Dr. Ray Raven, Hand & Upper Extremity Specialist
Dr. Ray Raven Hand & Upper Extremity Specialist
Dr. Ray Raven is an Associate Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, where he specializes in disorders of the elbow, wrist, and hand. His clinical practice focuses on fractures and dislocations, sports injuries, and the treatment of arthritis and reconstructive conditions of the upper extremity.
Born and raised on the east side of San Jose, California, he earned his bachelor’s degree in Molecular Biology and Biochemistry from the University of California, Irvine, followed by his medical degree from the University of California, San Francisco. He completed his orthopaedic surgery residency at UCSF, where he trained broadly in vascular, neurosurgical, plastic, orthopaedic, and reconstructive limb surgery.
Dr. Raven’s postgraduate training included advanced study in hand and upper extremity surgery and sports medicine. He studied complex wrist disorders in Barcelona, Spain at Institut Kaplan and expanded his training in pediatric hand and upper extremity surgery at Texas Scottish Rite Children’s Hospital in Dallas. He completed his fellowship in hand and upper extremity surgery at St. Luke’s-Roosevelt Hospital, Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons.
Cedars-Sinai Orthopaedics - Tarzana
Dr. Raven has also been committed to humanitarian service throughout his career. He volunteers as an orthopaedic surgeon in Umtata, South Africa, near the birthplace of Nelson Mandela, and in Milot, Haiti, providing surgical care in resource limited settings. He is also an active member of the Los Angeles Medical Reserve Corps.
Before joining Cedars-Sinai, Dr. Raven spent more than two decades in private practice. He founded Orthopaedic Surgery Specialists and grew the organization from a small practice into a large multispecialty orthopaedic group. During this period he earned an MBA from the University of California, Irvine, which helped him expand the practice, develop new service lines, and build systems that supported growth. He also developed a Management Services Organization that centralized business operations and supported multiple physician groups.
After many years building and leading these organizations, Dr. Raven transitioned to academic medicine at Cedars-Sinai to focus on education, collaboration, and innovation in orthopaedic surgery. He works closely with orthopaedic residents and hand surgery fellows, emphasizing thoughtful clinical decision making and surgical judgment. Through multidisciplinary collaboration and clinical research, his academic work aims to advance the treatment of elbow, wrist, and hand conditions while promoting care that is both evidence based and cost effective.
Dr. Raven has been an active leader in organized orthopaedics. He is a Fellow of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons and the American Orthopaedic Association, an honor achieved by approximately ten percent of orthopaedic surgeons. He is also an active member of the American Society for Surgery of the Hand, where he served as the first Deputy Editor for Social Media for the Journal of Hand Surgery and helped co found Hand e, the Hand Society’s educational web portal. He served on the Board of Directors of the California Orthopaedic Association for more than a decade and later served as President of the organization.
Dr. Raven later earned a Master’s in Health Care Innovation from the University of Pennsylvania, where his work focused on new models of healthcare delivery and emerging technologies in medicine. His interests include digital health, artificial intelligence, and the development of technologies that improve patient care and physician workflows. He has been actively involved in exploring the application of artificial intelligence and digital tools in orthopaedics, including clinical documentation, imaging interpretation, and data driven decision support. Dr. Raven holds several patents for medical devices used in the treatment of fractures and conditions of the hand and wrist. He was also an early adopter of musculoskeletal ultrasound and uses it in clinical practice to improve diagnostic accuracy, guide procedures, and reduce the cost of care.
Outside of medicine, Dr. Raven enjoys mountain biking, photography, backpacking, martial arts, and traveling with his wife, Despina. At home he spends time with their German Shepherd, Bruno, who often accompanies him on outdoor adventures.
- 2019
Master of Health Care Innovation (MHCI)
Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania - 2013
Master of Business Administration (MBA)
Merage School of Business, University of California, Irvine - 1997
Medical Degree (MD)
School of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco - 1993
Bachelor of Science (BS), Molecular Biology and Biochemistry
School of Biology, University of California, Irvine
- 08/2003 - 01/2005
Fellowship, Hand and Upper Extremity Surgery
Columbia University - St. Luke’s - Roosevelt Hospital, New York, NY
Department of orthopedic Surgery - CV Starr Hand Surgery Center
Chief: Steven Glickel, M.D.
Pediatric Hand and Upper Extremity Surgery
Texas Scottish Rite Children’s Hospital, Dallas, TX
Department of orthopedic Surgery
Chief: Mary-Beth Ezakie, M.D.
Surgery of the Hand and Wrist
Institut Kaplan, Barcelona, Spain
Chairman: Marc Garcia-Elias, M.D. - 07/1998 - 06/2003
Residency, orthopedic Surgery
University of California, San Francisco
Department of orthopedic Surgery
Chairman: David Bradford, M.D. - 06/1997 - 05/1998
Internship, General Surgery
University of California, San Francisco
Department of Surgery
Chairman: Theodore Schrock, M.D.
Medical Licenses: California, Hawaii, and Nevada
- Certificate of Added Qualifications in orthopedic Sports Medicine, ABOS - 2010
- Certificate of Added Qualifications in Surgery of the Hand, ABOS - 2008
- Diplomate, American Board of orthopedic Surgery (ABOS) - 2007
- Artificial Intelligence in Healthcare, Massachusetts Institute of Technology - 2023
- Volume to Value: Preparing Your Practice for Healthcare Reform, AAOS - 2015
- Emerging Issues in Health Care, Harvard University Executive Education - 2014
- Health Care Forecast Conference, UCI Merage School of Business - 2014
- AOA Leadership Series, University of Chicago Booth School of Management - 2013
- Disaster Response Training, SOMOS/OTA/AAOS/POSNA, Chicago, IL - 2013
- Executive Leadership Residential, UCI Merage School of Business - 2013
- Federal Policy in Health Care, The Washington Campus, Washington D.C. - 2012
- American orthopedic Association (AOA), Fellow - 2021
- American Association of orthopedic Executives (AAOE), Member - 2012
- Wilderness Medicine Society (WMS), Member - 2010
- American Society for Surgery of the Hand (ASSH), Member - 2009
- American Academy of orthopedic Surgeons (AAOS), Fellow - 2008
- American Association for Hand Surgery (ASSH), Member - 2008
- California Medical Association (CMA), Member - 2006
- Health Volunteers Overseas (HVO), Member - 2001
- California orthopedic Association (COA), Member - 1999
- American Medical Association (AMA), Member - 1998
- Vice President (Presidential Line), COA - 2021- present
- State Legislative and Regulatory Issues Committee, AAOS/BOC - 2019 - present
- Program Chair, Annual Meeting of the COA, Laguna Niguel, CA - 2016
- Industry Guide Editorial Board, ASSH - 2016 - 2018
- Advisory Group, Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery - 2016 - 2020
- Social Media Advisory Board, Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery - 2016 - 2018
- Board of Directors, COA - 2014 - present
- Information Technology Committee, COA - 2014 - 2021
- Hand-e (Online-Education Platform) Advisory Board, ASSH - 2014 - 2020
- Committee on Evidence-Based Quality and Value, AAOS - 2013 - 2015
- Public Education Committee, ASSH - 2012 - 2017
- Co-Chair and Co-Founder, Hand-e Online Resource Network, ASSH - 2011 - 2014
- Commercial Support Committee, ASSH - 2010 - 2015
- Board of Directors, Rocketship Public Schools (Non-profit), San Jose, CA - 2015
- Board of Directors, Manus Club, Inc (Non-profit), NY, NY - 2014 - present
- Emergency Services Department, Black Rock City, NV - 2013 - 2014
- Volunteer Surgeon, Hôpital Sacré Coeur, Milot, Haiti - 2011
- Medical Reserve Corps of Los Angeles, CA - 2009 - present
- Volunteer Clinical Faculty, USC Keck School of Medicine, Los Angeles, CA - 2008 - 2014
- Volunteer Surgeon, Bedford Orthopedic Hospital, Umtata, South Africa - 2002
- Volunteer Health Screening Physician, Silver Creek High School, San Jose, CA - 1997 - present
- East Side Union High School District Hall of Fame, San Jose, CA - 2017
- Emerging Leaders Program, AOA - 2013
- Leadership Fellows Program, AAOS - 2013
- Young Leaders, ASSH - 2009
- S.O.F.C.O.T. International Traveling Fellowship - 2003
- Excellence in Teaching and Leadership, Department of Orthopedics, UCSF - 2003
- Orthopedics Overseas - OREF Traveling Fellowship - 2001
- System for treating bone fractures: US Patent No 9295506B2 - 2016
- System for treating bone fractures: US Patent No 8603148B2 - 2014
- System for treating bone fractures: US Patent No 8591554B2 - 2013
- Clavicle bone plate: US Patent No 20120059424A1 - 2012
- “Raven” surgical retractor: US Patent No D642679S1 - 2011
- System for treating bone fractures: U.S. Patent No D622853S1 - 2010