Dr. Robert Obermeyer

Pediatric Surgery

Nuss Center for Chest Wall Reconstruction

Trauma Care

American Board of Surgery

Pediatric Surgery

Medical School: University of Cincinnati College of Medicine

Residency: Western Reserve Care System

Residency: University of Arkansas Children's Hospital

Fellowship: Baylor College of Medicine

Robert Obermeyer, M.D., is a board-certified pediatric and general surgeon. He graduated from the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine and was the former chief resident in general surgery at Western Reserve Care System. He completed a fellowship in advanced laparoscopic minimally invasive surgery at the Baylor College of Medicine and a fellowship in pediatric surgery at Arkansas Children’s Hospital. He also has a degree in mechanical engineering from Ohio Northern University.

Dr. Obermeyer has worked at CHKD since 2005 and is the principal investigator on seven IRB-approved studies at the Eastern Virginia Medical School. He has completed engineering projects involving motion analysis of the chest wall of pectus patients and has designed a surgical tool in collaboration with the Old Dominion University engineering department with a U.S. patent. In 2012, Dr. Obermeyer helped implement vacuum bell therapy as a non-invasive treatment for pectus excavatum patients at CHKD. Currently he is developing technology with the ODU engineering department to improve clinical outcomes with vacuum bell therapy.

Dr. Obermeyer is currently an associate professor of surgery and pediatrics at Eastern Virginia Medical School. He is a member of the American Pediatric Surgical Association, Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons, International Pediatric Endosurgery Group, and a Fellow of both the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American College of Surgeons.

• Pectus excavatum
• Pectus carinatum
• Neonatal surgery
• Thoracic surgery
• Surgical oncology
• Trauma
• Minimally invasive surgery

• American Pediatric Surgical Association
• American Academy of Pediatrics – Surgical Section
• American College of Surgeons
• Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons
• British Association of Paediatric Surgeons
• International Pediatric Endosurgery Group
• Chest Wall International Group
• Tidewater Pediatric Society

• Inside Business Healthcare Hero Award, 2024
• Virginia Business Magazine "Top Doc" 2024
• Coastal Virginia Magazine "Top Doc" 2014-2022
• Best Doctors of Virginia 2012, Williamsburg & Tidewater, Virginia Living 2012

• Top Level 5 USA Hockey Coach, Hampton Roads Youth Hockey Association, Icelands Arena, Virginia Beach

• Regional Chest Wall Motion Dysfunction in Patients with Pectus Excavatum Demonstrated via Optoelectronic Plethysmography, Redlinger RE, Obermeyer RJ, J Pediatr Surg 2011; 46(6):1172-1176.
• Optoelectronic Plethysmography demonstrates abrogation of Regional Chest Wall Motion Dysfunction in Patients with Pectus Excavatum after Nuss Repair, Redlinger RE, Obermeyer RJ, J Pediatr Surg 2012; 47(1):160-164.
• Chest Wall Deformities in Pediatric Surgery, Obermeyer RJ and Goretsky MJ, Surgical Clinics of North America, June 2012, 92(3), 669-684.
• Risk Factors and Management of Nuss Bar Infections in 1717 Patients Over 25 Years, Obermeyer RJ, Godbout E, Goretsky MJ, J Ped Surg 51 (2016), 154-158.
• Incorporating Vacuum Bell Therapy into Pectus Excavatum Treatment, Obermeyer RJ, Editorial in Thoracic Surgery, J Vis Surg DOI: 10.21037/jovs.2016.05.01; http://jovs.amegroups.com/article/view/10442/11087; 2016; 2. 
• Pectus excavatum from a pediatric surgeon's perspective. Nuss D, Obermeyer RJ, Kelly RE Jr., Ann Cardiothorac Surg. 2016 Sep;5(5):493-500.
• Nuss bar procedure: past, present and future. Nuss D, Obermeyer RJ, Kelly RE., Ann Cardiothorac Surg. 2016 Sep;5(5):422-433.
• Selective versus Routine Patch Metal Allergy Testing to Select Bar Material for the Nuss Procedure in 932 Patients over 10 Years, Robert Obermeyer, Sheema Gaffar, Robert Kelly, Ann Kuhn, Frazier Frantz, Margaret McGuire, Cynthia Kelly; Journal of Pediatric Surgery 53 (2018), 206-264.
• Multivariate Analysis of Risk Factors for Nuss Bar Infections: A Single Center Study, Obermeyer RJ, Cohen NS, Kelly RE Jr, Ann Kuhn M, Frantz FW, McGuire MM; Journal of Pediatric Surgery 53 (2018), 1226-1229.
• Non-operative Management of Pectus Excavatum with Vacuum Bell Therapy: A Single Center Study, Obermeyer RJ, Cohen NS, Kelly RE Jr, Ann Kuhn M, Frantz FW, McGuire MM, Paulson JF; Journal of Pediatric Surgery 53 (2018), 1221-1225.
• The Physiologic Impact of Pectus Excavatum Repair, Obermeyer RJ, Cohen N, Jaroszewski DE, Seminars in Pediatric Surgery, 2018.05.005.
• Bleeding at removal of Nuss bar: rare but sometimes significant, Obermeyer RJ, Cohen NS, Goretsky, MJ; Journal of Laparoendoscopic & Advanced Surgical Techniques. (Accepted; LAP-2018-0175.R1).

• Cardiopulmonary Function in Thoracic Wall Deformities: What Do We Really Know?, Jaroszewski DE, Velazco CS, Pulivarthi K, Arsanjani R, Obermeyer RJ, Eur J Pediatr Surg, August 2018.

"CHKD is great because we are always looking for ways to improve patient care."