Derek Ward, MD

Dr. Derek Ward is an orthopedic surgeon specializing in adult reconstruction of the knee joint. He sees patients with all types of degenerative disease of the knee including osteoarthritis, inflammatory arthritis (such as rheumatoid arthritis), post-traumatic arthritis and avascular necrosis. He is an expert in knee replacement in addition to specializing in revision surgery treating patients with complications from previous joint replacements.

Ward takes a comprehensive approach to the diagnosis and management of knee pain, incorporating the latest advancements in perioperative pain management, surgical reconstruction, and recovery including robotic surgery, partial knee replacement and complex revision surgery.

Ward completed his undergraduate training at Williams College and then spent several years working in Washington D.C. in health care policy and in Africa working in global health. He completed his medical training at UCSF in 2010 where he spent an extra year studying health care policy. He remained at UCSF to complete his residency in orthopedic surgery in 2015 followed by a fellowship in adult reconstruction at the prestigious Rothman Institute in Philadelphia. He joined the UCSF faculty in 2016.

Ward has won multiple awards for patient care, teaching, and research including the James A. Rand Award from the American Association of Hip and Knee Surgeons and the John Charnley Award from the Hip Society, as well as the Maxine Papadakis Award for Professionalism and Respect and the James Morris Award for Physician Compassion.

Ward is also affiliate faculty at the UCSF Philip R. Lee Institute for Health Policy Studies. His research interests include health care policy and cost effectiveness, perioperative risk assessment and optimization, medical education, and revision hip and knee replacement. He is a fellow of the American Association of Hip and Knee Surgeons, the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons, and the American Orthopedic Association, and reviews research for several major journals.

Ward serves in multiple leadership roles at UCSF including as the executive medical director for the UCSF-MarinHealth Orthopedic Department at MarinHealth Medical Center and as the orthopedic medical director for the UCSF Hip Fracture Initiative. He is dedicated to educating the next generation of physicians and is actively involved in all levels of medical education. In addition, he is co-director of an annual continuing medication education course at UCSF, Arthroplasty for the Modern Surgeon: Hip, Knee and Health Innovation Technology.