Ray Raven, MD, MBA, MHCIHand & Upper Extremity Specialist
Dr. Raymond B. Raven III 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.
Cedars-Sinai Orthopaedics - Tarzana
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.
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. He also co founded SMaRT Health and Wellness, a healthcare model integrating musculoskeletal care with longevity and preventive medicine. 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.
