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Robert V. O'Toole, MD

Hansjörg Wyss Medical Foundation Professor of Orthopaedic Trauma

Academic Title:

Professor

Primary Appointment:

Orthopaedics

Administrative Title:

Vice-Chair for Research, Department of Orthopaedics

Additional Title:

Chief of Orthopaedics, R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center; Head, Division of Orthopaedic Trauma, Department of Orthopaedics; Program Director, Orthopaedic Traumatology Fellowship Program; Director, Clinical Research, Department of Orthopaedics

Email:

ethomas@som.umaryland.edu

Location:

R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center

Phone (Primary):

410-328-6280

Fax:

410-328-2893

Education and Training

Carnegie Mellon University, BS in Mechanical Engineering

Stanford University, MS in Mechanical Engineering

Harvard Medical School, MD

Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Internship in General Surgery

Harvard Combined Orthopaedic Residency Program, Residency in Orthopaedic Surgery

University of Maryland Medical System, R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center, Fellowship in Orthopaedic Trauma

Biosketch

Dr. Robert V. O'Toole is a Professor of Orthopaedics with tenure at the University of Maryland School of Medicine and Division Head of Orthopaedic Traumatology and Chief of Orthopaedics at R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center. He has served as the Director of Clinical Research since 2005 and Program Director for a highly competitive orthopaedic trauma fellowship program, the Orthopaedic Traumatology Fellowship Program, since 2009. He is active in clinical care, research, and education pertaining to patients who sustain orthopaedic trauma.

Dr. O'Toole's clinical interests include fractures, high-energy trauma, pelvic and acetabular fractures, problem fractures including malunion and nonunion, and complications related to trauma including infection, posttraumatic arthritis, and compartment syndrome.

He is an active clinical researcher and currently serves as the principal investigator on research trials totaling more than $30 million in competitive funding. Much of his work is in collaboration with the United States Department of Defense-funded Major Extremity Trauma Research Consortium (METRC, www.metrc.org). He leads an active research group that is currently running 16 prospective clinical trials, has 10 full-time research staff, and strives to address clinical issues affecting patients through high-quality clinical trial design. The group is always interested in collaboration and welcomes contact from other researchers.

Dr. O'Toole has been part of the team responsible for continued growth in the Division of Orthopaedic Trauma over the last decade. Clinical volumes have increased substantially over the time period, and the group now boasts 10 faculty members, nine research coordinators, nine nurse practitioners, five fellows, eight programs that send residents to rotate with our Department, and a host of other staff who carry out the group's mission of clinical, educational, and research excellence. The Division is well positioned and aims to continue to play an important national role in orthopaedic trauma care in the coming years.

Research/Clinical Keywords

Fracture, orthopaedic trauma surgery, issues affecting orthopaedic trauma, techniques to reduce complications (particularly infection) of high-energy trauma, major extremity trauma, biomechanics, compartment syndrome, damage control orthopaedics, management of the mangled limb, pelvic fracture, acetabular fracture, biomechanics

Highlighted Publications

Dubina AG, Wickramaratne N, O'Toole RV, Manson TT. Assessment of trochanteric osteotomy fragment union after acetabular fracture surgery. Injury 2017;48(2)384–387. PubMed

Dubina AG, Paryavi E, Manson TT, Allmon C, O'Toole RV. Surgical site infection in tibial plateau fractures with ipsilateral compartment syndrome. Injury 2017;48(2):495–500. PubMed

Myers R, Kim H, Hsieh AH, O'Toole RV, Sciadini MF. When should we change drill bits? A mechanical comparison of new, reprocessed, and damaged bits. J Orthop Trauma 2017 [Epub ahead of print, February 1]. PubMed

Muscatelli S, Howe A, O'Hara NN, O'Toole RV, Sprague SA, Slobogean GP. Comparison of irrigation times using gravity and high-pressure lavage. Orthopedics 2017 [Epub ahead of print, January 11]. PubMed

Hamaker M, O'Hara NN, Eglseder WA, Sciadini MF, Nascone JW, O'Toole RV. Radiographic predictors of symptomatic screw removal after retrograde femoral nail insertion. Injury 2017 [Epub ahead of print, January 6]. PubMed

Becker EH, Kim H, Shorofsky M, Hsieh AH, Watson JD, O'Toole RV. Biomechanical comparison of cadaveric and commercially available synthetic osteoporotic bone analogues in a locked plate fracture model under torsional loading. J Orthop Trauma 2017 [Epub ahead of print, January 5]. PubMed

Jazini E, Klocke N, Tannous O, Johal HS, Hao J, Salloum K, Gelb DE, Nascone JW, Belin E, Hoshino CM, Hussain M, O'Toole RV, Bucklen B, Ludwig SC. Does lumbopelvic fixation add stability? A cadaveric biomechanical analysis of an unstable pelvic fracture model. J Orthop Trauma 2017;31(1):37–46. PubMed

Additional Publication Citations

Research Interests

Clinical Specialty Details

Awards and Affiliations

Grants and Contracts

Professional Activity

Patient Appointments and Referrals

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