1/5/2009
Richard D. Parker, M.D., has recently been named Chairman of the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at the Cleveland Clinic.
Dr. Parker joined the Cleveland Clinic Staff in 1993 and has held many leadership roles in both the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and the Sports Health Center. He is currently the Head Team Physician for the Cleveland Cavaliers and Director of Education for Sports Health. Dr. Parker has also served as Professor of Surgery for the Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine since 2005.
“I am pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Richard D. Parker as Chair of the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery,” said Joseph Iannotti, M.D., Chairman of the Orthopaedic and Rheumatologic Institute. “I look forward to working with Rick to bring Orthopaedics and the Orthopaedic and Rheumatology Institute to higher levels of achievement.”
Dr. Parker is a native of Youngstown, Ohio, and completed medical school training at Ohio State University in 1981 followed by an orthopaedic surgery residency at Mt. Sinai Medical Center in Cleveland. He then completed a sports medicine fellowship in 1987 before joining the staff at Mt. Sinai. Dr. Parker received the “Best Teacher Award: from the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery residents in 2006. He has also held national leadership posts in the fields of orthopaedic surgery and sports medicine, including past President of the Cleveland Orthopaedic Society.
“I look forward to working with Joe to lead this successful department to an even higher level of patient care and quality,” said Dr. Parker. “It’s a tremendous opportunity for me to be able help the Cleveland Clinic Health System orthopaedists find common ground to build relationships as well as continue innovative and quality care throughout the region."
Dr. Parker has a busy sports medicine and reconstructive practice specializing in sports medicine, arthroscopy, and knee surgery. Dr. Parker has been the principle investigator of over 12 extramural research grants and has 110 publications in the peer review literature. Dr. Parker has been an invited lecturer and visiting professor, giving over 300 lectures, nationally and internationally.
