Dr. Trong Nguyen, MD, FAAOS received his medical degree from the University of California, San Diego, School of Medicine, in La Jolla, California (currently ranked 14th in the US News and World Report for Best Medical). During his training, Dr. Nguyen took time off from medical school to pursue his dream of playing in the Olympics. He received his opportunity when he was asked to join the Men’s Indoor National Volleyball team in 1999. There he participated in the Pan-American Games in 1999, in Winnipeg, Canada, competing against the best volleyball players in the world on an international stage, and earned a starting position on the team.
As an undergraduate at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), he was a Four-Year Varsity Letterman for the UCLA Men’s Volleyball team, playing for the legendary, Al Scates, from 1993-1997. In his time there, the team reached the Final Championship game all four years, winning two National Championships in 1995 and 1996 and was Runner-up in 1994 and 1997. He finished his undergraduate career as a Pac-10 Gold Medal finalist and was selected as a GTE Academic All-American in 1997. He graduated with a B.S. in Cell and Molecular Biology.
After medical school, he completed his residency training in New York, at the Albert Einstein School of Medicine - Montefiore Medical Center program, where he excelled in the specialty of orthopaedic surgery. His training was focused heavily on joint reconstruction, fracture care and surgery, spine surgery, and musculoskeletal oncology. He decided to return to his native Southern California to sub-specialize in sports surgery and the care of athletes. He completed his fellowship in Sports Medicine and Joint Reconstruction at the ACGME-accredited Southern California Center for Sports Medicine in Long Beach, CA, where he trained with world-renowned orthopaedic surgeons, including former President of the AAOS, Dr. Douglas Jackson; well-published and world-renowned shoulder and elbow specialist, Dr. David Morrison, and, internationally-recognized, Dr. Peter Kurzweil. During his tenure, he was the team physician for Cal State Long Beach, including the men’s and women’s basketball teams. He also was the team physician for the Wilson High School Football team.
He has reviewed numerous journal publications, including The Journal of Arthroscopy and Related Research and the Journal for Shoulder and Elbow Surgery and has several articles that are pending publication. Dr. Nguyen has always had an affinity for sports, athletics, and an active lifestyle. His other interests include basketball, mountain climbing, camping, scuba diving, kayaking, tennis, golf and art.