Ida K. Fox, MD

Ida K. Fox, MD

Director, Hand, Nerve & Microsurgery Fellowship Program

Associate Professor of Surgery

Ida Fox is an Associate Professor of Surgery and has been the Director of the Hand, Nerve and Microsurgery Fellowship Program since 2019. Her clinical interests include peripheral nerve surgery—carpal tunnel, other nerve compression, repair of nerve injury, complex nerve reconstruction and resection of nerve tumors; hand surgery—removal of tumors, treatment of Dupuytren’s disease or other contractures, post-traumatic hand reconstruction (to improve function after injury from amputation, burn, crush, etc.) and flap surgeries; and tetraplegia surgery—including nerve and tendon surgery to restore function in patients with paralysis of the hands and arms due to cervical spinal cord injury.

Her primary clinical interest is to develop the use of nerve transfers in patients with cervical spinal cord injury (SCI). Fox is excited to be working in a totally novel field: use of the well-established technique of nerve transfers in a new patient population—those with cervical level SCI.  Clinical outcomes assessment in this patient population is imperative to maximizing results and further refining the safety and efficacy in this population.  Decision making around surgery (tendon versus nerve transfer versus no surgery) is also a challenge and an important component of providing care. By creating and testing a decision aid on this subject, Fox hopes to further the field as a whole.

Mitchell A. Pet, MD

Mitchell A. Pet, MD

Associate Director, Hand, Nerve & Microsurgery Fellowship Program

Assistant Professor of Surgery

After earning his medical degree from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, Mitchell Pet completed his residency in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery at the University of Washington Affiliated Hospitals in Seattle.  He then pursued a fellowship in Hand and Upper Extremity Surgery at the Curtis National Hand Center in Baltimore.  Pet is interested in all types of hand and wrist surgery, including fractures of the fingers, wrist and forearm; tendon/ligament injuries; nerve and vascular injuries; and arthritic/degenerative conditions. Pet also performs free tissue transfer and other complex microsurgical reconstructive procedures such as toe transfer and vascularized bone transfer.  Outside of upper extremity care, Pet is a member of the School of Medicine’s cutaneous oncology multidisciplinary team, and treats patients in need of reconstruction after removal of cutaneous and musculoskeletal cancers such as sarcoma, melanoma and basal or squamous cell carcinoma.

Pet has three main areas of research investigation: 1) Improving technology for monitoring of free flaps using wireless and absorbable technology (human and large animal studies) 2) quantitative modeling of complex articular reconstructive surgeries using 3D imaging, and 3) functional and psychosocial patient outcomes after reconstructive surgery. Furthermore, Pet has worked to integrate PROMIS measures into routine clinical care, such that outcomes data is collected at every patient visit. This system can support outcomes research on a wide variety of topics.

Susan E. Mackinnon, MD

Susan E. Mackinnon, MD

Minot Packer Fryer Professor of Plastic Surgery

In 2013, Susan Mackinnon was presented with the Jacobson Innovation Award by the American College of Surgeons and was listed in Best Doctors in America (Best Doctors, Inc.). Mackinnon specializes in nerve transplantation, peripheral nerve surgery and plastic and reconstructive surgery.

Her areas of clinical interest include peripheral nerve surgery in hand/upper extremity and lower extremity, carpal tunnel syndrome, tarsal tunnel syndrome, thoracic outlet syndrome, brachial plexus, cumulative trauma disorder, nerve transplant, nerve compression, facial palsy, and hand and upper extremity disorders and injuries.

Amy Kells, MD, PhD

Amy Kells, MD, PhD

Assistant Professor of Surgery

Kells is interested in researching the clinical application of MRI neurography to traumatic nerve injury as well as nerve compression syndromes. Kells completed fellowships in: Microsurgery at University of Southern California; Complex Wounds at University of Mississippi; Orthopedic Hand Surgery at SUNY Upstate Medical Center in Syracuse, New York; and Plastic Hand Surgery at New York University School of Medicine.

MRI neurography is a developing imaging modality for use in a wide variety of clinical settings of nerve injury and pathology.  Washington University is a busy level one trauma center in an urban setting and thus presents a unique opportunity to utilize the growing field of MRI neurography to study traumatic nerve injury. In conjunction with the Radiology Department, Kells aims to greatly expand the utilization of MRI neurography to improve the identification and treatment of patients with traumatic nerve injuries.

Thomas H. Tung, MD

Thomas H. Tung, MD

Professor of Surgery

Thomas Tung is a Professor of Surgery at Washington University School of Medicine. Since 2005, Tung has repeatedly been named one of the Best Doctors in America (Best Doctors, Inc.). He specializes in oncologic and traumatic plastic and reconstructive surgery.

His areas of clinical interest include breast reconstruction, major brachial plexus and peripheral nerve surgery in both adults and children, nerve transplantation, breast surgery, microsurgery, hand surgery and cosmetic surgery.

John M. Felder, MD

John M. Felder, MD

Assistant Professor of Surgery

John Felder joined the division faculty as Assistant Professor of Surgery in 2016 after completing the Washington University Hand and Microsurgery Fellowship Program and Peripheral Nerve Fellowship Program. Before his fellowship, he completed the Integrated Plastic Surgery Residency at Georgetown University Hospital.

Felder’s primary interest is in adult and child traumatic reconstruction of the extremities, having himself been treated for severe injuries by a plastic surgeon as a teen. His focus includes bony and soft tissue reconstruction of the hand, wrist and forearm, as well as peripheral nerve surgery and microsurgery. Other clinical interests include facial trauma, oncologic reconstruction, and chronic pain syndromes including migraine headache treatment and thoracic outlet syndrome.

Justin M. Sacks, MD, MBA, FACS

Justin M. Sacks, MD, MBA, FACS

Chief, Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery

Sydney M. Jr. and Robert H. Shoenberg Chair of Plastic Surgery

Justin Sacks completed a one-year joint orthopedic/plastic surgery upper extremity fellowship at University of Pittsburgh as part of his training. His research focuses on advancements in vascularized composite allotransplantation, tissue engineering, and vascular perfusion assessment. He has submitted a provisional patent for a device to put blood vessels together without sutures with co-investigation at both Johns Hopkins and WashU.

Alison  Snyder-Warwick , MD

Alison Snyder-Warwick , MD

Associate Director, Plastic Surgery Residency Program

  • Assistant Professor of Surgery
  • Director of the Facial Nerve Institute Co-Director of the Cleft Palate and Craniofacial Institute at St. Louis Children’s Hospital
  • Continuing Medical Education Chair

Dr. Snyder-Warwick’s main clinical focuses are pediatric plastic surgery and reconstruction for facial nerve disorders, treatment of facial clefts, corneal neurotization, pediatric microsurgical procedures, and reconstruction of birth-related brachial plexus injuries. Her clinical interests have led to pioneering basic science research investigations involving the terminal Schwann cell, a unique glial cell present at the neuromuscular junction.

Her clinical research interests parallel her practice and focus on facial nerve reconstruction, corneal neurotization, care for children with facial clefts, as well as pediatric opioid use and women in surgery. Dr. Snyder-Warwick is passionate about helping children and adults with facial paralysis, nerve-related injuries, and facial anomalies and is committed to studying novel techniques of optimizing care for people affected by peripheral nerve pathology.