Longtime California resident Thomas Schmalzried graduated with distinction and departmental honors with a bachelor of arts in human biology from Stanford University in Palo Alto. He subsequently attended the University of California, Los Angeles, to earn his doctor of medicine (MD). After completing medical school, Thomas Schmalzried MD, remained at UCLA to complete his postgraduate training in orthopedic surgery. He then attended Harvard University to study joint replacement at Massachusetts General Hospital.

After completing his studies in 1991, Dr. Schmalzried returned to California, where he accepted positions as a Physician Specialist with the Harbor-UCLA Department of Orthopaedic Surgery in Torrance and as an Associate Medical Director with the Joint Replacement Institute in Los Angeles. Dr. Schmalzried continues to care for patients and contribute to research efforts at both institutions.

Dr. Schmalzried is on the editorial review board of several scientific journals and is the Joint Replacement Section Editor for Orthopedics Today, the most widely read orthopaedic periodical. He has served as a Trustee of the Orthopaedic Research and Education Foundation, and on the Board of Directors of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, the
Association of Arthritic Hip and Knee Surgeons (AAHKS), the Western Orthopaedic Association, and the Orthopaedic Research Society. He has also authored over 170 scientific manuscripts, and is a four-time recipient of the John Charnley Award for pioneering research in joint arthroplasty.