Dr. Brian Feeley is an orthopedic surgeon who specializes in using arthroscopic (minimally invasive) procedures to address shoulder and knee injuries in athletes as well as nonathletes. In the shoulder, he treats rotator cuff tears, impingement, labral tears and other causes of instability, clavicle fractures and shoulder arthritis. He also performs shoulder replacement surgery, specializing in reverse shoulder replacements. In the knee, he treats ligament injuries (such as ACL tears), meniscus tears, cartilage injuries and early arthritis. He is chief of UCSF's sports medicine and shoulder surgery division and director of the MITO (Muscle Injury and Translational Orthopedic) Laboratory.
Feely has been the Ron Conway Family Endowed Professor in Sports Medicine Research since 2022. His studies focus on how muscle injury and recovery affect orthopedic outcomes. His research team evaluates muscle progenitor cells (which can become new muscle tissue), looking at how they respond to different types of injury and degeneration, especially rotator cuff tears. The team evaluates and designs physical and pharmacological strategies to promote muscle regeneration. This research has received funding from the National Institutes of Health, Department of Veterans Affairs, California Institute for Regenerative Medicine and philanthropic organizations.
After earning a bachelor's degree in biology and his medical degree at Stanford University, Feeley completed a residency in orthopedic surgery at the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center. He then completed a fellowship in sports medicine and shoulder surgery at the Hospital for Special Surgery, where he served as an assistant team physician to the New York Giants football team. Since joining UCSF in 2008, he has served UCSF's orthopedic surgery residency and sports medicine fellowship programs in a variety of leadership roles.
Feeley has published more than 300 peer-reviewed articles, review studies and book chapters, as well as a textbook on rotator cuff injuries. He serves on the National Football League's musculoskeletal committee and on several national orthopedic research and leadership committees, including in an editorial capacity. In his early career, he received young investigator awards from the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine (AOSSM), Orthopaedic Research and Education Foundation, and Western Orthopaedic Association. He has received a teaching award from the UCSF School of Medicine as well as research awards from the AOSSM and American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons. In 2025, he won the prestigious Kappa Delta Award from the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, an honor that recognizes researchers who have achieved "a large body of cohesive scientific work generally reflecting years of investigation."
Feeley serves as a team physician for the San Francisco Giants as part of UCSF Health and the team's partnership, which includes providing top-tier medical care to players, staff and visitors at Oracle Park as well as offering wellness programs to the community. He is also team physician for St. Ignatius College Preparatory. An avid surfer, he especially enjoys the waves at San Francisco's Ocean Beach, in San Diego and on Kauai. In his spare time, he runs with his wife, Gail Cornwall-Feeley; reads alongside his five children; and co-hosts the podcast "Six to Eight Weeks: Perspectives on Sports Medicine."
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