SpineLine's 20 Under 40 Class of 2025: Hao-Hua Wu, MD, Connects Global Communities Through Spine Research

For Hao-Hua Wu, MD, curiosity has always traveled with purpose. While in medical school at the University of Pennsylvania, he was drawn equally to orthopedic surgery and global health. These two passions led him to Malawi and Tanzania as a McClellan International Global Orthopaedics and Traumatology research fellow.

There, he witnessed firsthand how limited access to spine surgery could determine the course of a person’s life. “Every individual, regardless of background or location, deserves access to high-quality spine surgical care,” he said.

That conviction shaped his path. During residency at UCSF, Wu deepened his interest in the human spine and the profound connection between mobility and quality of life. By the time he entered the Harvard Combined Spine Fellowship at MGH and Brigham, his goal had crystallized: to build a sustainable system for global spine collaboration. He found few models to emulate, so he created one.

In 2024, Wu founded the Global Spine Research Initiative (GSRI) at the University of California-Irvine, the first academic orthopedic program dedicated to advancing spine surgical care in low- and middle-income countries through research and education. Under his direction, GSRI has already launched more than 20 projects and formed partnerships with spine centers in Nepal, Tanzania, and Ethiopia. In Ethiopia, the program helped secure a major implant donation along with SIGN International that is helping to clear a backlog of more than 100 patients awaiting surgery at Hawassa University.

“Through academic collaboration, we hope to uplift communities worldwide by improving health outcomes and enhancing quality of life,” Wu said.

Read the full story in SpineLine magazine.