Shelley S. Noland, M.D.

Dr. Shelley S. Noland is an Associate Professor of Plastic Surgery at Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science and a dual board-certified plastic and hand surgeon with subspecialty expertise in peripheral nerve surgery. Her clinical practice encompasses adult traumatic brachial plexus injuries, nerve compression syndromes (including carpal, cubital, and radial tunnel), nerve transfers and tendon transfers for upper extremity nerve palsies, neuroma and neuropathic pain management, regenerative peripheral nerve interface, surgical management of neurofibromatosis, complex Dupuytren's contracture (including collagenase injection and external distraction techniques), thumb arthritis, wrist and hand arthritis, distal radius fractures, flexor tendon injuries. After earning her undergraduate degree from the University of Michigan and her MD from Chicago Medical School, she completed an integrated plastic surgery residency at Stanford University Hospital, followed by a combined hand surgery fellowship at the University of Washington and a dedicated peripheral nerve fellowship at Washington University in St. Louis. She was recruited to Mayo Clinic Arizona in 2015, where she built and now serves as Medical Director of the Peripheral Nerve Clinic—a multidisciplinary program integrating plastic surgery, orthopedic surgery, neurosurgery, pain medicine, radiology, and therapy services that has become a regional referral destination for complex nerve and brachial plexus injuries.

Beyond her clinical practice, Dr. Noland holds joint consultant appointments in the Departments of Orthopedic Surgery, Neurosurgery, and Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery at Mayo Clinic, and she serves as Medical Director of the Center for Humanities in Medicine, where she has championed the integration of narrative medicine, poetry, and the arts into clinical training and practice. She directs the Poetry in Medicine Selective and Biomedical Ethics and Humanities in Medicine Grand Rounds, co-edits Mayo Clinic Proceedings' Compass, and is a Certified Professional Coach through the College of Executive Coaching. A nationally recognized educator, she has served as Course Director of the Annual Resident Boot Camp Hand Surgery Course for the American Council of Academic Plastic Surgeons, chaired the Diversity Committee of the American Society for Surgery of the Hand, and was awarded Teacher of the Year by the Mayo Clinic plastic surgery residency. Her mentorship of residents and medical students has produced dozens of national and international presentations, peer-reviewed publications, and competitive fellowship placements.

Dr. Noland's scholarly contributions span peripheral nerve surgery, nerve transfers, workforce and reimbursement trends, gender equity in surgery, social determinants of health in brachial plexus outcomes, and the application of artificial intelligence to hand surgery, with her work recognized through multiple patents pending in nerve repair technology, editor's-choice designation in World Neurosurgery, and top-abstract selections at meetings of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons, and the Association of Women Surgeons. She has been named a Phoenix Magazine Top Doc annually from 2023 through 2026, has been invited as Visiting Professor at Stanford University, and continues to deliver national and international keynote lectures on peripheral nerve surgery, surgical coaching, and the humanities in medicine. Her career reflects a rare synthesis of technical mastery, program-building leadership, and a deep commitment to the human dimensions of surgical practice.