Join us in congratulating Dr. David Graybill on 30 years of practice and wishing him well in his upcoming retirement! A board-certified orthopedic surgeon specializing in hip and knee replacement and revision and knee arthroscopy, Dr. Graybill has been practicing in the Anderson area for the entirety of his career, and in the Fishers area for the last 15 years. Dr. Graybill will officially retire August 2023.
Growing up in Chicago, he didn’t even consider being a doctor until age 16. After undergoing three days of aptitude and psychological testing and matching very highly with a career in medicine, he was leaning toward a career in interventional radiology. “I have a technical mind, but didn’t want to be an engineer,” Dr. Graybill said. “I had the opportunity to meet with a few physicians throughout my schooling, and once the seed was planted of becoming a doctor, it just grew. Knowing I wanted to be independent, other career paths just didn’t match as well.”
Once in medical school and in a surgical rotation, Dr. Graybill fell in love with surgery. “I looked at different surgical fields and future technologies. At the time, a lot of surgical fields were shrinking, but orthopedics was growing. Once I completed an orthopedics rotation, I was hooked. I loved the mechanics behind orthopedics, fixing and repairing things and restoring function,” Dr. Graybill shared.
After completing medical school and residency at University of Illinois, he found his way to Anderson, Indiana, where he started a career as an independent physician in June 1993 and shortly after formed a small orthopedic practice with a few other physicians. At the time, Dr. Graybill practiced general orthopedics, treating all orthopedic-related conditions. Early in his career, Dr. Graybill spent a lot of time with athletes covering sporting events, which led him to support many sports organizations through sponsorships or volunteer activities, including donating to get the first soccer field established in Pendleton, Indiana.
In 2000, he had the opportunity to merge with Central Indiana Orthopedics, becoming a partner, and started shifting his orthopedic practice to become more specialized. “As CIO grew, the opportunity to become more specialized presented itself,” Dr. Graybill said. “My patient population was aging, so I decided to shift my focus to treat degenerative conditions, specifically arthritis, of the hip and knee.”
In aspect of his career, Dr. Graybill has always been a trailblazer. Dr. Graybill served on the Executive Committee at Central Indiana Orthopedics for 21 years, four of those years as CIO’s President. He’s also served as the Chief of Surgery at Ascension St. Vincent Anderson for several years, as well as the Medical Director of Ascension St. Vincent Fishers. Speaking at countless educational seminars and lectures rounds out his love of technology and teaching others.
Striving to be an early adopter to innovative technology, Dr. Graybill traveled to different states and countries to research and receive hands-on orthopedics training, all to implement these approaches in his practice and bring the best to his patients and CIO. Over 15 years ago, Dr. Graybill brought the first minimally invasive hip and knee surgery to the area. Working alongside medical device companies, adjustments were made to the surgical instruments so they could fit within the smaller incisions of this newer technique. Additionally, Dr. Graybill was the first surgeon in the state of Indiana to adopt Birmingham Hip Resurfacing, as well as the anterior hip surgical approach, among others.
Later on, he would be instrumental in Central Indiana Orthopedics being the first orthopedic practice in the region to utilize Mako SmartRobotics™ technology for hip and knee replacement. Bringing Mako technology to CIO turned out to be a decision that benefited not only Dr. Graybill’s patients, but Dr. Graybill himself when the time came for him to have not one but two knee replacements. Now as a beneficiary of that technology, he is uniquely positioned to advise his patients on the advantages of Mako-assisted surgery from a first-person point of view.
Over the course of his career, Dr. Graybill’s approach to patient care adjusted so he could provide a more quality experience for his patients. “When my practice became more established, I found with all the documentation requirements, the quality time with my patients was significantly infringed,” Dr. Graybill shared. “Choosing to hire mid-level providers to work alongside me gave me the opportunity to spend more time with my patients – the time they deserved. Best decision I ever made.”
Reflecting on the past 30 years, Dr. Graybill says what he’s loved most about his work is being able to solve patients’ problems through restoring function and relieving pain. “The most rewarding thing about a career in orthopedics is you can usually solve the problem your patient presents with,” Dr. Graybill said. “I’ve enjoyed listening to patients share how they are feeling and then discussing treatment options and developing a plan to recovery.”
When asked what’s to come in retirement, Dr. Graybill says there’s a lot of possibilities. “While I don’t feel the need to keep doing what I’m doing (work-wise), I’m going to take a year and see if I’m still intellectually stimulated enough,” Dr. Graybill said. “I may do some part-time teaching at a university, may write a book, just some ideas. My kids are all over the place, and I’d love to reconnect with friends and family. Playing beach volleyball and biking are also at the top of my list.”
While Dr. Graybill will officially retire in August, he’s had a hand in finding his replacement, someone he thinks very highly of to take over his practice. Dr. John Martin, board-certified and fellowship-trained hip and knee surgeon, will join CIO in September. “I’ve spent time getting to know him personally, and he’s an outstanding individual,” Dr. Graybill shared. “I know the surgeons he’s trained with, and we share similar approaches to technology and patient care. I’m confident in his expertise, and I think my patients, and future patients, will love him.”
From all of us at CIO, please join us in congratulating Dr. Graybill on an outstanding career! We will miss his leadership, expertise, mentorship and excellent care that he provided to patients. And, we can’t forget his unique fashion sense! Wishing him the very best in retirement!