As the MarinHealth Physician Service Lead, Derek Ward, MD will be responsible for planning, organizing, and directing daily clinical operations for the Orthopaedics Department at MarinHealth Medical Center in Kentfield, Calif. (Photo: UCSF Dept. of Orthopaedic Surgery)
SAN FRANCISCO (Jan. 21, 2020) – Derek Ward, MD, an orthopedic surgeon specializing in arthritis and joint replacement within the UCSF Dept. of Orthopaedic Surgery, has been named MarinHealth Physician Service Leader for Orthopedics.
In this new role, Dr. Ward will be responsible for the Department’s overall leadership and for planning, organizing, and coordinating daily clinical operations at MarinHealth Medical Center, located in Kentfield, Calif.
“We are making an unprecedented commitment to establishing a new footprint in Marin County,” said C. Benjamin Ma, MD, who serves as UCSF’s Vice Chair of Adult Clinical Operations for the Department. “In his new role, Dr. Ward will work with community physicians, UCSF Partners and MarinHealth management to develop a comprehensive Orthopaedic program. His exemplary leadership in clinical care, resident education, and clinical research makes him an ideal fit for this new role.”
As the Physician Service Leader, Dr. Ward will work with MarinHealth to develop a comprehensive Orthopaedic program that will include: Arthritis Treatment and Joint Replacement, Foot and Ankle care; Hand, Elbow and Upper Extremity surgery; Sports Medicine, including a community based program in Marin High Schools; Orthotics and Prosthetics; Physical Therapy in Marin; comprehensive Spine Care, as well as Physical Medicine and Pain management services.
Dr. Ward will also give guidance on marketing initiatives, hospital policies, and the overall administrative support of the program.
“Dr. Ward exemplifies UCSF’s commitment to providing superior patient care, and to advancing the field of musculoskeletal health,” said Thomas P. Vail, MD, chair of the Department. “We congratulate him on taking this new leadership role.”
About Dr. Derek Ward
Dr. Derek Ward is a Board Certified orthopedic surgeon who specializes in adult reconstruction of the hip and knee including primary hip and knee replacement and complex revision surgery.
He completed his undergraduate education at Williams College, and then spent several years working in Washington D.C. and Africa on health care policy and global health initiatives. He earned his medical degree from UCSF, where he also completed his Orthopaedic Surgery Residency – followed by an orthopaedic fellowship in adult reconstruction surgery at the Rothman Institute in Philadelphia. In 2016, he returned to the UCSF Dept. of Orthopaedic Surgery as an Assistant Professor.
Dr. Ward’s research interests include health care policy and cost effectiveness, perioperative risk assessment and optimization, medical education, and revision hip and knee replacement. Dr. Ward has led multiple quality improvement projects at UCSF and serves as the orthopaedic lead for the UCSF Hip Fracture Initiative as well as the orthopaedic alternative payment program, co-chairing the Bundled Payment Care Improvement committee with the Office of Population Health. In addition, he is co-director of an annual continuing medication education course: UCSF Arthroplasty for the Modern Surgeon: Hip, Knee and Health Innovation Technology.
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