Peter A. Cole, MD

Peter A. Cole, MD • Division Head, Orthopaedics, Regions Hospital
• Professor, University of Minnesota
• Leader in Ortho Trauma, Scapula Injury, & Chest Wall Injury

I am Chair of the Orthopaedic Surgery Department at Regions Hospital, Division Medical Director for HealthPartners Orthopedics and Sports Medicine, Director of The NorthStar Trauma Network, and Director of the Orthopaedic Trauma Fellowship at the University of Minnesota—Regions NorthStar Level I Trauma Center. Though my medical and surgical practice is based at Regions Level I Trauma Center, I am

a full-time University of Minnesota Professor. I have developed a worldwide reputation as an educator and researcher on advanced trauma topics including complex joint injuries, bone malunions and the broken pelvis. I have been recognized as a leading expert in minimally invasive fracture surgery, Rib Fractures and Chest Wall fixation, and have the largest experience on record for the treatment of Scapula fractures. Underlying these clinical, administrative and investigative accomplishments is a passion for innovative problem solving, whether for patient conditions, surgical instruments, or challenges in healthcare delivery. Lastly, I am a proud husband, father of three children, and my wife Nancy and I founded a mission in the Amazon Jungle of Peru for musculoskeletal needs in surgery and rehabilitation (www.scalpelatthecross.org).

08/12/2026

Through research, education, and collaboration, Dr. Peter Cole and the Scapula Institute are working to advance the understanding and treatment of complex scapula and associated chest wall injuries. By sharing knowledge, refining surgical approaches, and fostering collaboration, they aim to improve patient care while helping educate and support the next generation of orthopaedic surgeons.

Learn more about Dr. Cole's work at www.drpetercole.com, and stay tuned—the new Scapula Institute website is coming 🔜

The Scapula Institute

Hospitality Cartagena-StyleThanks to mi Amigo Felipe Naquira for inviting and hosting me so graciously. Felipe’s a humbl...
08/07/2026

Hospitality Cartagena-Style

Thanks to mi Amigo Felipe Naquira for inviting and hosting me so graciously. Felipe’s a humble talent, an outstanding Upper Extremity trauma surgeon giving thought to many of the same Manubrio-Clavicular Conundrums as I am. We have both concluded, many such dislocations do not end up favorably with no intervention, whether medial fracture dislocations or pure SC dislocations. I was frankly astounded by the quality of care, research, innovation and education happening across the whole SCCOT in this gorgeous country.

Upside-Down You Turn Me!
The start of my presentation kind of reminded me of the great 1980 Diana Ross tune!
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lgzESJn1OKQ)
It was hillarious – No one knew how to fix it, but we declared, “The show must go on!”

Cartagena -- Strong & Beautiful Like My Kids 🙂
I could not believe that Dani and Chan surprised me by just……appearing in Cartagena for a few nights!

SCCOT Party Like No Other
Are you kidding me, AAOS needs headliners like this. Claudia Medina mi Profesora de Tango, Felipe Naiquira, and the incomparable Sergio Vargas!

08/05/2026

Advancing patient care begins with sharing knowledge, fostering collaboration, and investing in people.

Whether you're an academic seeking research opportunities, a surgeon looking to refine your approach, or a patient exploring treatment options, visit www.drpetercole.com to learn more about a team dedicated to advancing orthopaedic care.

BlastOff 🚀 Great Congratulations to Ethan Ayers, MD and Paulo Casteneda, MD who will be heading to NYU Langone, Long Isl...
08/03/2026

BlastOff 🚀

Great Congratulations to Ethan Ayers, MD and Paulo Casteneda, MD who will be heading to NYU Langone, Long Island and Phoenix’s Dignity Health, Saint Joe’s, to wave the NorthStar Banner high! This is number 44 and 45, Ortho Trauma Fellows from Regions Hospital, who now span North America’s two countries in over 30 states and provinces. Pictured from graduation last night with families and friends and the entire University of Minnesota Orthopedic Fellow Cohort, and from their last 5:30 a.m. Career Dimensions breakfast at Mickey’s Diner in Saint Paul this morning. They both went with the favorite One Eyed Jack and they were quite happy!

I asked them to write down what they perceive as their Top 5 priorities in order heading into their new lives, and we had a great discussion. I was proud to discuss all their choices including: Knowing my purpose, Landing softly, Being proud of surgical results, Bringing joy to work, Focusing on better resident education, Early involvement in leadership, Saying Yes…..Saying No, Let my yes be yes, and of course their beloved Ladies.

Light the World Aflame guys!

Dr. Antônio Tufi & Pablo Vargas deserve Maximo-Credito for AO LAT Palm Beach this year! A major thanks to our mentor Dr....
07/28/2026

Dr. Antônio Tufi & Pablo Vargas deserve Maximo-Credito for AO LAT Palm Beach this year!

A major thanks to our mentor Dr. Miguel Zublin for connecting us all for a Curso Fabuloso!

My Tuesday was Titanic with my three fave topic lectures, three case discussions, three lab dissections, and a Live Surgery Streaming to Latin America.

We had a blast together and it was nice to meet such an engaged and hospitable faculty. We were all sponges soaking up lessons together and I have a whole swath of new amigos. Interestingly, I gave my first lecture in Spanish, second in English, and the group voted for my third to be in Spanglish.

Pronounced chε-shaThe Ch-Sh Classification represents over a decade of clinical work in which I have considered the surg...
06/22/2026

Pronounced chε-sha
The Ch-Sh Classification represents over a decade of clinical work in which I have considered the surgical continuum inclusive of the entire ‘shoulder girdle’ and its underlying chest wall.

Our forequarters work in concert, not as individual bones in isolation. Having started with a passion for scapula fractures, the injury pathology presentations I was witnessing simply did not allow me to be focused on the scapula alone. The scapula doesn’t work properly without a functioning AC & SC joint, or without an aligned clavicle; nor the sheet of ice on which it glides which are, the ribs.

Read Publication Here: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S002013832600358X

Le Cause cèlébre!A 10 Year CWIS Anniversary The Chest Wall Injury Society turned 10 this year and eclipsed 800 surgeons ...
06/08/2026

Le Cause cèlébre!
A 10 Year CWIS Anniversary

The Chest Wall Injury Society turned 10 this year and eclipsed 800 surgeons worldwide. The Department of Orthopedic Surgery, University of Minnesota - Regions Hospital Chest Wall Institute team brought home lots of Gold, two Keynote presentations, and a boatload of memories in its most competitive field to date. Our Research Directors Sandy Vang & Jeff Winter have guided a myriad of research projects and a tight knit culture to blow the top off this year, and my partner David Weatherby crushed his Ortho Hollywood Squares gameshow. Thank you Team!

Beauty of DeformityAt a wonderful dinner affair in March at Scotch 80 Prime Steakhouse in Las Vegas, I was riveted by a ...
06/04/2026

Beauty of Deformity

At a wonderful dinner affair in March at Scotch 80 Prime Steakhouse in Las Vegas, I was riveted by a portrait on the far corner of the lavish private room.

A curious and striking portrait of a model on the wall with an absolutely stunning, left, chronic, anterior, dislocation of her Manubrio-Clavicular Joint.

Orthopaedic Outward-Bound in Cartagena It was awe-inspiring to take a tour of a striking new hospital on the coast of Co...
06/02/2026

Orthopaedic Outward-Bound in Cartagena

It was awe-inspiring to take a tour of a striking new hospital on the coast of Colombia, whose mission is to serve an impoverished country-side even while delivering the highest-end orthopedic care for ‘surgical tourists’ in the pulsating cities of Cartagena, Barranquilla, and the coastal region of spectacular Colombia.

Dr. Juan David Lacouture, a true humanitarian and rising star in shoulder surgery & trauma, led the tour with his mentors, and my dear Bogotano friends Carlos Olarte Santos & Tatiana Almario AristizAbal. His heart for ‘la gente’ and desire for exceptionalism in care to all peoples was literally biblical, and matched his pride for this phenomenal new orthopedic & trauma facility.

The Bogota Santa Fe Foundation (Fundación Santa Fe de Bogotá) project to build and run Hospital Serena del Mar revealed to me The Power of Benefaction. Carlos and Sonja Haime, prominent Cubo-Colombian business magnate-philanthropists who were inspired by their treatment at Hospital for Special Surgery in New York, had a heart for seeing-through the same level of care in their country. HSS’s on-going partnership with Hospital Serena del Mar manifests in an annual educational event with HSS in Cartagena, to amplify the level of care everywhere.

The hospital seems to lack nothing and is a sanctuary for healing even in life and death. It provides tremendous freedom to learn what’s possible even unto frontiers we do not yet know.




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Saint Paul, MN
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