Rowan Paul, MD

Rowan Paul, MD

Palo Alto, California

Dr. Rowan Paul is a fellowship trained sports medicine physician and board-certified family physician who treats athletes and active people of all ages. He received his B.S. degree at Brown University and in 2005 he received his medical degree from Albany Medical College. Afterward, he completed his residency in family medicine at O’Connor Hospital affiliated with Stanford Healthcare and then a fellowship in sports medicine at the University of Utah Health Sciences Center. His primary care goal is to optimize physical performance in his athletes so they stay active as long as possible and live healthier, more productive lives.

During his years in practice, Dr. Paul’s patients have ranged from recreational athletes to professional athletes. He’s currently a supervising physician for the San Francisco Ballet and a consulting physician for the Oakland Athletics. In the past, he’s held physician coverage roles at high-profile events, including the World Cup speed skating, Alpine snowboard championships, multiple marathons, the U.S. Olympic Development Nordic cross country skiing team and America’s Cup sailing.

Dr. Paul began his career as a partner in a prestigious orthopedic surgery practice in San Francisco, but he left the role after 10 years because he felt limited working in a primarily surgical practice. Instead, Dr. Paul became an expert and a pioneer in the field of minimally invasive regenerative orthopedics. He strives to take a comprehensive, multidisciplinary approach to treating patients with regenerative orthopedic techniques. He aims to help his patients prevent the need for surgery.

Dr. Paul specializes in using autologous cellular therapies to promote non-surgical, natural healing for patients with orthopedic injuries and conditions. He administers multiple types of blood, bone marrow and fat-derived stem cell therapies, as well as dextrose prolotherapy injections. He’s also an expert at performing ultrasound-guided diagnostic and therapeutic procedures, including ultrasound-guided nerve hydrodissection and ultrasound-guided debridement. His administration of ultrasound-guided nerve blocks to provide pain relief during procedures helps limit or eliminate the need for patients to use narcotics for pain management.
Outside of his work in caring for and treating patients, Dr. Paul is a respected scholar, researcher and author. He’s published multiple academic works relating to the regenerative medicine field. He’s a member of the SAFE (Stem Cell Experts Advocating for Ethical Treatment) panel, which produced the world’s first consensus recommendations for the use of bone marrow stem cell treatments for orthopedic injuries in October 2019. The panel is actively working on future consensus guidelines for adipose, placental allografts, exosomes and other regenerative therapies. Dr. Paul is on several national and international teaching faculties and is an active poster and thought leader on LinkedIn’s Biologic Orthopedic Society group. He enjoys teaching and is a clinical assistant professor at Dartmouth College Geisel School of Medicine and a residency site director for Stanford University’s Sports Medicine Fellowship.

Dr. Paul is a leading sports medicine contributor and a founding medical expert for HealthTap, a virtual healthcare provider that offers 24/7 access to board-certified doctors through text or video. He has also been featured on Health Radio, Women’s Health Daily Site, and Experience Life Magazine.

When he’s not working, Dr. Paul continues to give back to the community. He’s an active team member of Operation Rainbow, a non-profit humanitarian orthopedic surgical mission. He’s also completed several humanitarian trips to Honduras, Ecuador, India, Nepal and Venezuela. Dr. Paul is an active runner, cyclist, triathlete, runner, skier, yoga practitioner and outdoorsman. He’s also a black belt martial artist.