Dr. Cole Schmidt

Dr. Cole Schmidt, M.D.

Dr. Robert “Cole” Schmidt, MD, returns to Central Florida to join Orlando Hand Surgery Associates after completing his fellowship in shoulder and elbow surgery at the Florida Orthopedic Institute in Tampa. Dr. Schmidt grew up in Tallahassee, Florida and began his academic career at the University of Central Florida, where he earned his Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Sciences as a National Merit and Bright Futures Scholar. He went on to earn his medical degree from Florida International University’s Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine, where he graduated in the top 5 of a 121-person class, was inducted into the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Society, and received the Dr. Herbert and Nicole Wertheim Family Foundation Scholarship, a competitive four-year, full-tuition scholarship award.

Dr. Schmidt completed his orthopaedic surgery residency at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) Health System in Richmond, Virginia, where he was named the VCU Orthopaedic Surgery Best Resident and scored in the 99th percentile nationally on his final Orthopaedic In-Training Examination. He was awarded repeatedly during his residency, including the Shining Knight Award for Outstanding Patient Care and the Tulip Award from Children’s Hospital of Richmond. He was again recognized for his outstanding research during his fellowship, where he trained under world-renowned surgeons Mark Frankle and Mark Mighell. He is a member of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) and the American Shoulder and Elbow Society (ASES).

An active researcher, Dr. Schmidt has co-authored numerous peer-reviewed publications and national presentations on topics spanning shoulder arthroplasty, shoulder instability surgery, humeral shaft fracture treatment, hip prosthetic joint infection, and distal radius fracture outcomes. During his residency, he also participated in sideline sports coverage for William & Mary College athletics and Chesterfield County high school football.

Outside the clinic, Dr. Schmidt is married with two young daughters and enjoys college football, soccer, golf, fitness, and reading science fiction and fantasy novels in his free time.