Faculty Profile: Roger Cornwall, MD
A Childhood Injury Leads to Interest in Orthopaedics
Roger Cornwall, MD, understands the challenges of having a physical injury. His nine-year career as a competitive gymnast ended when he fractured his spine during his junior year of high school.
His recovery involved spinal surgery and physical therapy, an experience that has given him more empathy and understanding toward his patients. “This experience strongly influenced my decision to go into the area of orthopaedics during medical school,” says Cornwall.
Training with Brachial Plexus Experts
Cornwall became fascinated with brachial plexus injuries during his medical studies at Harvard University and Boston Children’s Hospital where he worked with Peter Waters, MD. During a visiting fellowship at Institut de la Main in Paris, he continued to study hand surgery with Alain Gilbert, MD, a world-renowned expert in brachial plexus injuries.
Before joining the Cincinnati Children’s Brachial Plexus Team, Cornwall founded and led the Brachial Plexus Clinic at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, where he treated children at every stage of their injury from primary nerve repair to secondary shoulder surgeries.
Finding Solutions
Cornwall is motivated by the challenge to find answers to the many questions involving the brachial plexus. “There is still a lot to be discovered,” he says.
As a researcher and surgeon, Cornwall is committed to finding solutions. When one of his patients had a rare physical limitation due to a brachial plexus injury, Cornwall developed a new surgical procedure. The surgery was successful and is now used by other surgeons as well.
Research is Key
Cornwall devotes a lot of time to research and is determined to change the course of treatment for brachial plexus injuries by studying the injury on a molecular level. “There is very little basic science research in this area,” explains Cornwall. “My goal is to find solutions that don’t yet exist and improve solutions that aren’t good enough.”
Despite the many mysteries that surround brachial plexus injuries, Cornwall remains positive that someday there will be a breakthrough. He is currently leading a research study to examine how nerve injuries affect muscle growth and says, “In the future, solutions for may lie in gene therapy, stem cell development or even with medication.”
Free Time? Not with Toddler Twins
The father of two year old twins, Cornwall says his life away from the office is “all about my kids.” Although he laughs at the idea of having “free time” with toddlers at home, he also enjoys playing guitar, piano and bass.
Read more information about Dr. Cornwall.
