Title:Tools of the Trade

Michael Ryan, M.D. (M’11), is the head team physician for the Green Bay Packers and an orthopaedic surgeon who specializes in sports medicine and hip preservation surgery.

From a young age, Ryan loved science and playing sports. He realized early on that he could “marry sports and science” by pursuing orthopaedic surgery.

Originally from Colorado, Ryan attended University of Notre Dame as an undergraduate and received his medical degree from Georgetown. He found a supportive community in Georgetown’s orthopaedics department that taught him to care for the whole patient.

With Georgetown School of Medicine professor John Delahay as his mentor, Ryan matched to an orthopaedics residency program in New York City. He went on to Birmingham, Alabama, for a sports medicine fellowship and Bern, Switzerland, for a hip preservation fellowship, ultimately landing in Green Bay, Wisconsin, through connections he made along the way. In addition to being a Packers’ team doctor, he works at Bellin Health in Green Bay.

“At each phase of my career, I was willing to go wherever I had the best opportunity to be the best version of the surgeon that I wanted to be,” says Ryan.

He believes it’s important for a surgeon practicing sports medicine to be on the sidelines and in training rooms so he can provide the proper care to help athletes get back on the field.

“Understanding the care of the patient to the nth degree transcends specialties,” says Ryan. “As my career evolved, I learned to provide function and pain relief to every patient— whether they’re a high-level athlete or someone who wants to pick up a grandchild painlessly.

“At the end of the day, my number one goal is to provide service to the individual patients so they get what they need—medically and mentally.”

Tools of his trade include:

1. Cold brew from his favorite coffee shop: To fuel him for the day
2. Phone: To communicate with patients, staff, and coaches
3. Laptop/Table: To research and review imaging and medi-
   cal history
4. Medical bag: To contain supplies and medications to address minor injuries on the field
5. MRI: To navigate musculoskeletal injuries