Dr. Susan E. Mackinnon is currently the director of the Center for Nerve Injury and Paralysis
at Washington University. She earned her medical degree from Queens University
in Kingston, Ontario, Canada, in 1975 and completed a plastic surgery residency
at the University of Toronto in 1980. 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 before returning to the University of
Toronto, taking a staff position at Sunnybrook Health Science Centre for almost
a decade. Dr. Mackinnon has been a phenomenal contributor to the fabric of
Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery with leadership positions as President of
the American Association of Plastic Surgeons, the Plastic Surgery Research
Council and the American Association of Hand Surgery. In 2013, she was awarded
the Jacobson Innovation Award by the American College of Surgeons. 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.
Dr. Matthew D. Wood is an Associate Professor of Surgery in the Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery at Washington University School of Medicine. He received his PhD in Biomedical Engineering from Washington University in St Louis in 2009. He undertook his post-doctoral work under the co-mentorship of Drs. Gregory Borschel, a plastic surgeon, and Tessa Gordon, a neuroscientist. This research focused on the development of translatable biomaterials and drug delivery approaches to promote nerve regeneration after peripheral nerve injuries. His research is focused on approaches to improve the management of peripheral nerve injuries, especially in the setting of physical trauma. He also serves as Director of the Plastic Surgery Research Laboratories, which encompasses a broad range of head-to-toe research. He has received funding from the NIH, DoD, industry, and a variety of non-profit educational sources.
