Kinsella ’81 thrives as neurologist, spin instructor

What do you get when you combine a spinning instructor with the director of the Neuroscience Institute at SSM Health in St. Louis, Missouri? Laurence Kinsella ’81. This history major, and chemistry minor hit the ground running after graduating from Cornell College.

From the Hilltop he set his sights on St. Louis University School of Medicine, Brown University, and Columbia University, completing residencies or fellowships at each. He graduated with great success due, in part, to a valuable lesson he learned from studying One Course At A Time. 

“Many problems may be solved with intense focus,” he says. 

Kinsella is no stranger to solving problems. The human nervous system is notoriously complex, difficult to navigate and understand. And yet, Kinsella has been listed among the best doctors in the U.S. since 2005, as well as awarded Teacher of the Year 2009 by the U.S. Psychiatric Congress. 

In addition to providing his expertise on neuromuscular disorders, electromyographic nerve tests, and autonomic disorders, Kinsella teaches a spin class three times per week. 

“I became a fitness and spinning instructor to become a better advocate for exercise for my patients,” he says. “I will get on the exam room floor to demonstrate planks.”

Though he lives in a big city now, Kinsella appreciates the value of a small-town education. “Good things happen in small places,” he says.

His advice to Cornell students? 

“Try everything, get involved, enjoy the intensity and release of the One Course At A Time program,” Kinsella says “It’s a wonderful way to dive deeply into multiple areas of interest.”