Expertise:
Cardiothoracic Surgery
Minimally Invasive Surgery
Speciality:
Thoracic Surgery
Gender:
Female
Language:
English

Get to Know Dr. Lorraine D. Cornwell

Cardiothoracic surgeon Dr. Lorraine Cornwell treats U.S. military veterans at the Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center in Houston, providing state-of-the-art care for complex malignancies such as a pleural mesothelioma cancer.

Cornwell, the section head of general thoracic surgery at the VA, performs both minimally invasive and more aggressive surgeries for lung cancer, esophageal cancer and thymoma, along with benign conditions of the chest.

She also performs cardiac surgeries, including coronary artery bypass grafting to treat arterial disease, and has contributed extensively to the success of the novel transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) program within the VA.

Cornwell uses the daVinci robot for select surgeries, which shortens recovery time and leads to fewer side effects.

Her work with pleural mesothelioma is especially notable within the VA, which has only a small number of surgeons with experience treating the condition.

Mesothelioma is diagnosed more often in veterans than in the general population, stemming from the military’s long-ago reliance on asbestos material, the primary cause of the cancer.

In addition to her work with the VA, Cornwell serves as an assistant professor of surgery within the Division of Cardiothoracic Surgery at the nearby Baylor College of Medicine.

Specialties of Dr. Lorraine D. Cornwell

  • Cardiothoracic surgery
  • Lung cancer
  • Pleural mesothelioma
  • Minimally invasive surgery
  • TAVR procedure
  • Coronary artery bypass grafting

Dr. Lorraine D. Cornwell’s Experience and Medical Education

  • Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center
  • Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (Fellowship)
  • New York Presbyterian Hospital and Weill-Cornell Medical College (Residencies)
  • University of North Carolina Hospitals (Residency)
  • University of North Carolina School of Medicine (M.D.)

Awards and Certifications

  • American Board of Surgery
  • American Board of Thoracic Surgery
  • 2020 Top Doctors, Cardiothoracic Surgery, Houstonia Magazine
  • American Medical Women’s Association
  • American College of Surgeons

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Publications of Dr. Lorraine D. Cornwell

  • Tuluca, A. et al. (2013, May). Bioprosthetic mitral valve endocarditis after percutaneous device closure of severe paravalvular leak. Annals of Thoracic Surgery.
  • Cajipe, M.D. et al. (2012, November). Video-assisted thoracoscopic lobectomy is associated with better perioperative outcomes than open lobectomy in a veteran population. American Journal of Surgery.
  • Cervera, R. et al. (2012, June). Impact of functional status on survival after coronary artery bypass grafting in a veteran population. Annals of Thoracic Surgery.
  • Melendez, J. et al. (2012, February). Treatment of large subglottic tracheal schwannoma with microdebrider bronchoscopy. Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery.