Michael J. Patzakis, MD
Hoag Orthopedic Institute
Orthopedic Surgeon
Work
Hoag Orthopedic Institute
1600 Sand Canyon Ave
Irvine CA 92618
Work Phone: 855-999-4641
Website: Hoag Orthopedic
Biography
Dr. Michael Patzakis, Medical Director of Education & Research of the Orthopedic Education and Research Institute
Prior to being recruited by Hoag, Dr. Patzakis served as Chief of the Orthopaedic Service at the USC University Hospital for over 22 years and held the Vincent and Julia Meyer Chair.
In 1991, Dr. Patzakis became chairman at USC Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, the largest orthopaedic department in the United States at that time. When Dr. Patzakis assumed the chairmanship, he had two full-time faculty members on the Health Sciences Campus. He subsequently recruited 35 world-renowned clinical and basic science faculty.
During Dr. Patzakis’ tenure as chair, more than 200 orthopaedic residents graduated and subsequently distinguished themselves throughout the country. Two former residents are chairmen of orthopaedic departments at prestigious institutions. As chairman, Dr. Patzakis was instrumental in establishing fellowships in hand, sports medicine, total joint implant surgery, orthopaedic tumor, spine, orthopaedic trauma and orthopaedic research. Gifts given during his chairmanship by grateful patients and friends resulted in the Joseph Boyes Hand Foundation, three endowed chairs including the chair he held, a professorship, and three endowed visiting professorships and lectureships.
He established a research presence for the department on the Health Sciences Campus. In 2010, the USC Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at the Keck School of Medicine ranked 19th in NIH grants for all orthopaedic departments in the country. In 2011, US News & World Report ranked USC University Hospital 24th in the country in orthopaedic surgery. The Department of Orthopaedic Surgery has been a perennial surgical case volume leader, including in 2010 at the USC University Hospital.
He was the first orthopaedic surgeon to use a Cephalosporin antibiotic in a prospective randomized trial in the treatment of open fractures and in 1974 published a landmark paper changing the treatment of open fracture antibiotic therapy worldwide. His treatment protocols for open fractures, osteomyelitis, contaminated hand and foot wounds, and limb salvage protocols for orthopaedic infections are currently the “gold standard” for treatment worldwide, preventing countless infections and loss of limbs, making him a world leader in the prevention and treatment of orthopaedic infections. As Chairman of the Infection Committee for the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, Dr. Patzakis and his committee worked with Medicare and the Center for Disease Control and Prevention in establishing guidelines for the use of antibiotics in orthopaedic total joint and clean case surgery in the United States, which is now utilized and mandated in every hospital in the country.
Dr. Patzakis was President and CEO of the USC Orthopaedic Surgery Associates, a 501(c) nonprofit corporation, from 1991 to 2007. During that time, he increased the surgical volume of the Orthopaedic Group annually and the corporation was one of the most successful departments financially.
He is a recipient of numerous awards and honors, including an honorary degree from the University of Athens. Dr. Patzakis has been a principal investigator on 65 research studies made possible from more than 40 grants and gifts from private industry, foundations and grateful patients. Dr. Patzakis has authored more than 160 scientific papers, abstracts and book chapters and has lectured throughout the United States and the world.
He has served in leadership positions for the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, Academic Orthopaedic Society and Musculoskeletal Infection Society. He is a founding member of the Orthopaedic Trauma Association and the Musculoskeletal Infection Society, for which he served as president. He was a member of the California Medical Association Scientific Advisory Panel for Orthopedics and the California Association of the Council for Scientific Affairs.
Dr. Patzakis received his B.A. and M.D. degrees from The Ohio State University, where he was president of Alpha Epsilon Delta, the national health pre-professional honor society. After completing his internship and orthopaedic residency at the Los Angeles County USC Medical Center, he completed a fellowship in arthritis surgery at the University of Colorado and then joined the USC faculty.
