Dr. Ryan Ponton is a homegrown product of Hampton Roads – he was born at Portsmouth Naval Hospital, and his family settled in Virginia Beach following his dad’s retirement from the U.S. Navy. Dr. Ponton grew up in the Kings Grant area of Virginia Beach and is an alumus of the inaugural class at the Ocean Lakes High School Math & Science Academy. Ironically, his high school graduation project included a mentorship with a surgeon at Atlantic Orthopaedic Specialists (AOS), and this mentorship put him firmly on the path to becoming an Orthopaedic Surgeon. Dr. Ponton is thrilled his education and career have come full-circle, and that he is now a part of AOS as an Orthopaedic Surgeon with a focus on Hand and Upper Extremity.
He completed his undergraduate education at The University of Virginia; he then accepted a commission in the US Navy and attended medical school at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USUHS). He is proud to have spent 15 years caring for our country’s fine service members.
While in the Navy, Dr. Ponton was lucky enough to live every kid’s “Top Gun” dreams and served as a Flight Surgeon for VMFA-314, which was an F/A-18 squadron at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar. He then went on to fulfill his Orthopaedic Surgery residency in San Diego, complete a general orthopaedic surgeon tour in Europe, and finish a Hand & Upper Extremity fellowship at Harvard/Massachusetts General Hospital.
During his last 4 years in the Navy, Dr. Ponton joined the academic practice at Naval Medical Center San Diego – a tertiary referral facility for the West Coast and Western Pacific regions. While in this position, he had the opportunity to care for physically active patients with complex musculoskeletal injuries and was named an “Associate Master Clinician.” He was also named an “Assistant Professor of Surgery” at USUHS, with the privilege of teaching 30+ orthopaedic surgery residents.
After completing his naval service, Dr. Ponton and his family returned to Hampton Roads. His wife Jacquelyn, also a Hampton Roads native, is a Kellam High School and The University of Virginia alumnus. His two young daughters, Reagan and Josie, are enjoying the warmer waters of the Atlantic Ocean and the experience of living near so many family members. In his downtime, Ryan enjoys relaxing with friends and family, going on distance runs, and chasing/losing balls around the golf course.
