Welcome Dr. Shaun Mendenhall
Shaun D. Mendenhall, MD, specializes in all aspects of pediatric hand and upper-extremity surgery, including reconstruction after congenital differences, injuries, trauma, tumors, spasticity, limb loss, or paralysis. In addition, he performs microvascular reconstruction of the upper and lower extremities after major injuries or tumors, which involves transferring tissue from one part of the body to another via microsurgery. Dr. Mendenhall also treats adults after hand and extremity trauma, or arthritis-related conditions. Dr. Mendenhall has expertise in treating peripheral nerve conditions of the arms or legs, including nerve injuries, nerve lacerations, brachial plexus birth palsy, and viral-induced paralysis.
Neuromuscular Surgical Specialty
Dr. Mendenhall is passionate about helping children who suffer from neuromuscular conditions that cause severe muscle tightness (spasticity) in their upper and lower extremities, such as cerebral palsy, pediatric stroke, traumatic brain injuries, and spinal cord injuries. He utilizes a combination of nerve surgeries (selective neurectomy) and tendon, muscle, and joint procedures to address spasticity and increase the function of the tight arm, hand, fingers, and lower limbs. Dr. Mendenhall works closely with Pediatric Orthopaedics, Neurosurgery, and Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation to maximize the outcomes of these children through a team-based approach.
Digit and Limb Loss
Whether it is a child born without a limb or a person who has lost a finger, hand, or leg due to trauma or cancer, Dr. Mendenhall offers surgical treatments such as stump revisions, targeted muscle reinnervation (TMR), and regenerative peripheral nerve interfaces (RPNI), which can make fitting a prosthesis easier, less painful and more functional. He has a special interest in helping older children and adults with loss of fingers, thumb, or part of the hand get fitted with partial hand prostheses. He is actively engaged in studying the outcomes of this unique treatment for partial hand and digit loss.
Recognitions and Awards
In 2018, Dr. Mendenhall received the F. William Bora Jr., MD, Excellence in Hand and Upper Extremity Surgery Award, named after a pioneering hand surgeon at the University of Pennsylvania. This award is given annually to a resident or fellow with significant contributions to the hand surgery literature. In 2019, he was nationally recognized by the American Society for Surgery of the Hand (ASSH) with selection for the Young Leaders program. In 2021 and 2023, Dr. Mendenhall's research was highlighted with the Joseph H. Boyes Award for best paper at the Residents and Fellows Conference of the ASSH and the Outstanding Paper Award at the annual meeting of the American Association for Surgery of the Hand (AAHS), respectively. Recently Dr. Mendenhall received the Service Excellence Award along with a donation toward his research by the Healthnetwork Foundation for exemplary care of severely injured children.
Areas of Research
Dr. Mendenhall has a wide range of scientific research interests, including:
- Improving pediatric and adult hand surgery techniques and outcomes
- Studying innovative solutions for common hand surgery problems, such as how to improve hand tendon repair using a novel stapler device instead of hand sewing tendons
- Use of synthetic skin substitutes for soft tissue reconstruction of the hand and extremities
- Hand transplantation (vascularized composite allotransplantation)
- Outcomes of partial hand prostheses
- Anatomic studies of novel surgical procedures
- Student and resident surgical education
Background and Education
After graduating with honors in surgery from the U of U School of Medicine, Dr. Mendenhall completed an Integrated Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery residency at Southern Illinois University School of Medicine, where he received numerous teaching awards and was inducted into the Alpha Omega Alpha honors medical society. Following his passion for hand surgery, he completed an Orthopaedic Hand and Microvascular Surgery fellowship at the University of Pennsylvania's Perelman School of Medicine. As a hand surgery fellow, Dr. Mendenhall spent significant time at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and Shriners Hospital for Children, where he fell in love with pediatric hand surgery. His training with world-renowned hand, nerve, and microvascular surgeons at these institutions has enabled him to tackle the most complex pediatric conditions in his practice. Following this specialized training, he spent his first three years in practice here at the University of Utah and Primary Children's Hospital, then went on to focus entirely on care for children at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia for three years before returning home to Utah to bring his expertise back to the mountain west.
Goals and Outcomes
Dr. Mendenhall strives to help children and adults recover well from hand or extremity conditions in order to quickly return to doing what they love. He strives to not only help them regain as much function and confidence as possible but also to have an improved appearance.
