Information for Our Community

Whether you are part of our community or are interested in joining us, we welcome you to Washington University School of Medicine.

close  


Visit the News Hub

Wall to direct pediatric and adolescent orthopedics

Pediatric hand specialist also will be orthopedic surgeon-in-chief at St. Louis Children’s

by Jim DrydenJuly 7, 2022

Washington University School of Medicine

Lindley B. Wall, MD, a professor of orthopedic surgery and a member of the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery’s hand and microsurgery service, has been named director of the Division of Pediatric and Adolescent Orthopedics at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. Wall also has been named orthopedic surgeon-in-chief at St. Louis Children’s Hospital.

Wall is a national leader in the treatment of pediatric hand and upper-extremity congenital deformities and spasticity conditions. She also treats fractures and complex nerve injuries affecting the upper limbs. Wall has advanced the understanding of and therapies for these conditions through qualitative research focused on patient and caregiver expectations in these unique populations.

“Dr. Wall is a national leader in pediatric hand surgery, and in her new position, she will drive excellence throughout the entire pediatric orthopedic program,” said Regis J. O’Keefe, MD, PhD, the Fred C. Reynolds Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery and head of the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery. “Dr. Wall has been a key member of our hand and microsurgery service for a decade, and her leadership and commitment will enable the Division of Pediatric and Adolescent Orthopedics at Washington University to continue its ascent among the top programs in the country.”

Wall succeeds Charles A. Goldfarb, MD, a professor of orthopedic surgery who now is serving as the department’s executive vice chair.

“It is an honor to have the opportunity to serve the Division of Pediatric and Adolescent Orthopedics in this new role,” Wall said. “I look forward to working with St. Louis Children’s Hospital to continue to elevate orthopedic care for children by developing new and exciting clinical programs and initiatives, and increasing our geographic reach.”

Wall earned her undergraduate degree from Duke University before earning a medical degree and completing her residency in orthopedics at Washington University. She subsequently completed the Mary S. Stern Hand Surgery Fellowship in Cincinnati. After a pediatric hand surgery fellowship at the orthopedics hospital Scottish Rite for Children in Dallas, she returned to Washington University in 2013 as a faculty member in orthopedics. In 2017, she earned a master’s of science in clinical investigation from the university.

An author on more than 80 peer-reviewed research papers, Wall was nominated and elected to the national medical honor society Alpha Omega Alpha in 2011. She also is a member of several professional organizations, including the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgery, the American Society for Surgery of the Hand, and the Pediatric Orthopedic Society of North America. Wall is an associate editor for The Journal of Hand Surgery (American Volume) and a reviewer for the Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery.

Washington University School of Medicine’s 1,700 faculty physicians also are the medical staff of Barnes-Jewish and St. Louis Children’s hospitals. The School of Medicine is a leader in medical research, teaching and patient care, and currently is No. 4 in research funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Through its affiliations with Barnes-Jewish and St. Louis Children’s hospitals, the School of Medicine is linked to BJC HealthCare.

Jim retired from Washington University in 2023. While at WashU, Jim covered psychiatry and neuroscience, pain and opioid research, orthopedics, diabetes, obesity, nutrition and aging. He formerly worked at KWMU (now St. Louis Public Radio) as a reporter and anchor, and his stories from the Midwest also were broadcast on NPR. Jim hosted the School of Medicine's Show Me the Science podcast, which highlights the outstanding research, education and clinical care underway at the School of Medicine. He has a bachelor's degree in English literature from the University of Missouri-St. Louis.