Our Member of the Week blog introduces you to our fellow level members, showcasing their unique work and commitment to IOF. We feature different fellows who have made extraordinary contributions to the field of Interventional Orthopedics. To be considered for this feature, please email us.
View Dr. Fredericson’s publications on the Stanford University website
Connect with Dr. Fredericson
Meet Dr. Fredericson
It’s an exciting time for regenerative medicine as the next generation of physicians are receiving formal training related to our subspeciality at the beginning of their careers. Today, we’re excited to introduce you to one of the experts guiding this next generation, Dr. Michael Fredericson of Stanford.
Dr. Fredericson specializes in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (PM&R) with a unique approach to the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of sports injuries. He is the first physician promoted to Professor of PM&R at Stanford University and is currently Director of PM&R Sports Medicine in the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, a Principal Investigator in the Stanford Human Performance Lab and is spearheading the new Stanford Lifestyle Medicine initiative with the Stanford Longevity Center. He is also Head Team Physician for the Stanford Track & Field and Swimming Teams and the Medical Director for Stanford Club Sports. In addition, he is Founder and Director of the Stanford RunSafe Injury Prevention Program and has volunteered at both a national and international level with USA Track & Field and the International Olympic Committee.
Dr. Fredericson has been a featured speaker at numerous national and international sports medicine and rehabilitation symposiums and Visiting Professor at many institutions around the country. He has published over 200 peer-reviewed articles, 32 book chapters and four books focused on an improved understanding and treatment strategies for overuse injuries in athletes. He is currently on the Men’s Health Magazine Advisory Board and has also held several scientific editorial appointments, among which are those of co-editor of an upcoming book from Springer Science, Tendinopathy: From Basic Science to Clinical Management (2017); invited editor for a special issue of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Clinics of North America: A Comprehensive Review of Running Injuries (2015); senior founding editor, PM&R, the official scientific journal of the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (2007 to 2014); associate editor, Clinical Journal of Sports Medicine (1999 to 2004); and editorial board member, Physician and Sports Medicine (1996 to 1999). Most recently he was appointed Co-Chairman of the Research Task Force for the Sports Medicine and Exercise Science Committee of USA Track & Field and has been honored with several prestigious grants from the Pac-12 Conference Student-Athlete Health & Well-Being Grant Program. His work’s impact is widely recognized: he is listed on ResearchGate as one of their top-cited researchers (97.5 percentile). He is also frequently featured in national and international media and lay publications with over 180 interviews for his expertise on a wide range of sports medicine, fitness, and health promotion topics.
Dr. Fredericson created the first ACGME Sports Medicine Fellowship at Stanford University and continues as Fellowship Director. He has received a variety of awards for his efforts to develop and foster musculoskeletal education and research for medical students, residents, and fellows. He founded several programs for Stanford students including courses on Lifestyle Medicine and Sports Medicine for Stanford medical and undergraduates, and orthopedic consultation service at the Arbor Free Clinic. For the past 20 years; he has also offered an international research fellowship in sports medicine with participation from physicians around the world including South Korea, Spain, Singapore, Brazil, France, China, and Japan. As a result of this experience, many of these physicians have been promoted to major sports medicine and academic appointments in their home countries.
Q&A with Dr. Fredericson
IOF: Tell us about your current role at Stanford? What sets the program there apart?
I am currently the Director of Stanford PM&R sports medicine and the non-operative sports medicine fellowship director. Our fellowship is unique because our fellows are intimately involved in treating Stanford Division I NCAA athletes, Olympic athletes, and professional teams. Regenerative medicine has become an integral part of our care of these athletes.
IOF: Who are your biggest mentors in regenerative medicine & why?
Dr. Chris Centeno has been instrumental as a very generous colleague, sharing his knowledge and setting the bar using regenerative methods to treat injuries I previously would have referred for surgery. His effort to establish the IOF has been instrumental in the education of our fellows.
IOF: How are sports medicine fellowships changing as regenerative medicine becomes an integral part of the practice?
Through the generosity of the IOF, many of our fellows were able to afford to attend the IOF annual conference and hands-on courses. While we try to introduce many of these procedures during the fellowship year, one year is limited. The IOF experience allows them to be at the cutting edge of additional regenerative treatment options that they may not personally experience during their training year. There is consideration of expanding sports medicine fellowships to two years, allowing increasing opportunities to gain expertise in regenerative medicine. As this develops, I could see a more formal collaboration between the IOF and sports medicine fellowships.