. Third Prize, The 2nd China Health and Longevity Innovation Competition, issued by the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences (2021).

4. Outstanding Teacher, The First Clinical Medical College of Capital Medical University (2021).

5. First Prize, Xuanwu Hospital Medical Science Fiction Innovation Competition (2022).

6. Second Prize, The 5th China Medical Device Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition (Hospital Special Session) (2022).

7. Outstanding Award, Young Neurosurgeons' Surgical Presentation, Beijing Neurosurgical Academic Annual Meeting, issued by the Beijing Branch of the Chinese Medical Association (2022).

8. The 16th Xinglin Physician Award, Xuanwu Hospital, Capital Medical University (2023).

9. Young Elite Award, The 6th "National Outstanding Doctor" Selection (2023).


Professional Memberships

Standing Committee Member and General Secretary, Neurosurgery Committee of the Chinese Medical Women’s Association(2022).

Member, Human Brain Bank Research Division, Chinese Society for Anatomical Sciences(2022).

Editorial Board Member, Human Brain journal(2022).

Medical Rehabilitation Consultant, SunTalk Rare Disease Psychological Care Center(2022).

Member, Youth Academic Committee of Chinese Journal of Trauma(2023).

Member, Beijing Health Law Big Data and Internet AI Medical Professional Committee(2023).

Vice Chairman, First Artificial Intelligence Rehabilitation Committee, China Association of Rehabilitation of Disabled Persons(2023).


Research & Publications

Funding

1. Subproject of the National Key Research and Development Program, Project No. 2016YFC0105504, Clinical Trial Design and Organization of Spinal Cord Stimulation for Pain Treatment, 2016 – 2021.

2. General Program, Beijing Natural Science Foundation Committee, Project No. 7172091, Mechanical Mechanism of Atlantoaxial Dislocation Caused by Odontoid Malformation in Patients with Basilar Invagination, 2017 – 2019.

3. Youth Science Fund Project, National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC), Project No. 81600956, Mechanism of Peripheral Afferent A-Fiber Activation in Alleviating Neuropathic Pain in Rats, 2017–2019.

4. Beijing Natural Science Foundation-Haidian Original Innovation Joint Fund, Supported by Beijing Municipal Science & Technology Commission, No.L232141, 2023-2026.

5. National Key Research and Development Program, Project No. 2023YFC2509700, Establishment and Application of an Intelligent Diagnosis and Treatment System for Spinal Deformities, . Funding Source: National Key R&D Program,2023–2026.

Publications

6. Duan WR, Lu J, Xie YK*; Mechanisms of topical analgesics in relieving pain in an animal model of muscular inflammation, Pain Med, 2013, 14(9):1381-7. 

7. Duan WR, Xie YK*; Modulation of C-nociceptive Activities by Inputs from Myelinated Fibers,  Translational Research in Pain and Itch (Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology (904)), 2016: 33-40. 

8. Huang Q#, Duan W#, Sivanesan E, Liu S, Yang F, Chen Z, Ford NC, Chen X, Guan Y*; Spinal Cord Stimulation for Pain Treatment After Spinal Cord Injury, Neuroscience Bulletin, 2019, 35(3):527-539. 

9. Duan W, Huang Q, Chen Z, Raja SN, Yang F, Guan Y*; Comparisons of motor and sensory abnormalities after lumbar and thoracic contusion spinal cord injury in male rats. Neuroscience letters, 2019, 708:134358. 

10. Duan, W.R., Liu, Z.L., Guan, J., Xia, Z.Y., Zhao, X.H., Jian, Q., Lan, H.T., Zhao, Z.M., Jian, F.Z. and Chen, Z., 2019. Reduction of the atlantoaxial dislocation associated with basilar invagination through single-stage posterior approach: using Xuanwu occipital-cervical reduction surgical suite. Zhonghua wai ke za zhi [Chinese journal of surgery], 57(10), pp.63-68.[Chinese]

11. Duan W, Du Y, Qi T, Jiang B, Wang K, Liu Z, Guan J, Wang X, Wu H, Chen Z, Jian F. The value and limitation of cervical traction in the evaluation of the reducibility of AAD and BI using intraoperative O-arm. World Neurosurgery. 2019 Aug 30.

12. Duan W, Chou D, Jian F, et al. Posterior intra-articular distraction with cage placement to treat congenital atlantoaxial dislocation associated with basilar invagination[J]. Neurosurgical Focus: Video, 2020, 3(1): V2.

13. Duan W, Chou D, Jian F, et al. Navigated transoral odontoidectomy to treat congenital basilar invagination after failed posterior reduction and fusion[J]. Neurosurgical Focus: Video, 2020, 3(1): V8

14. Duan W, Chou D, Jian F, et al. Microsurgical Anterior Controllable Antedisplacement Fusion to Treat Cervical Ossified Posterior Longitudinal Ligament: 2-Dimensional Operative Video[J]. Operative Neurosurgery (Hagerstown, Md.), 2020.


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