Executive Director - Carlos Prietto, M.D., MEd.
Dr. Carlos Prietto is a board certified orthopaedic surgeon with subspecialty
training in sports medicine. His clinical practice is devoted to arthroscopic
and reconstructive surgery of the shoulder and knee, sports medicine,
and knee replacements.
A native Californian, Dr. Prietto completed both his Bachelor of Arts and
Master’s Degree in Education at Gonzaga University. He taught high
school science and coached basketball for a short period before going
on to medical school and graduating from the University of California,
Irvine with Alpha Omega Alpha honors. His internship was performed at
Los Angeles - USC Medical Center and an orthopaedic residency at the University
of California, Irvine. A sports medicine fellowship at the Kerlan-Jobe
Clinic in Inglewood, CA followed thereafter.
Early in his orthopaedic career, Dr. Prietto established a Neuro-Muscular
basic science laboratory on the medical school campus at the University
of California, Irvine. He has published numerous scientific articles on
both basic science and clinical levels, and lectured extensively on sports
medicine topics. He teaches arthroscopic surgical procedures to other
orthopaedic surgeons in a variety of settings both here and abroad.
Dr. Prietto has been Clinical Professor of Orthopaedics at the University
of California, Irvine and member of the American Academy of Orthopaedic
Surgeons, the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine, and the
Western Orthopaedic Association. He is the Head Team Physician for the
University of California, Irvine Athletic Program and team physician for
Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana, CA.
He has been honored by his peers in Orange Coast Magazine for three four
as one of the “Top Docs” for his work as an orthopaedic surgeon
in Orange County. He has also been recognized by the University of California,
Irvine Medical School as a Distinguished Alumnus.
Dr. Prietto now serves as the president and interim CEO of the Hoag Orthopedic
Institute in Irvine and the Executive Director and Chairman of the Board
for Hoag Orthopedics.
Medical Director - Vance Gardner, M.D.
Vance is an orthopaedic surgeon and spine surgeon. His undergraduate degree
is from USC and MD from Washington University School of Medicine.
He was faculty at the University of California, Irvine for 10 years. For
the past 17 years he has concentrated on research and education instead
of clinical practice.
In addition to developing his own projects, he has also been medical director
of a multihospital system research department and chief medical officer
of a biotech company. His experience in the medical device and drug development
industries provides much needed expertise in these fields. Vance is married
with 4 adult children and lives in Irvine. He enjoys hiking, boating and
relaxing with his family.
Administrator - Ryan Helber, M.B.A.
Ryan began working for Hoag Orthopedics in early 2016 as the Institute
Administrator. Prior to joining Hoag Orthopedics, Ryan worked for 8 years
in clinical research management for several organizations, including regional
and national health systems. His experience in clinical research includes
managing both investigational drug and device trials.
Since joining Hoag Orthopedics, Ryan has helped to grow the research and
education program by adding several experienced team members that provide
essential oversight on the increasing number of research projects and
educational events.
Ryan received a B.S. in Biology from Westminster College in Salt Lake City,
UT, in 2008, and an M.B.A. from the University of Colorado, Boulder. Outside
of Hoag Orthopedics, Ryan enjoys spending time with his family, relaxing
at the beach, and traveling.