Orange County and SoCal Orthopedic Knee and Hip Surgeon
- Dual fellowship-trained orthopedic surgeon at Long Beach Lakewood Orthopedic Institute, Long Beach, CA.
- Expertise in hip and knee conditions, from Sports Medicine/Arthroscopy to Joint Replacement/Adult Reconstruction.
- Patient-centered and dual-training focus on the hip and knee affords him the ability to more finely tailor the treatment plan to the patient’s specific problem and personal goals.
- Performs same day discharge joint replacement including: Birmingham hip resurfacing, robotic total hip replacement, robotic partial knee replacement and robotic total knee replacement.
- Renowned as both a clinician-scientist and editorial columnist in addition to clinical expertise.
Philosophy
Dr. Ramkumar’s core value is caring for patients. He does so by treating his patients like he would his own family, listening to them, and understanding their priorities in life. In return, Dr. Ramkumar will always be transparent about the realities and evidence surrounding a patient’s underlying condition and treatment options.
Orthopedic Education and Training
Dr. Prem N. Ramkumar received his medical education and surgical training at Cleveland Clinic, Harvard/Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and Hospital for Special Surgery – the #1 ranked orthopedic hospital in the country. He was privileged to serve as Assistant Team Physician to the NBA’s Brooklyn Nets and MLS’ Red Bulls during his time at Hospital for Special Surgery. Dr. Ramkumar currently serves as Consultant Team Surgeon to X-Games athletes and Consultant Team Surgeon to the Division 1 Long Beach State University Athletics program.
It is not common for orthopedic surgeons to be dual fellowship trained. Dr. Ramkumar specifically chose to pursue two hip and knee fellowships to be a comprehensive, one-stop shop for any patient with a hip or knee condition – from arthroscopy and repair to resurfacing and replacement. He appreciates the difficulty of navigating the world of healthcare and finding access to the right doctor who can actually help. His patient-centered and dual-training focus on the hip and knee affords him the ability to expand his medical and surgical “toolbox” to more finely tailor the treatment plan to the patient’s specific problem and personal goals.
Dr. Ramkumar has expertise in the following surgical procedures:
- hip arthroscopy
- hip resurfacing
- ACL reconstruction
- cartilage repair
- knee osteotomy
- partial knee replacement
- total knee replacement
- total hip replacement
- revision joint replacement
- robotic joint replacement
- direct anterior hip replacement
Research and Peer Education
Beyond clinical expertise, Dr. Ramkumar is renowned as both a clinician-scientist and editorial columnist. In both capacities, he has extensively analyzed and described the impact of orthopedic hip and knee conditions from medical, socioeconomic, political, and technologic perspectives. Since he first began studying the biomechanics and material properties of modern total hip replacements at the age of 12 at Los Angeles Orthopedic Hospital, Dr. Ramkumar’s commitment and passion for studying the hip and knee has only exponentially grown.
Dr. Ramkumar:
- authored 130 peer-reviewed publications
- written 11 textbook chapters
- published 12 articles in Forbes (among other circulations)
- received four institutional grants
- lectured nationally and internationally on over 50 occasions
- serves on the editorial board for Arthroscopy as Associate Editor of Digital and Emerging Technologies
- serves on the editorial board for the Journal of Arthroplasty
- reviewed for every major hip and knee journal (Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery, American Journal of Sports Medicine, Bone and Joint Journal, Arthroscopy, Journal of Arthroplasty)
- won national awards for his commitment to research and policy from both the American Orthopedic Society for Sports Medicine and the American Association of Hip and Knee Surgeons
- holds three orthopedic patents
- contributed to multiple design teams for novel implants and technologies sponsored by industry-leading orthopedic manufacturers
- established the world’s first laboratory dedicated to evaluating the applications of artificial intelligence in orthopedic surgery
Business Education
Dr. Ramkumar acquired his MBA from Cornell University’s campus at Cornell Tech campus in New York City to continue leveraging emerging technologies to improve the clinical practice of hip and knee conditions. Specifically, his research team is currently evaluating the impact of a combined deep learning and computer vision algorithm to automate detection and quantification of abnormal hip and knee anatomy with preoperative CT scans.
Top Honors and Awards
Philip D. Wilson Award for Excellence in Orthopaedic Surgery Research (2023)
Health Policy Fellowship (2022-2023) – American Association of Hip & Knee Surgeons
AOSSM Herodicus Award (2022): Do Patients Age 40 Years or Under with Femoroacetabular
Impingement Syndrome Need a Preoperative MRI Before Primary Hip Arthroscopy? A Multicenter
Comparative Analysis of 1,391 Patients
Resident/Fellow Excellence in Teaching Award (2020), Cleveland Clinic Foundation
2019 Research Study of the Year (2019), Major League Baseball Winter Meetings for “Clinical Utility Of
An MRI Based Classification For Operative Versus Non-operative Management Of UCL Tears:
Two-year Follow Up.”
Eastern Orthopaedic Association Richmond Arthroscopy/Sports Medicine Travel Award
(2016) – Biceps Tenodesis: Tendon-to-Bone vs. Tendon-to-Tendon Healing in a Rat Model
Personal
When he is not in the office or the operating room, Dr. Ramkumar enjoys being a full-time father (girl dad and dog dad), husband, and unabashed Lakers fan. As a former nationally ranked collegiate tennis player, he enjoys recreational sports and is particularly excited to be back home exploring the beautiful outdoors our great state has to offer.
