Meet the Expert: Doctor Bio Video Series
Meet Robert Anderson, M.D.
Dr. Anderson is a hand surgeon at Summit Orthopedics in Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota. His specialties include shoulder, elbow, wrist, hand, complex reconstructions, sports medicine, work-related injuries, orthopedic trauma, and arthroscopic surgery.
Dr. Anderson’s approach: “My own injuries and need for surgeries have helped me understand the patient experience. I’m a better listener and care provider as a result. I grew up and attended college in the area, so I know and understand the people of the Twin Cities.”
Dr. Anderson’s education: Dr. Anderson studied at St. John’s University in Collegeville, MN to obtain his undergraduate degree, and he went on to complete his medical degree at the University of Minnesota. He attended Indiana University Medical School in Indianapolis, IN for his residency in Orthopedics, and he completed advanced training as part of the Hand Surgery fellowship at the Indiana Hand Center.
Summit Orthopedics provides personalized hand and wrist expertise
The function of our hands is integrated through our wrists and arms to our shoulders; a problem anywhere along our arm may have a significant impact on hand function and quality of life. If you experience an injury or uncomfortable symptoms, our fellowship-trained hand and wrist surgeons are here to help. Summit physicians receive the highest levels of training and exclusively provide individualized care for conditions of the hand, wrist, and elbow.
Start your journey to better function and less pain. Find your hand expert, request an appointment online, or call us at (651) 968–5201 to schedule a consultation.
Summit has convenient locations across the Minneapolis-St. Paul metro area, serving Minnesota and western Wisconsin. We have state-of-the-art centers for comprehensive orthopedic care in Eagan, MN, Plymouth, MN, Vadnais Heights, MN, and Woodbury, MN, as well as additional community clinics throughout the metro and southern Minnesota.
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Video Transcription
I’m Dr. Robert Anderson. I work at Summit Orthopedics. I specialize in hand and upper extremity surgery. Yeah, like most people, I’ve had the injuries, had the experience, the patient experience, which I think gives you a good perspective into how patients perceive what’s going to happen, what their experience going through it is. Because unless you’ve lived it, you don’t really understand the fears, the lack of information that they may perceive, the million questions that they’re going to have. And living through it, I think, you’re a lot more empathetic to what their experience is going to be, to help them face those fears and answer those questions. Just the fact that being a Minnesotan, I think, offers a different perspective. I’m able to understand how people describe their injuries. Minnesotans are very stoic. And they can be hard to tease out what they’re really trying to get to. And being from here, I really understand where they’re coming from and what they’re trying to tell me. Doing upper extremity orthopedics, we see a lot of kids. And so I definitely think having kids has changed the way that I interact with kids. It’s a lot easier dealing with kids after having them. You understand the psychology of a three-year-old who’s crying. And they’re not crying because they’re hurting. They’re crying because they’re scared. So yeah, I do believe having kids is crucial in changing the way that you interact with them and how you care for them and understanding them. Because kids go through different stages. And that’s all the way from a two-year-old or an infant, all the way up to a teenager. They all want to have a different experience. And without having kids, I think you’d struggle in dealing in those interactions.
