Physicians

Sports Medicine Physicians:

Andrew Cooper, MD
Orthopedic Surgeon Fellowship trained in Sports Medicine, Knee and Shoulder Surgery, Board Certified in Orthopedic Surgery by the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgery

Dr. Andrew Cooper moved back to Salt Lake City in 2005 after completing a fellowship in Sports Medicine, Knee and Shoulder Surgery at the Steadman Hawkins Clinic in Denver Colorado. While in fellowship Dr. Cooper was involved with the care of high school, collegiate and professional athletes including the Denver Broncos and Colorado Rockies. Currently he is the head team physician for the ReAL Salt Lake MLS soccer team, the Utah Blaze of the Arena Football League, and Westminster College. Dr. Cooper is also the Medical Director of the Sports Medicine Center of Utah and the Solitude ski patrol and Medical Clinic. In addition he has worked closely with Ballet West, US Ski and Snowboard teams, US Soccer U-17 national team and US Rugby.

Dr. Cooper grew up in Salt Lake City graduating from Skyline High School and receiving a BS in Biology at the University of Utah. After college he attended the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston, SC graduating in the top of his class and earning multiple academic scholarships and awards including membership in AOA. He then completed an Orthopedic Surgery Residency at the University of Kansas Medical Center in Kansas City, KS followed by a fellowship in Sports Medicine at the Steadman Hawkins Clinic in Denver, CO.

While in residency and fellowship, Dr. Cooper was active in research including arthroscopic treatment for degenerative knee disorders, arthroscopic repair of rotator cuff tears, postoperative pain management following ACL reconstruction and a new technique for the treatment of shoulder separations and AC reconstruction. Today, he continues to pursue research interest in sports medicine and arthroscopic techniques.

When not treating athletes and spending time with his family, Dr. Cooper has competed in over 50 triathlons including 6 Ironmans, multiple marathons qualifying for Boston in 2001 and 2008. He is also an avid outdoorsman enjoying skiing, hunting, fishing, and backpacking in the remote wilderness.

Mark Scholl, MD
Dr. Mark D. Scholl is originally from Chicago, where he grew up an avid sports fan. Dr. Scholl received an A.B., in English Literature from Washington University in St. Louis, and then earned his M.D., from Northwestern University Medical School. He went on to orthopedic surgery residency at Emory University in Atlanta. During his orthopedic residency, Dr. Scholl completed many research projects, including earning the highest award for orthopedic research at Emory University for his work with Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) Reconstruction. While in Atlanta, Dr. Scholl was involved in the care of athletes from the high school ranks and the Yellow Jackets of Georgia Tech, to the Atlanta Hawks and Atlanta Falcons professional sports teams.

After his orthopedic residency, Dr. Scholl elected to pursue additional training in the care of athletes, and completed a fellowship at the University of Utah in advanced techniques of knee and shoulder arthroscopy and reconstructive surgery. His interest in research continued while in fellowship and his work has been published in orthopedic journals. After completing his fellowship, he worked in Ogden, Utah where he was a Team Physician for Weber State University and the Ogden Raptors professional baseball team. Currently, Dr. Scholl is a Team Physician for the Utah Blaze of the Arena Football League and the ReAL Salt Lake of Major League Soccer. He is also a staff physician at Solitude Mountain Resort Medical Clinic and continues to work with the Ogden Raptors. Dr. Scholl takes care of many local high school and college athletes in addition to his professional athlete patients, and is team physician for Juan Diego and Brighton High Schools. Dr. Scholl, has great enthusiasm for the outdoors and is a member of the Wilderness Medical Society. He and his wife, Linda, enjoy resort and backcountry skiing as well as mountaineering, road and mountain biking, hiking, river running and camping. Dr. Scholl satisfies his own athletic drive by competing in marathon and ultramarathon distance running and endurance road biking. He also enjoys fly-fishing and golf. 

Dr. Scholl is Board Certified in Orthopedic Surgery by the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgery

David Howe, MD
Dr. David J. Howe grew up in Minneapolis, Minnesota and completed his undergraduate studies at the University of Minesota as a Microbiology Major. He also received a B.S. degree from the University of South Dakota prior to completing Medical School at the University of Utah. Dr. Howe then completed a surgical internship at USC prior to returning to the University of Utah to complete an Orthopedic Residency.

Dr. Howe received his certification from the Amercan Board of Orthopedic Surgery in 1979, and joins the Comprehensive Orthopedic Specialists group following decades of clinical and private practice. He is a former Medical Director for the National Figure Skating Championship, and former President of Medical Staff at Salt Lake Regional Medical Center. He currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Utah Medical Insurance Association as well as the Board of Directors for Salt Lake Regional Medical Center.

Dr. Howe loves to participate in all of the wonderful outdoor recreation that Utah has to offer, and is an avid skiier. He is a current member of the Deer Valley Physician Ski Patrol.

Lionel Edwards Weeks, MD
Lionel Edwards (Ed) Weeks grew up in New York, graduating magna cum laude with highest honors from Williams College in Massachusetts where he was elected to Phi Beta Kappa in his junior year. He received his MD from Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons (P&S) in New York with post-graduate training in Rhode Island (Brown University) and Europe.

While practicing emergency medicine (and attaining board certification) in Salt Lake City, he found his love of orthopedics and returned to New York Orthopaedic Hospital at Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center for orthopedic residency. There he was exposed to unique training in shoulder surgery under Dr. Charles Neer.

Initially providing general orthopedic care, he narrowed his focus to upper extremity and eventually shoulder surgery including sports injuries, shoulder replacements for arthritis (traditional and reverse), arthroscopic surgery for rotator cuff repairs and instability, fracture treatment and advanced procedures such as tendon transfers for difficult problems. Conservative (non-surgical) care is recommended for many problems in patients of all ages.

Dr. Weeks has been involved in research, teaching and has given many presentations to other orthopedic surgeons, most recently speaking on shoulder replacements.

Karen Heiden, MD
Dr. Heiden earned her medical degree from Stanford University, and supplemented her education with an internship in general surgery and a residency in orthopaedic surgery at the University of California Davis Medical Center, where she also completed a fellowship in hand surgery. While in Sacramento, she practiced as a hand surgeon and assistant professor of orthopaedic surgery at UC Davis.

Dr. Karen Heiden is a Board Certified Orthopedic Surgeon, specializing in disorders of the hand, wrist, and elbow. In addition to treating upper extremity sports injuries, Dr. Heiden specializes in: upper extremity osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, carpal tunnel syndrome, compression neuropathies, adult & pediatric fractures, and tendon & nerve lacerations.

Dr. Heiden enjoys living and playing in Park City with her husband, Dr. Eric Heiden, and two children, Zoe, 6, and Connor, 4. She particularly enjoys Nordic skiing, running and outdoor life, and is proud to serve the Park City community with Heiden Orthopaedics.

Phil Davidson, MD
Dr. Davidson relocated from Tampa Bay, Florida, where he practiced for 15 years as a widely recognized Orthopaedic Surgeon. Dr. Davidson is renowned for his expertise in Cartilage Restoration and Joint Resurfacing of the knee and shoulder. For more than a decade, he has been among the nation's foremost orthopaedists, treating articular cartilage disorders. His particular area of clinical interest and academic acclaim is in the field of biologic and anatomic joint resurfacing.

Dr. Davidson has been recognized by his peers as a surgical innovator and clinical researcher, publishing extensively and teaching surgeons both nationally and internationally. While in Florida, he was on the faculty of the University of South Florida and successfully developed a large, full-service orthopaedic clinic there. He is an official consultant for Major League Baseball, The National Football League, and The Arena Football League, having been jointly appointed by the players and owners of the leagues. He was recently appointed by the FDA to serve on a committee evaluating the safety of treatments being rendered for Osteoarthritis.

Dr. Davidson graduated with high honors from Harvard College, and honors in Research from Cornell University Medical College. His Orthopaedic Residency training was at Baylor College of Medicine; he completed a Sports Medicine Fellowship at the Kerlan-Jobe Orthopedic Clinic in Los Angeles.
Dr. Davidson sees patients in both Park City and Salt Lake City, where he is on the staff of Salt Lake Regional Medical Center. Outside of medicine, Dr. Davidson enjoys a variety of outdoor sports, fitness and keeping up with his three teenage sons. He and his wife Ruth reside in Park City.

• Orthopaedic Surgeon
• Specialized in Cartilage Restoration and Joint Resurfacing
• Harvard and Cornell Honors Graduate
• Consultant for Major League Baseball, The National Football League, and The Arena Football League

Joseph Albano, MD
Dr. Albano received his medical degree from SUNY Health Science Center in Syracuse, New York. Following medical school, he completed a general surgery internship at Wright-Patterson AFB/Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio, as well as a family practice residency at the University of Utah and a sports medicine fellowship at Michigan State University. Dr. Albano's particular interest is in non-surgical treatment of some common tendon, cartilage and nerve problems, such as lateral epicondylosis, plantar fasciosis, patellar tendinosis, achilles tendinosis, rotator cuff tears, arthritis, and carpal and cubital tunnel syndromes. To assist in the diagnosis, musculoskeletal ultrasound is often used. For the treatment, various Regenerative Medicine applications may be employed, including Platelet Rich Plasma, which has been successful for many patients over the past two years. He has taught at national courses on the use of musculoskeletal ultrasound for diagnostic and needle-guided purposes, and also for the use of Platelet Rich Plasma.

Dr. Albano likes to participate in numerous athletic pursuits including ultra marathons, hockey, skiing, cycling and chasing his 2 boys. He really enjoys helping athletes get back to the activities they enjoy.

Russ Toronto, MD
Dr. Russ Toronto has served top athletes in Utah since 1981 through his own private practice and through affiliation with various orthopedic groups. He received his medical degree from the University of Utah in 1979.

With over 25 years of experience treating, coaching and playing along side his patients, Dr. Toronto is uniquely qualified to treat any athlete, any time. As one of the first sports medicine specialists in Utah, his level of expertise can be seen in a distinguished career. He has served as a team physician for University of Utah football, the Triple A baseball team, and at many high schools, helping direct sports medicine for their programs. In 2002, he served as one of the venue physicians for Olympic Snowboarding. He has also served on the Governors Council for Physical Fitness and as a medical advisor for many club sports including gymnastics, running and soccer. Dr. Toronto has provided care for pro athletes, college athletes, high school athletes, and recreational athletes in a wide range of sports. He has been invited to present at over 50 sports medicine conferences, written a newspaper column, and has discussed sports medicine topics in videos and on the radio.

In addition, Dr. Toronto is a former collegiate baseball player, avid backcountry skier, and proud husband and father of five children. His passion is returning athletes to the playing field at whatever level they participate.