After 3 years practicing in California’s Central Valley, my family and I could not be more excited to be back in San Francisco.
I was born in Western Pennsylvania and remained there until after college. It was during college that I became interested in orthopedic surgery as a career. As a collegiate varsity football player, I had the unfortunate opportunity to get to know our team’s orthopedic surgeon on several occasions. However, I was able to capitalize on that relationship and, after shadowing him for one month, my career path was set. Orthopedics allows me to pursue many of my interests, such as biology; mechanics; and athletics to name a few. It also allows me to treat patients from every stage of life.
I travelled to the eastern portion of Pennsylvania for medical school and attended Temple University School of Medicine in Philadelphia, PA. I was fortunate enough to stay at Temple to complete my orthopedic residency.
Temple University Hospital is the tertiary care hospital in an urban neighborhood of North Philadelphia. After a busy residency, I felt very comfortable treating the whole gamut of musculoskeletal pathology. However, I had a particular interest in the shoulder and the ever-increasing functionality of arthroscopy to treat orthopedic conditions so I supplemented my orthopedic residency with a sports medicine and shoulder surgery fellowship in San Francisco.
I believe in the ability of arthroscopy as a tool to improve intra-operative diagnosis and visualization of pathology as well as the decreased soft tissue damage of an arthroscopic procedure as opposed to similar open procedures. In addition to these benefits, the constant improvement of tools and techniques allow arthroscopic repairs to approach or surpass the historic open techniques.
As a fully trained shoulder replacement surgeon, I feel equally comfortable with all the open reconstructive techniques, from hemi-resurfacing procedures to revision shoulder replacements.
However, I do not want to become super-specialized. I put an equal amount of time and effort developing myself as a general orthopedic surgeon during my residency and continue to refine those skills. I routinely perform treatment of all manner of boney and soft tissue traumatic injuries, replacements of the knee and hip, knee arthroscopic procedures, and routine upper extremity work.
My philosophy of care is anchored in my belief that a well-informed patient will do better clinically. The word “doctor” is derived from a Latin word meaning “teacher”. Therefore, my primary role is to serve as an advisor to my patients. This allows you the patient to be an active participant in your care.
On a more personal level, it was during my time in Philadelphia that I met my wife, and we started our family that has been blessed with three wonderful children. I try to remain active and fit despite a busy career and a young family. During residency, I lost track of my physical fitness. Due to time constraints, I began to jog a couple of mornings a week to lose weight. Almost a decade later, I run consistently and have raced a handful of half-marathons despite being hampered with physical tools appropriate for more anaerobic pursuits. Despite never competitively swimming, I am contemplating my first triathlon. In the time left, I love to cook. I have always enjoyed good food, but cooking allows one to experience the process on a deeper level.
Thank you for taking the time to get to know me, and I look forward to getting to know you better in the office.
-Robert J. Purchase, MD
