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Orthopedic Surgeon Ben Olson, DO, has joined Grande Ronde Hospital as an Orthopedic Surgeon for the Regional Orthopedic Clinic.

Dr. Ben Olson and his wife, Rachel, and their two children, Heber, age 8, and Adele, age 3, moved to La Grande this summer. Since the young couple grew up in a small, rural town in Idaho, visiting La Grande for the first time nearly a year ago felt like coming home.

“We couldn’t believe our good fortune – this place has everything we were looking for. It has been a goal of ours to give our children the benefits of growing up the way we did. We can’t wait to share our love of camping, backpacking, hunting and fishing with them,” says Olson.

After having spent the last several years living in various cities while he completed education, training and residency, Olson was looking for the right environment for his family, as well as the opportunity to build a practice around a variety of orthopedic cases, working for an innovative hospital in a rural setting with a university nearby for his love of sports and sports medicine.

“Growing up loving the active outdoor life, combined with the benefits of participating in multiple sports at a small school ultimately influenced my career choice,” he says.

Olson graduated from Idaho State University with a degree in Biology, earned his Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine from Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine in Missouri, and then completed his residency in Orthopedic Surgery at Affinity Medical Center in Ohio University.

“My residency provided a firm foundation of orthopedic knowledge and experience, with excellent training in the treatment of shoulder, hip, and knee arthritis, while using new technology for computer assisted surgery. I also trained in the anterior approach for hip arthroplasty; an option which has potential for quicker recovery, less postoperative restrictions and better assessment of leg length restoration than conventional approaches,” Olson explains.

During residency in Ohio, Olson completed additional pediatric training at Akron Children’s Hospital; exposed to a wide variety of orthopedic problems in children. He also participated in research on sports and trauma-related injuries in the pediatric population.

“Exposure to trauma is an essential component of orthopedic training. So I also spent another three months at the Indiana Orthopedic Hospital learning from several different orthopedic traumatologists,” Olson says.

After that, Olson completed a fellowship in Sports Medicine at the University of New Mexico, while also serving as an associate team physician for the university.

He and his family are very excited to be part of a community that checks all the boxes on the wish list for settling down.

“When we drove into the valley for the first time last fall, it just felt like home. Everything was so beautiful and green – we couldn’t be happier to be here,” Olson says.

To make an appointment with Dr. Olson, call the ROC at 541-663-3100.