PHOENIX – One of Dr. Tom Carter’s favorite photos shows the longtime Valley surgeon in his medical scrubs, smiling beside a sports jersey-wearing “gorilla” on an exam table. The Phoenix Suns mascot looks pretty happy too.
Dr. Carter, MD, an orthopedic surgeon and sports medicine specialist, recently marked another milestone in an exciting career that included serving as the head physician of the Phoenix Suns for two decades.
He recently joined Banner – University Orthopedics and Sports Medicine Institute in Phoenix, where he’ll treat adolescent and adult patients with the same expertise he’s been providing to nationally recognized athletes.
Dr. Carter has served as the head orthopedic surgeon for the Harlem Globetrotters and the head orthopedic team physician at Arizona State University for 14 years. He continues serving as the head orthopedic team physician for Grand Canyon University.
“No matter what level of athlete, from weekend warrior to professional sports figure, I try to treat all my patients the same,” Dr. Carter said. “That’s a good principle to follow.”
Dr. Carter is also excited about plans to help Banner colleagues build a national sports medicine institute in metro Phoenix.
He was named the NBA head team physician of the year in 2016, and is considered a world authority in performing meniscus replacement and treating articular cartilage.
He has significant academic experience, including publishing more than 50 scientific papers, and served as a member of the Board of Directors for the Arthroscopy Association of North America. Dr. Carter also has three patents for arthroscopic equipment and is actively involved in several research projects, including a knee implant designed to fill the gap between being symptomatic after a meniscectomy but before needing a knee replacement.
He received his Doctor of Medicine from the University of Pittsburgh, and completed Sports Medicine Fellowships at Jackson Hole Orthopaedics in Wyoming and the University of Western Ontario in Canada.
About Banner – University Medical Center Phoenix
Banner – University Medical Center Phoenix is a large teaching hospital that has provided medical care to Arizona and the Southwest since 1911. It is part of Banner – University Medicine, a premier academic medical network. The institution, which has trained thousands of doctors over decades as a teaching hospital, is the academic medical center for The University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix. The hospital, recognized by U.S. News and World Report as one of the nation’s best hospitals, specializes in heart care, cancer care, high-risk obstetrics, neurosciences, organ transplants, medical toxicology and emergency care, including a Level I trauma center. Banner – University Medical Center Phoenix is part of Banner Health, a nonprofit health care system with 28 hospitals in six states. For more information, visit www.bannerhealth.com/UniversityPhoenix.