Lawson Copley, M.D.

Orthopaedic Surgery - Pediatric Orthopaedics

Biography

Dr. Lawson Copley provides orthopaedic trauma and clinical coverage at Children’s Medical Center of Dallas, along with Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children orthopaedic medical staff.

Dr. Copley graduated magna cum laude from Wheaton College in Wheaton, Illinois and received his medical degree from Kansas University Medical Center. He completed both his internship in general surgery and his residence in orthopaedic surgery at the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Copley also completed the Dorothy and Bryant Edwards Fellowship in Pediatric Orthopaedics and Scoliosis at Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children. Dr. Copley served in the United States Air Force as chief of surgical services, 96th Medical Group.

In 2018, he was included in D Magazine's Best Doctors list and was named a Texas Monthly Super Doctor.

Education & Training

Medical School - University of Kansas School of Medicine (1987-1991)
Internship - University of Pennsylvania Medical Center (1991-1992), General Surgery
Residency - University of Pennsylvania Medical Center (1992-1996), Orthopaedic Surgery
Fellowship - Texas Scottish Rite Hospital (1996-1997), Pediatric Orthopaedics

Professional Associations & Affiliations

American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons
Dallas County Medical Society
Pediatric Orthopaedic Surgeons of North American
Texas Medical Association
Texas Orthopaedic Association

Honors & Awards

96 Air Base Wing Commander’s Recognition Award 2001
Fellow of American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons 2001
Meritorious Service Medal 2001, Surgical Operations Squadron Medical Group Eglin AFB Florida
ARCENT Kuwait Command Surgeon’s Recognition Award 2000
Commander in Chief’s Special Recognition for Installation Excellence 2000

Books & Publications

Publications
- Joint fluid multi-omics improves diagnostic confidence during evaluation of children with presumed septic arthritis
  Peña-López Y, Tareen NG, Zhang B, Raman I, Arana CA, Zhu C, Liu Y, Selvakumar P, van Oers NS, Morris S, Hooper LV, Copley LA, Raj P Pediatric Rheumatology 2025 Dec 23
- Mitigating Risk of Acute Kidney Injury Among Children With Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus Osteomyelitis
  Challa L, Villani MC, Hachem AA, Ma Y, Jo C, Patel K, Firmani S, Copley LA Journal of Pediatric Orthopaedics 2025 Feb 45 e172-e178
- Management of Syndesmotic Injuries in Children and Adolescents: Results of a Cross-Sectional Survey of Pediatric Orthopaedic Surgeons
  Author Collaboration CS, Williams CE, Stewig B, Lee SW, Shore BJ, May CJ, Janicki J, Hedequist D, Heyworth B, Brighton B, Denning JR, Ramalingam W, Murphy JS, Sanders J, Goldstein RY, Koehler R, Baldwin K, Jennifer Laine L, Truong W, Spence D, Schoenecker J, Beebe A, Rickert KD, Upasani VV, Blumberg T, Lindberg A, Hill J, Rosenfeld SD, Copley LA, Johnson M, Ramo B, Riccio AI, Swarup I, Li GY, Miller M Journal of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons Global Research and Reviews 2024 Aug 8
- Accelerated Severity of Illness Score Enhances Prediction of Complicated Acute Hematogenous Osteomyelitis in Children
  Jahan TA, Lapin NA, O'Connell MT, Jo C, Ma Y, Tareen NG, Copley LA Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal 2024
- Differentiating between Knee Septic Arthritis and Lyme Arthritis in Children: A Clinical Prediction Algorithm for a Geographically Diverse Population
  Li Y, Bommineni M, Baldwin KD, Sanborn RM, Cook D, Shore BJ, Beebe AC, Blumberg TJ, Copley LA, Denning JR, Goldstein RY, Heyworth BE, Hill JF, Johnson ME, Laine JC, May CJ, Miller ML, Moore-Lotridge SN, Murphy JS, Ramo BA, Riccio AI, Rosenfeld SB, Sanders J, Schoenecker JG, Spence DD, Truong WH, Upasani V Journal of Pediatric Orthopaedics 2024
- Clinical Practice Guideline by the Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society (PIDS) and the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA): 2023 Guideline on Diagnosis and Management of Acute Bacterial Arthritis in Pediatrics
  Woods CR, Bradley JS, Chatterjee A, Kronman MP, Arnold SR, Robinson J, Copley LA, Arrieta AC, Fowler SL, Harrison C, Eppes SC, Creech CB, Stadler LP, Shah SS, Mazur LJ, Carrillo-Marquez MA, Allen CH, Lavergne V Journal of the Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society 2024 Jan 13 1-59
- What's New in Pediatric Septic Arthritis? A Review of Pertinent Clinical Questions
  Hachem A, Copley LA Journal of Pediatric Orthopaedics 2023 Oct 43 578-583
- Age and CRP Associated with Improved Tissue Pathogen Identification in Children with Blood Culture Negative Osteomyelitis: Results from the CORTICES Multicenter Database
  Burns JD, Upasani VV, Bastrom TP, Baldwin KD, Schoenecker JG, Shore BJ, Brighton BK, Goldstein RY, Heyworth BE, Miller ML, Sanders JS, Truong WH, Janicki JA, Hedequist DJ, May CJ, Murphy JS, Denning JR, Laine JC, Spence DD, Beebe AC, Rickert KD, Lindberg AW, Blumberg TJ, Rosenfeld SB, Hill JF, Copley LA, Johnson ME, Ramo BA, Riccio AI, Li GY, Moore-Lotridge SN, Koehler RJ, Stepanovich M, McLaughlin D, Fletcher N, Owen J, Arkader A, Ramalingam W, De S, Sheffer B, Larson J, Kadado A, Lempert N, Meyer Z, Swarup I Journal of Pediatric Orthopaedics 2023 Sep 43 E603-E607
- Staphylococcus aureus isolates from children with clinically differentiated osteomyelitis exhibit distinct transcriptomic signatures
  Hachem AA, Filkins LM, Kidane YH, Raj P, Tareen NG, Arana CA, Muthukrishnan G, Copley LA PloS one 2023 Aug 18
- Comparison of Procalcitonin With Commonly Used Biomarkers and Algorithms for Evaluating Suspected Pediatric Musculoskeletal Infection in the Emergency Department
  Van Der Laan L, Gaines N, Van Horn N, Jo C, Ma Y, Copley LA Journal of Pediatric Orthopaedics 2023 Feb 43 E168-E173
- Early Transition to Oral Antimicrobial Therapy among Children with Staphylococcus aureus Bacteremia and Acute Hematogenous Osteomyelitis
  Sanchez MJ, Patel K, Lindsay EA, Tareen NG, Jo C, Copley LA, Sue PK Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal 2022 Sep 41 690-695
- Primary Septic Arthritis in Children Demonstrates Presumed and Confirmed Varieties Which Require Age-specific Evaluation and Treatment Strategies
  Klosterman MM, Villani MC, Hamilton EC, Jo C, Copley LA Journal of Pediatric Orthopaedics 2022 Jan 42 E27-E33
- Evidence-Based Management of Pediatric Musculoskeletal Infections
  Rosenfeld SB, Mulpuri K, Copley LA 2022 Jan 151-164
- Acute Hematogenous Osteomyelitis
  Rosenfeld SB, Copley LA 2022 Jan 191-202
- Clinical Practice Guideline by the Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society and the Infectious Diseases Society of America: 2021 Guideline on Diagnosis and Management of Acute Hematogenous Osteomyelitis in Pediatrics
  Woods CR, Bradley JS, Chatterjee A, Copley LA, Robinson J, Kronman MP, Arrieta A, Fowler SL, Harrison C, Carrillo-Marquez MA, Arnold SR, Eppes SC, Stadler LP, Allen CH, Mazur LJ, Creech CB, Shah SS, Zaoutis T, Feldman DS, Lavergne V Journal of the Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society 2021 Aug 10 801-844
- Children with Primary Septic Arthritis Have a Markedly Lower Risk of Adverse Outcomes Than Those with Contiguous Osteomyelitis
  Hamilton EC, Villani MC, Klosterman MM, Jo C, Liu J, Copley LA Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery - American Volume 2021 Jul 103 1229-1237
- Tractionless Hip Arthroscopy for Septic Arthritis in Children
  Ellis HB, Copley L, Pennock A, Nepple JJ, Willimon C, Mayer SW, Yen YM Arthroscopy Techniques 2021 Mar 10 e659-e667
- Primary septic arthritis among children 6 to 48 months of age: Implications for PCR acquisition and empiric antimicrobial selection
  Villani MC, Hamilton EC, Klosterman MM, Jo C, Kang L, Copley LA Journal of Pediatric Orthopaedics 2021 Mar 41 190-196
- Pediatric Type II Supracondylar Humerus Fractures: Factors Associated with Successful Closed Reduction and Immobilization
  Ojeaga P, Wyatt CW, Wilson P, Ho CA, Copley LA, Ellis HB Journal of Pediatric Orthopaedics 2020 Sep 40 e690-e696
- Team approach: Pediatric musculoskeletal infection
  Dhar AV, Huang CJ, Sue PK, Patel K, Farrow-Gillespie AC, Hammer MR, Zia AN, Mittal VS, Copley LA JBJS reviews 2020 8
- Electronic Medical Record Use and Satisfaction Among Pediatric Orthopaedic Surgeons
  Copley LA, Sharps CH, Gerardi JA, Gupta SK, Vanderhaave KL, Lovejoy JF, Lubicky JP, Albanese SA, Jo C Journal of Pediatric Orthopaedics 2019 Oct 39 E722-E728
- Quality Improvement of Magnetic Resonance Imaging for Musculoskeletal Infection in Children Results in Decreased Scan Duration and Decreased Contrast Use
  Ojeaga PO, Hammer MR, Lindsay EA, Tareen NG, Jo CH, Copley LA Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery - American Volume 2019 Sep 101 1679-1688
- Kingella kingae septic arthritis in an older-than-expected child
  Shahrestani S, Evans A, Tekippe EM, Copley LA Journal of the Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society 2019 Mar 8 83-86
- Validation and Modification of a Severity of Illness Score for Children with Acute Hematogenous Osteomyelitis
  Athey AG, Mignemi ME, Gheen WT, Lindsay EA, Jo CH, Copley LA Journal of Pediatric Orthopaedics 2019 Feb 39 90-97
- Severity Adjusted Risk of Long-term Adverse Sequelae Among Children With Osteomyelitis
  Vorhies JS, Lindsay EA, Tareen NG, Kellum RJ, Jo CH, Copley LA The Pediatric infectious disease journal 2019 Jan 38 26-31
- Differentiation of Deep Venous Thrombosis among Children with or Without Osteomyelitis
  Ligon JA, Journeycake JM, Josephs SC, Tareen NG, Lindsay EA, Copley LA Journal of Pediatric Orthopaedics 2018 Nov 38 e597-e603
- The impact of Staphylococcus aureus genomic variation on clinical phenotype of children with acute hematogenous osteomyelitis
  Collins A, Wakeland EK, Raj P, Kim MS, Kim J, Tareen NG, Copley LA Heliyon 2018 Jun 4
- Seasonal variation and weather changes related to the occurrence and severity of acute hematogenous osteomyelitis in children
  Lindsay EA, Tareen N, Jo CH, Copley LA Journal of the Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society 2018 May 7 E16-E23
- A Novel Classification System Based on Dissemination of Musculoskeletal Infection is Predictive of Hospital Outcomes
  Mignemi ME, Benvenuti MA, An TJ, Martus JE, Mencio GA, Lovejoy SA, Copley LA, Williams DJ, Thomsen IP, Schoenecker JG Journal of Pediatric Orthopaedics 2018 38 279-286
- Pediatric musculoskeletal infections, inflammatory disorders, and nonaccidental fractures
  Sharkey MS, Copley LA 2018 Jan 853-866
- Acute Hematogenous Osteomyelitis in Children: Pathogenesis, Diagnosis, and Treatment
  Funk SS, Copley LA Orthopedic Clinics of North America 2017 Apr 48 199-208
- Prevalence of Discoid Meniscus during Arthroscopy for Isolated Lateral Meniscal Pathology in the Pediatric Population
  Ellis HB, Wise K, LaMont L, Copley L, Wilson P Journal of Pediatric Orthopaedics 2017 37 285-292
- Pediatric orthopaedic workforce in 2014: Current workforce and projections for the future
  Author Collaboration PP, Sawyer JR, Jones KC, Copley LA, Chambers S Journal of Pediatric Orthopaedics 2017 Jan 37 59-66
- Sequential parenteral to oral clindamycin dosing in pediatric musculoskeletal infection: A retrospective review of 30/mg/kg/d Versus 40/mg/kg/d
  Erickson CM, Sue PK, Stewart K, Thomas MI, Lindsay EA, Jo CH, Copley LA Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal 2016 Sep 35 1092-1096
- Current Issues Affecting the Practice of Pediatric Orthopaedic Surgeons: Results of the 2014 Workforce Survey of American Academy of Pediatrics Section on Orthopaedics
  Hosseinzadeh P, Copley L, Ruch-Ross H, Schwend RM, Sawyer JR Journal of Pediatric Orthopaedics 2016 Sep
- The clinical usefulness of polymerase chain reaction as a supplemental diagnostic tool in the evaluation and the treatment of children with septic arthritis
  Carter K, Doern C, Jo CH, Copley LA Journal of Pediatric Orthopaedics 2016 36 167-172
- Genomic heterogeneity of Methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus associated with variation in severity of illness among children with acute hematogenous osteomyelitis
  Gaviria-Agudelo C, Aroh C, Tareen N, Wakeland EK, Kim M, Copley LA PloS one 2015 Jun 10
- Microbiological culture methods for pediatric musculoskeletal infection: A guideline for optimal use
  Section J, Gibbons SD, Barton T, Greenberg DE, Jo CH, Copley LA Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery - American Volume 2015 Mar 97 441-449
- Improved magnetic resonance imaging utilization for children with musculoskeletal infection
  Mueller AJ, Kwon JK, Steiner JW, Mittal VS, Fernandes NJ, Jo CH, Lindsay EA, Copley LA Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery - American Volume 2014 Sep 97 1869-1876
- Gene expression analysis of children with acute hematogenous osteomyelitis caused by methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus: Correlation with clinical severity of illness
  Gaviria-Agudelo C, Carter K, Tareen N, Pascual V, Copley LA PloS one 2014 Jul 9
- Operative treatment of type II supracondylar humerus fractures: Does time to surgery affect complications?
  Larson AN, Garg S, Weller A, Fletcher ND, Schiller JR, Kwon M, Browne R, Copley LA, Ho CA Journal of Pediatric Orthopaedics 2014 Jun 34 382-387
- The impact of large-scale genomic methods in orthopaedic disorders: Insights from genome-wide association studies
  Paria N, Copley LA, Herring JA, Kim HK, Richards BS, Sucato DJ, Rios JJ, Wise CA Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery 2014 Mar 96 e381-e3810
- Clinical and laboratory parameters associated with multiple surgeries in children with acute hematogenous osteomyelitis
  Tuason DA, Gheen T, Sun D, Huang R, Copley L Journal of Pediatric Orthopaedics 2014 34 565-570
- Clinical characteristics of severe supracondylar humerus fractures in children
  Garg S, Weller A, Noelle Larson A, Fletcher ND, Kwon M, Schiller J, Browne R, Copley L, Ho C Journal of Pediatric Orthopaedics 2014 Jan 34 34-39
- A proposed scoring system for assessment of severity of illness in pediatric acute hematogenous osteomyelitis using objective clinical and laboratory findings
  Copley LA, Barton T, Garcia C, Sun D, Gaviria-Agudelo C, Gheen WT, Browne RH Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal 2014 Jan 33 35-41
- Whole-exome sequencing: Discovering genetic causes of orthopaedic disorders
  Paria N, Copley LA, Herring JA, Kim HK, Richards BS, Sucato DJ, Wise CA, Rios JJ Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery 2013 Dec 95 e1851-e1858
- Management of the pediatric pulseless supracondylar humeral fracture: Is vascular exploration necessary?
  Weller A, Garg S, Larson AN, Fletcher ND, Schiller JR, Kwon M, Copley LA, Browne R, Ho CA Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery - Series A 2013 Nov 95 1906-1912
- Recent advances in the evaluation and treatment of pediatric musculoskeletal infection
  Copley LA Current Orthopaedic Practice 2013 Nov 24 586-589
- The Impact of Evidence-Based Clinical Practice Guidelines Applied by a Multidisciplinary Team for the Care of Children with Osteomyelitis
  Copley LA, Kinsler MA, Gheen T, Shar A, Sun D, Browne R Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery 2013 Apr 95 686-693
- The use of cervical orthoses, halo devices, and traction in children
  Copley LA, Dormans JP 2012 Oct 520-533
- Increased severity of type III supracondylar humerus fractures in the preteen population
  Fletcher ND, Schiller JR, Garg S, Weller A, Larson AN, Kwon M, Browne R, Copley L, Ho C Journal of Pediatric Orthopaedics 2012 Sep 32 567-572
- Upper-extremity deep venous thrombosis associated with proximal humeral osteomyelitis in a child: A case report
  McDonald JE, Copley LA Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery - Series A 2010 Sep 92 2121-2124
- Musculoskeletal infection in children: Literature review and update 2007-2009
  Copley LA Current Orthopaedic Practice 2009 Nov 20 623-626
- Pediatric musculoskeletal infection: Trends and antibiotic recommendations
  Copley LA Journal of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons 2009 Oct 17 618-626
- Successful treatment of unicameral bone cyst by single percutaneous injection of α-BSM
  Thawrani D, Thai CC, Welch RD, Copley L, Johnston CE Journal of Pediatric Orthopaedics 2009 Jul 29 511-517
- Comparison of bioabsorbable versus metallic implant fixation for physeal and epiphyseal fractures of the distal tibia
  Podeszwa DA, Wilson PL, Holland AR, Copley LA Journal of Pediatric Orthopaedics 2008 Dec 28 859-863
- The impact of the current epidemiology of pediatric musculoskeletal infection on evaluation and treatment guidelines
  Gafur OA, Copley LA, Hollmig ST, Browne RH, Thornton LA, Crawford SE Journal of Pediatric Orthopaedics 2008 Oct 28 777-785
- L.A.B. Copley replies
  Copley LA Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery - Series A 2008 May 90 1167-1168
- Reply
  Copley LA Journal of Pediatrics 2008 Feb 152 295
- Deep venous thrombosis associated with osteomyelitis in children
  Hollmig ST, Copley LA, Browne RH, Grande LM, Wilson PL Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery 2007 Jul 89 1517-1523
- Biomechanical evaluation of fetal calf skull as a model for testing halo-pin designs for use in children
  Beall MS, Copley LA, Niemann JJ, Lankachandra K, Williams JL Journal of Biomechanics 2007 40 1137-1144
- Musculoskeletal infection in children
  Copley LA Current Opinion in Orthopaedics 2005 Dec 16 445-450
- Common elbow injuries in children: Evaluation, treatment, and clinical outcomes
  Milbrandt TA, Copley LA Current Opinion in Orthopaedics 2004 Aug 15 286-294
- Accuracy and Reliability of Torque Wrenches Used for Halo Application in Children
  Copley LA, Dormans JP, Pepe MD, Tan V, Browne RH Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery - Series A 2003 Nov 85 2199-2204
- High-energy knee dislocation without anterior cruciate ligament disruption in a skeletally immature adolescent
  Flowers A, Copley LA Arthroscopy - Journal of Arthroscopic and Related Surgery 2003 Sep 19 782-786
- Erratum: A comparison of various angles of halo pin insertion in an immature skull model (Spine (1999) 24 (1777-1780))
  Copley LA, Pepe MD, Tan V, Sheth N, Dormans JP Spine 2000 Jun 25 1460
- A comparison of various angles of halo pin insertion in an immature skull model
  Copley LA, Pepe MD, Tan V, Dormans JP Spine 1999 Sep 24 1777-1780
- Hemodilution as a method to reduce transfusion requirements in adolescent spine fusion surgery
  Copley LA, Stephens Richards B, Safavi FZ, Newton PO Spine 1999 Feb 24 219-224
- Drain entrapment and titanium to ceramic head deposition: Two unique complications following closed reduction of a disclocated total hip arthroplasty
  Luchetti WT, Copley LA, Vresilovic EJ, Black J, Steinberg ME Journal of Arthroplasty 1998 13 713-717
- Cervical spine disorders in infants and children.
  Copley LA, Dormans JP The Journal of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons 1998 6 204-214
- A comparative evaluation of halo pin designs in an immature skull model
  Copley LA, Pepe MD, Virak T, Dormans JP, Gabriel JP, Sheth NP, Asada N Clinical orthopaedics and related research 1998 357 212-218
- The influence of intramedullary fixation on figure-of-eight wiring for surgical neck fractures of the proximal humerus: a biomechanical comparison.
  Williams GR, Copley LA, Iannotti JP, Lisser SP Journal of shoulder and elbow surgery / American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons ... [et al.] 1997 6 423-428
- Benign pediatric bone tumors: Evaluation and treatment
  Copley L, Dormans JP Pediatric clinics of North America 1996 Jan 43 949-966
- Vascular injuries and their sequelae in pediatric supracondylar humeral fractures: Toward a goal of prevention
  Copley LA, Dormans JP, Davidson RS Journal of Pediatric Orthopaedics 1996 16 99-103

Research

Genetic virulence factors of Methicillin resistant staphylococcus aureus
Epidemiology of Acute, Subacute, and Chronic Musculoskeletal Infections in Pediatric Patients.
Clinical outcomes of the surgical treatment of osteomyelitis, septic arthritis and pyomyositis in children

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