Clifford Wai, M.D.

Clifford Wai, M.D., is a member of the Division of Female Pelvic Medicine and Reconstructive Surgery, and Director of the Division's three-year Female Pelvic Medicine and Reconstructive Surgery Fellowship Program. He is also a member of the Division of Basic Reproductive Biology Research and the Cecil H. and Ida Green Center for Reproductive Biology Sciences.

Dr. Wai, who is fluent in both Cantonese and English, is board certified in obstetrics and gynecology. Following residency, he pursued a three-year fellowship in female pelvic medicine and reconstructive surgery at UT Southwestern under the preceptorship of Dr. Joseph Schaffer. He joined the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology as an Assistant Professor in 2003.

Believing that each patient is different and that treatment plans must be individualized, his practice focuses on improving the quality of each patient's life. This philosophy also drives his research. During his fellowship training, Dr. Wai became interested in research to understand and help women with urinary and fecal incontinence. Among the topics he has investigated is the role of nerve injury in anal and urinary incontinence. He hopes this research will result in promising new treatments for patients with pelvic floor disorders. 

Medical School	Georgetown University Medical Center School of Medicine (1996)
Internship	Georgetown University Hospital (1997)
Residency	Georgetown University Hospital (2000)
Fellowship	UT Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas (2003)

• Childbirth related pelvic floor injury
• Effect of episiotomy on the pelvic floor
• Nerve injury to the lower urinary tract

Featured Publications

Contractile properties of the denervated external anal sphincter

Wai CY and Word RA Am J Obstet Gynecol 2009 200 653.e1-7

Recovery of external anal sphincter contractile function after prolonged vaginal distention or sphincter transection in an animal model

Wai CY, Rahn DD, White AB, Word RA Obstet Gynecol 2008 111 1426-34

Effect of prolonged vaginal distention and sphincter transection on physiologic function of the external anal sphincter

Wai CY, Miller RT, Word RA Obstet Gynecol 2008 111 332-40

Effect of periurethral denervation on smooth muscles of the lower urinary tract.

Wai CY, Liehr P, Boreham MK, Schaffer, JI, Word RA American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology December 2004 191 1950-60

Effect of periurethral nerve transection on the female urethra

Wai CY, Liehr P, Tabbals HF, Segar M, Schaffer JI, Word RA Am J Obstet Gynecol 2003 189 1637-45

Contractile properties of the denervated external anal sphincter

Wai CY and Word RA Am J Obstet Gynecol 2009 200 653.e1-7

Recovery of external anal sphincter contractile function after prolonged vaginal distention or sphincter transection in an animal model

Wai CY, Rahn DD, White AB, Word RA Obstet Gynecol 2008 111 1426-34

• AUGS/June Allyson Foundation Research Fellowship Award
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• CREOG National Faculty Award for Excellence in Resident Education
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• Outstanding Faculty Teacher, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology
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• Outstanding Graduating Resident in Gynecology, Georgetown University Medical Center
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• Outstanding Graduating Resident in Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility, Georgetown University Medical Center
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• Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society
• American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists
• American Urogynecologic Society