Richard Walker, MD

Richard Walker, MD, is an orthopedic surgeon with expertise in total joint replacement for the hip and knee. In addition, he has interests in hip and knee arthritis, minimally invasive surgery for total hip and knee replacement, and computer-assisted navigation and pressure sensor applications for total hip and knee replacement. He believes in creating a partnership with each of his patients in order to achieve optimal treatment outcomes.

Since joining Scripps Clinic in 1983, Dr. Walker has devoted his career to maintaining a combination of clinical, teaching, research and leadership roles, including performing thousands of total hip and total knee replacement procedures. In addition to his clinical practice, he has conducted research on total hip and knee replacement outcomes, biomechanics and techniques, as well as thromboembolic disease prevention after total hip and knee replacement. He has presented his research on joint replacement at scientific meetings across the United States, as well as in Canada, South America, Europe and Asia. He has also served as an editorial reviewer for internationally prominent orthopedic journals for over two decades, including the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery, Clinical Orthopaedics and Related Research, and the Journal of Orthopaedic Research.

As an educator, Dr. Walker has served for over 30 years as a faculty member guiding young orthopedists through post-residency fellowships focused on joint replacement surgery. His leadership roles have included serving on the board of directors of Scripps Clinic Medical Group (SCMG) for over 25 years, as chairman of the department of surgery for SCMG for 20 years, and as vice president of surgery, gynecology and radiology for Scripps Clinic for over 10 years, as well as chief of staff and chairman of the department of surgery for Scripps Green Hospital. Most recently, Dr. Walker has added the role of President of Scripps Clinic Medical Group to his leadership service.

Dr. Walker has been named numerous times as one of the Best Doctors in America and to Who’s Who in Medicine and Healthcare, Who’s Who in America, and Who’s Who in the World. He is a fellow of the American College of Surgeons and the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, and a member of numerous professional societies, including the Western Orthopaedic Association and the American Association of Hip and Knee Surgeons, as well as international societies, including the Association of Bone and Joint Surgeons.

One of his favorite avocations has been baseball. He played college and semi-professional baseball before going to medical school. Later, he returned to baseball to coach youth baseball and softball at multiple levels, to watch his son also play semi-professional and college baseball (as a 4th generation college baseball player), and to play himself in adult baseball leagues for over 15 years (including multiple trips to the National Senior Baseball League annual World Series in Phoenix, reaching the World Series Final Four two times and winning a World Series national championship in 2010). He was able to combine his passions for orthopedics and baseball by serving as a team physician for the San Diego Padres for over 15 years, including the National League pennant-winning years of 1984 and 1998.