Profiles

Dr. Lauren E. Wessel, MD is trained Hand and Upper Extremity surgery with additional training in Orthopaedic Oncology. She works with orthopedic conditions of the hand and sees the full range of upper extremity pathology, including trauma, athletic injuries, arthritis, peripheral nerve problems and vascular conditions with a specialized knowledge base to treat upper extremity tumors. She has an additional interest in reconstruction after amputation, using techniques such as targeted muscle reinnervation and regenerative peripheral nerve interfaces.

Dr. Wessel completed her orthopaedic training at top ranked institution in the nation, Hospital for Special Surgery. She completed her hand surgery training at Washington University in St. Louis where she saw a full breadth of upper extremity pathology and learned from a group of the most prominent hand surgeons in the country. She then furthered her specialization in the treatment of upper extremity bone and soft tissue tumors, and in limb salvage and reconstruction at the University of California Los Angeles. Dr. Wessel was born and raised in the Washington D.C. area.

Dr. Wessel is one of few hand surgeons with specific knowledge and training in upper extremity tumors. She is amongst fewer than five hand surgeons in the country with these credentials and is the only dual upper extremity and tumor trained surgeon on the West Coast. Her specialized training affords her patients expertise that can guide their care in defining the highest quality and least morbid treatment to upper extremity tumors, calling on her understanding of the roles of interdisciplinary treatment in care of musculoskeletal oncology and her understanding of upper extremity anatomy and biomechanics in surgical reconstruction for her patients. With regard to limb salvage, her hand surgery training affords superior care for upper extremity patients through her understanding of nerve and tendon transfers, soft tissue reconstruction and upper extremity arthroplasty, which are techniques unique to hand fellowship trained surgeons. With her knowledge of soft tissue techniques, Dr. Wessel has additional expertise in the treatment of post-traumatic upper extremity reconstruction.