An internationally-recognized leader in the field of equine orthopedic research and surgery, Dr. McIlwraith is a University Distinguished Professor, the Barbara Cox Anthony University Chair in Orthopaedics, the Founding Director of the Colorado State University Orthopaedic Research Center, and a member of the Executive Advisory Board Member of Colorado State University’s Translational Medicine Institute, where he has been further honored by being the namesake of that Institute’s facility.

Dr. McIlwraith is a Diplomate in the American College of Veterinary Surgeons (ACVS), as well as the American College of Veterinary Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation (ACVSMR). He is a Past-President of the ACVS, the American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP), and the Veterinary Orthopedic Society (VOS).

Dr. Wayne McIlwraith’s research interests include equine orthopaedic surgery, joint disease research, as well as osteoarthritis therapy (including gene therapy and stem cell therapies), articular cartilage repair, early diagnosis in osteoarthritis, and pre-fracture disease using imaging and fluid biomarkers.

Dr. McIlwraith obtained his veterinary degree from Massey University, New Zealand, was in practice in New Zealand and the UK followed by an internship at the University of Guelph, Canada and a surgical residency at Purdue University. He also obtained MS and PhD degrees from Purdue University. Since 1979 he has been a faculty member at Colorado State University. He also has a referral equine orthopaedic surgical practice based in Southern California and is a consultant and surgeon for clients elsewhere in the US and Ireland, England, France and New Zealand.