About Russell Petrie, MD
Orthopedic surgeon. Physician leader. Founder. Innovator.
Russell Petrie, MD, is a board-certified orthopedic surgeon and fellowship-trained sports medicine physician. He is also Co-Founder and Chief Innovation Officer of Okeanos®.
Across patient care, organizational leadership, materials science, and conservation, his approach remains consistent: understand the complete system, identify the source of the problem, act with precision, and measure success by lasting results.
CLINICAL PRACTICE
Orthopedic Surgery and Sports Medicine
LEADERSHIP
Chairman and President of the Board
Newport Orthopedic Institute
INNOVATION
Co-Founder and Chief Innovation Officer
Okeanos®
TEAM PHYSICIAN EXPERIENCE
Former Team Physician
Los Angeles Chargers
A CAREER GROUNDED IN MEDICINE
Dr. Petrie double majored in Biology, with High Honors, and Economics at the University of California, Berkeley. He completed fellowship training in sports medicine at the University of Pittsburgh, where he worked with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
He built his clinical career treating knee, shoulder, and sports-related injuries. His patients range from recreational athletes and active individuals to collegiate and professional competitors.
Dr. Petrie served for seven years as a team physician for the Los Angeles Chargers. He also served as Head Team Physician for Vanguard University Athletics and currently serves as a team physician for Corona del Mar High School.
EDUCATION
University of Pittsburg
Sports Medicine Fellowship
Knee & Shoulder Surgery · 1998–1999
Pittsburgh Steelers
Orthopedic Surgery Residency
1993-1998
Mayo Clinic
Doctor of Medicine
1988-1993
Mayo Medical School
Nemours Children’s Hospital Jacksonville, Florida
Additional Residency Training in Pediatric Orthopedic Surgery and Sports Medicine
1995
Research Semester
Effects of Diabetes on Neurotransmitters in Diabetic Rats
1991
Karolinska Hospital, Karolinska Institute Stockholm
UC Berkley
B.A. Biology & B.A. Economics
High Honors in Biology · Commencement Speaker
1983-1988
PHYSICIAN, ATHLETE, AND PATIENT
As an athlete in rugby, ice hockey, field hockey, and skiing, Dr. Petrie experienced recovery firsthand through three right knee surgeries and a shoulder surgery.
That experience informs the way he listens, explains treatment options, and considers the long-term consequences of every decision. Recovery depends on more than the body’s ability to heal. It also requires the strength of spirit to return, adapt, and move forward.
This perspective shapes his commitment to individualized care, informed decision-making, and outcomes that support a patient’s life beyond the immediate injury.
1976, Big PowderHorn Mountain Resort, Michigan
2025, Banff, Canada
LEADERSHIP & MEDICAL EDUCATION
Beyond his clinical practice, Dr. Petrie helps shape orthopedic care through institutional leadership, fellowship education, and surgical training. He serves as Chairman and President of the Board of Newport Orthopedic Institute, sits on the Hoag Orthopedic Institute Board, and is core faculty for the Hoag Orthopedic Institute Sports Medicine Fellowship Program. For more than 15 years, he has also served as an arthroscopy instructor at the San Diego Shoulder Institute.
INSTITUTIONAL LEADERSHIP
Chairman and President of the Board
Newport Orthopedic Institute
FELLOWSHIP EDUCATION
Core Faculty
Hoag Orthopedic Institute Sports Medicine Fellowship Program
SURGICAL EDUCATION
Arthroscopy Instructor
San Diego Shoulder Institute
PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS & AFFILIATIONS
American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons
American Medical Association
American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine
Arthroscopy Association of North America (AANA)
National Football League Physicians Society (NFLPS)
Mayo Fellows Association
Orange County Medical Association
PRACTICE AND HOSPITAL AFFILIATIONS
Newport Orthopedic Institute
Hoag Orthopedic Institute
Hoag Hospital, Newport Beach
Hoag Hospital, Irvine
FROM MEDICINE TO MATERIALS SCIENCE
Beyond clinical practice, Dr. Petrie is Co-Founder and Chief Innovation Officer of Okeanos®, an international materials science company developing mineral-based packaging technology designed to reduce plastic use at the source.
The company’s flagship technology, Made From Stone™, replaces a substantial portion of conventional plastic with naturally occurring calcium carbonate and is designed to work with existing manufacturing systems.
As Chief Innovation Officer, Dr. Petrie helps guide the scientific and strategic thinking behind the company’s work.
Although medicine and materials science address different problems, his approach remains consistent: understand the complete system, identify the source of the problem, and develop solutions that can perform in the real world.
SPEAKING & THOUGHT LEADERSHIP
A perspective shaped by surgery, leadership, founding, and a lifelong study of systems: human, environmental, and organizational.
Dr. Petrie speaks on topics at the intersection of orthopedic sports medicine, healthcare innovation, sustainability, physician leadership, and the relationship between human health and planetary health. He has appeared as a panelist at the Boston Orthopedic Technology Summit (BOTS, 2025) and has been featured on the American Health Journal.
He is available for select keynotes, panels, podcast interviews, and professional events.
Orthopedic sports medicine
Recovery and the will to return
Physician leadership
Healthcare innovation
Sustainable materials
Human and planetary health
A LIFELONG CONNECTION TO THE NATURAL WORLD
Dr. Petrie’s work is also shaped by a lifelong appreciation for wildlife, conservation, and the natural world.
As a boy, he traveled frequently to South Africa to visit family, experiences that left a lasting impression. During a visit to Cape Town in 1972, at seven years old, he became fascinated by the ingenuity of the San people of the Kalahari and their use of ostrich eggshells as vessels for carrying water. That early encounter sparked a curiosity about how people use natural materials to solve fundamental problems with remarkable efficiency and resourcefulness.
That curiosity continued through his studies in biology and economics, his career as an orthopedic surgeon, and his time spent diving and observing natural systems. Together, these experiences shaped the interdisciplinary thinking that would eventually contribute to the ideas behind Okeanos®.
His connection to the natural world continues to influence how he thinks about interdependence, prevention, adaptation, and long-term consequences, reinforcing a commitment to solutions designed for lasting health, whether the system is a human body, an organization, or the environment.
Photo of a cheetah cub taken by Dr. Petrie in Phinda, South Africa
Photo of a leopard taken by Dr. Petrie in Savute, Botswana
Photo of a cheetah family taken by Dr. Petrie in Okovango Delta, the 1,000th UNESCO World Heritage Site
1988
Commencement Speaker, Biology Graduation · UC Berkeley
HONORS & RECOGNITION
1998
Wyeth-Ayerst Resident Reporter Program Grant · AAOS Annual Meeting
2013
University of Iowa Jackson-Steindler Orthopaedic Clerkship Award
2020
AAHKS Annual Meeting Poster Award Winner
2020
Fast Company, Most Innovative Packaging · Okeanos®
Current
Member, Fast Company Impact Council
PATIENT CARE & APPOINTMENTS
Dr. Petrie sees patients through Newport Orthopedic Institute in Newport Beach and Irvine.
CONTACT DR. PETRIE
SPEAKING & MEDIA
Invite Dr. Petrie to speak or request an interview on medicine, innovation, sustainability, and leadership.