Tadhg James O'Gara, MD

Dr. Tadhg O’Gara is board certified in orthopaedic surgery.

He came to Wake Forest University in 2010, after completing a spine surgery fellowship in Boston. Prior to this, he spent 7 years training in Brooklyn and Staten Island’s public hospitals, eventually becoming chief resident of the orthopaedic trauma unit at Kings County Hospital, where in the years leading up to 9/11, the U.S. Army surgeons were trained in managing gun and knife trauma.

After witnessing 9/11, on October 15, 2003, as his afternoon clinic ended, he found himself the only orthopaedic surgery resident in New York City’s island borough when the Andrew J. Barberi hit the Staten Island ferry pier. In the course of a career, many trauma surgeons will see gruesome injuries; however, to see this large amount, all at one time, was life changing and molded his patient care philosophy.

He resolved to find the best ways of avoiding trauma to healthy tissue during surgical procedures, even if it made the surgery longer and more technically challenging. His patients report excellent microsurgical outcomes in the English literature’s longest running peer-reviewed publications.

If a fusion or stabilization is warranted, Dr. O’Gara specializes in 3 state-of-the-art spinal reconstruction techniques, all of which minimize insult to the muscular envelope.

He serves as the department director of spine research and president of the North Carolina Spine Society. Wake Forest University holds 2 of his 4 invention patents associated with preventing scoliosis progression.

An Irish immigrant thankful for the opportunities this country has provided him, he volunteers in his community, advocating for safe, healthy, walkable urban environments as a qualifier for the North Carolina Board of General Contractors and previous 2-term director of the Winston-Salem Police Foundation. He is available for spine surgical consultation by referral.