Ethel F. and James A. Valone Distinguished Visiting Professor Susan MacKinnon, MD, Chief, Division of Plastic Surgery Washington University in St. Louis

Visiting Professor
Ethel F. and James A. Valone Distinguished Visiting Professor

Susan MacKinnon, MD
Chief, Division of Plastic Surgery
Washington University in St. Louis

Susan E. Mackinnon, MD, is the Sydney M. Jr. and Robert H. Shoenberg Professor and chief of the Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery. She performed the first nerve transplant in 1988 and is considered a leading expert in the field of peripheral nerve surgery. Mackinnon earned her medical degree from Queens University in Kingston, Ontario, Canada, and completed a plastic surgery residency at the University of Toronto. She went on to complete fellowships in neurosurgical research at the University of Toronto and Hand Surgery at the Raymond Curtis Hand Center in Baltimore.

In addition to her work in nerve transplantation, Mackinnon has developed a number of nerve transfer techniques in which healthy nerves are rerouted into areas left paralyzed by damaged ones. Her areas of clinical interest in peripheral nerve surgery include hand, upper extremity and lower extremity injury; carpal tunnel syndrome; tarsal tunnel syndrome; thoracic outlet syndrome; brachial plexus injury; cumulative trauma disorder; nerve compression; facial palsy; and hand and upper extremity disorders and injuries.

Watch the Ted talk in which Dr. Mackinnon shares how her research saves lives and restores hope at Washington University and beyond!