Rowan Paul, M.D.

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  Stanford Healthcare/O’Connor Hospital in 2008 and then an accredited fellowship in sports medicine at the University of Utah Health Sciences Center in 2009. His primary goal is to optimize physical performance in his athletes of all ages 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. Historically he was Team Physician for the Oakland Athletics and has held prestigious 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 full partner in a prestigious orthopedic surgery practice in San Francisco, but he left the role after 10 years because he felt structurally constrained working in a primarily surgical practice. Subsequently, Dr. Paul became an expert and a pioneer in the field of minimally invasive Regenerative Sports Medicine and 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, and return to sport and exercise as quickly and durably as possible.

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 derived stem cell therapies, Micronized Adipose Tissue transfer as well as dextrose based 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 including The Orthobiologics Institute (TOBI), Regenerative Medicine Orthopedic Society (RMOS), Global Regenerative Academy (GRA), founder of TOBI Networks and Physical Longevity and is an active poster and thought leader on LinkedIn’s Biologic Orthopedic Society group. He enjoys teaching and lifelong learning and is a clinical assistant professor at Dartmouth College Geisel School of Medicine and a residency site director for Stanford Healthcare’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 CBS television, 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 swimmer, runner, cyclist, triathlete, skier, yoga practitioner and outdoorsman. He’s also a black belt martial artist.