Dr. William B. Stetson, MD

Dr. William Stetson is an award winning orthopaedic surgeon who is double board certified in orthopaedic surgery and sports medicine and is the Olympic Team Doctor for the USA Men’s and Women’s Indoor Volleyball Teams. He is a sports medicine, arthroscopy and trauma specialist with an expertise in the surgical reconstruction of complex shoulder, knee, elbow and ankle injuries. Dr. Stetson has an active clinical, private practice and over 90% of his time is spent seeing patients, doing surgery, teaching and doing clinical research. He is a Qualified Medical Examiner (QME) for the state of California and has served as an expert witness for the last 15 years in over 60 cases involving complex personal injury, workers compensation, malpractice and product liability cases.

Dr. William Stetson is fellowship trained in arthroscopic surgery and board certified by the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery (ABOS) in orthopaedic surgery and sports medicine.  He specializes in the arthroscopic and reconstructive surgery of the shoulder, knee and elbow with over 25 years of surgical experience.  He has first-hand knowledge of athletic injuries having been an NCAA Athlete and All-American Volleyball Player at the University of Southern California.

He has over 25 years of teaching experience as a volunteer professor of orthopaedic surgery at Los Angeles County + USC Medical Center where he teaches the residents orthopaedic surgery and arthroscopy. He has also served as the medical director and on the management committee of outpatient surgery centers. He is the author of over 50 peer reviewed publications and book chapters and has over 100 national and international presentations. 

Dr. Stetson is recognized throughout the country for his numerous contributions to both the local and the medical community. Heavily involved in clinical research and academic development, Dr. Stetson has presented his research papers at orthopaedic conferences held domestically and internationally. Dr. Stetson is currently one of the team physicians for the United States Men’s and Women’s Indoor Olympic Volleyball Teams and the United States Olympic Committee.  He was the Olympic Team Volleyball Physician for the United States for the London Olympics in 2012. 

He has traveled all over the world teaching other surgeons arthroscopic surgery and founded his own non-profit Operation Arthroscopy. He has been named one of “America’s Top Orthopedists” for 15 straight years by the Consumers’ Research Council of America. He has also just been selected to the 2022 Southern California Super Doctors List. This marks the 11th time in a row he has been selected and he is now part of the Super Doctors Southern California Hall of Fame.

Dr. Stetson is passionate about education and sharing his knowledge of orthopaedic surgery.   He has traveled extensively throughout the world to lecture and teach arthroscopic surgery to his colleagues in many different countries including Cuba, China and Romania.  For his committed work to the Cuban people, he was selected as a Professor Emeritus of Havana University.  For the last 6 years, he has been traveling to Romania twice per year to bring modern shoulder surgical techniques to the Romanian doctors.  In Romania, he is a Visiting Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at “Victor Babes” University of Medicine and Pharmacy in Romania.  Locally, Dr. Stetson is also an Associate Voluntary Clinical Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at the University of Southern California where he instructs orthopaedic residents and medical students.

Dr. Stetson has started a non-profit organization, Operation Arthroscopy (www.operationarthroscopy.com), whose mission is to bring orthopaedic surgery and arthroscopy to countries and communities in need. In addition to humanitarian trips to Haiti, Cuba, Vietnam, Romania and Peru, Dr. Stetson and his surgical team regularly perform pro bono surgeries for those in need at his surgery center in Burbank, California.

Dr. Stetson attended the University of Southern California on an athletic scholarship where he was a two-time NCAA All-American in volleyball, a member of the NCAA National Championship Volleyball Team in 1980, captain of the 1982 team, and graduated Phi Beta Kappa. He was a five-time Gold Medalist with the US Open National Volleyball Championship Team Nike and played professionally in the United States and Germany. He attended the USC Keck School of Medicine and completed his Residency at Los Angeles County-USC Medical Center in 1994. He completed his Fellowship in Sports Medicine at the Southern California Orthopedic Institute in 1995 and has been in private practice for over 25 years.

Dr. Stetson was recognized as the University of Southern California’s Student Athlete of the Year in 1982 and also the Pacific 10 Conference Student Athlete of the Year in 1982. In 2007, Dr. Stetson was recognized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) with their Silver Anniversary Award, given to former student-athletes who have gone on to excel in their chosen professions. Recipients of the Silver Anniversary Awards include, Troy Aikman (2014), Rodney Peete (2014), Tim Brown (2012), Bo Jackson (2011), Jack Del Rio(2010), Steve Young (2009), Danny Ainge (2006) Mike Singletary (2006), Mark Johnson(2005), John Naber (2002), Steve Largent (2001), Bill Walton (1999), Sally Ride (1998), Jack Youngblood (1996), Jim Ryun (1994) and many others.