Robert Cowles, MD

Robert A. Cowles, MD, practices the full range of pediatric surgery, and has specific expertise and interest in the care of children with diseases of the esophagus, liver, biliary tree, pancreas and gastrointestinal tract. He performs lifesaving surgery to correct biliary atresia in babies, an otherwise fatal congenital defect, and works with a multidisciplinary team to manage patients with short gut syndrome and intestinal failure. 

Dr. Cowles, who Connecticut Magazine has listed as one of the Top Doctors in the state, says he was initially inspired to pursue pediatric surgery by mentors and colleagues. “More recently, I am inspired by the courage and resilience of the children and their families,” he says. 

An associate professor of surgery (pediatrics) at Yale School of Medicine, Dr. Cowles also directs a research laboratory focused on the ability of the intestinal tract to recover from injury. He has contributed toward the development and refinement of surgical techniques that have eliminated the need for transplants in young patients with short bowel syndrome and biliary atresia.