Dr. Steven Isono is an Orthopedic Surgeon specializing in Sports Medicine as well as surgery of the knee and shoulder. He is Board Certified by the American Board of Orthopedic Surgery in both Orthopedic Surgery and in Sports Medicine with a Certificate of Added Qualification in Sports Medicine. Steve is a Fellow in the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons.
Steve grew up in Oakland and went to Lakeview Elementary School, McChesney Junior High School and graduated as a Valedictorian at Oakland High School during which he participated in Basketball, Baseball, Track and Field with All-State Honors in Gymnastics. He then attended Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts and graduated with a BA with Honors in Biochemical Sciences and wrote his Research Thesis on Erythrocyte Abnormalities in Sickle Cell Anemia. Steve then attended Northwestern University Medical School in Chicago, Illinois and received his MD and also performed research on Liver Hepatomas during medical school. Steve completed his Internship in General Surgery and Residency in Orthopedic Surgery at the Stanford University Medical Center with additional training in Microsurgery at the Kyoto University Hospital and the Tokyo Metropolitan Hospital in Japan.
He is serving as Team Physician and Consultant for the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC) for USA Swimming, Water Polo, Judo, Boxing, Taekwondo, Track and Field, Rowing, and Triathlon. In keeping with his roots, Steve has served as the Head Team Physician for Laney College in Oakland for over two decades. Steve was also the Team Physician for the Golden State Warriors of the National Basketball Association (NBA) for many years and completed this role in 2019 in order to devote more time to the USOPC. He is also a consultant for the National Football League Players Association (NFLPA). Steve is also a consultant for the Special Olympics, Ironman World Triathlon Championships, Dual Tour Action Sports, and Association of Volleyball Professionals.
In addition to covering numerous National and International World Championship competitions, most recently, Steve served as the Head Physician for Team USA at the 2024 XXXIII Summer Olympic Games in Paris, France as well as the Chief Medical Officer for Team USA for the 2023 XIX Pan American Games in Santiago, Chile. He was also appointed Head Team Physician for the 2022 XXIV Winter Olympic Games in Beijing, China and the 2021 XXXII Summer Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan. Steve also served as the Orthopedic Surgeon for Team USA for 2019 XVIII Pan American Games and Lima, Peru, the 2018 III Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires, Argentina, the 2016 XXXI Summer Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and the 2015 XVII Pan American Games in Toronto, Canada.
Dr. Isono is a founding member of a nonprofit organization called the One Nation Project located in West Oakland. This program uses sports as an avenue to mentor kids-at-risk and involves kids from lower school through high school. Of his “first class” of kids, 10 of 11 kids graduated from high school and college and some of them went onto higher education and became a Deputy Sheriff, a Financial Consultant, an Astrophysicist and an Attorney.
Dr. Isono is a member and Fellow of the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons, American Board of Orthopedic Surgery, American Orthopedic Society of Sports Medicine, Olympic Sports Medicine Society, Arthroscopy Association of North America, California Orthopedic Association, Western Orthopedic Association, NBA Team Physician Society, American College of Sports Medicine. He also holds the position of an Expert Medical Reviewer for the Medical Board of California as well as a Qualified Medical Evaluator for the State of California Division of Workers’ Compensation.
Among his many honors, Dr Isono has earned the “Top Doctors in Sports Medicine” award in the California Magazine, the Oakland Magazine, the Bay Area Consumers Checkbook, and the Patient’s Choice Award for California Favorite Physicians. He has been designated among “America’s Top Orthopedists” and “Sports Medicine Physicians” by the Consumers Research Council of America for over 25 years.
Steve currently lives with his wife and their two dogs in Berkeley and they have three children. Their daughter is completing a Fellowship in Integrative Medicine at the Cornell-New York Presbyterian Hospital in Manhattan, and their two sons live in San Francisco working with Open AI and Maverick Ventures.
Professional Education
B.A. With Honors, Biochemical Sciences, Harvard University (1978)
M.D., Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine (1982)
Internship, General surgery, Stanford University Medical Center (1983)
Residency, Orthopedic Surgery, Stanford University Medical Center (1987)
Board Certification in Orthopedic Surgery, American Board of Orthopedic Surgery (1989)
Recertification in Orthopedic Surgery, American Board of Orthopedic Surgery (1999)
Certificate of Added Qualification in Orthopedic Surgery Sports Medicine, American Board of Orthopedic Surgery (2007)
Recertification in Orthopedic Surgery, American Board of Orthopedic Surgery (2009)
Recertification in Orthopedic Surgery, American Board of Orthopedic Surgery (2018: Valid to December 31, 2029)
Recertification in Orthopedic Surgery Sports Medicine, American Board of Orthopedic Surgery (2018: Valid to December 31, 2029)