Dr. Christopher Copeland, D.O.
Monument Orthopedics & Sports Trauma in Fruita
Family Health West
Dr. Chris Copeland grew up in western Colorado and graduated high school as a Fruita Monument Wildcat. After years in college, medical school, and fellowships across the country, he was more than ready to return home to the Grand Valley to practice medicine and raise his children alongside his wife.
As a young man, Dr. Copeland possessed a passion for tinkering, figuring things out, and solving problems. For the longest time, he wanted to be an engineer. But growing up in a family full of doctors—his father started an orthopedic surgery practice, his brother is also an orthopedic surgeon, his grandfather was a general surgeon, one uncle, a plastic surgeon and another, a radiologist—he reflects with a chuckle, “I ultimately, chose a career path that runs in my blood: medicine.”
He earned an undergraduate degree in Biological Sciences, with a minor in Anatomy and Neuroscience, from Colorado State University (CSU) and went on to study medicine, knowing his passion for tinkering and problem solving could be put to work helping people live healthy lives. After graduation, Dr. Copeland went on to study at the University of Health Sciences College of Osteopathic Medicine in Kansas City, and then completed his orthopedic surgical training at the South Pointe Hospital in Cleveland, Ohio. He spent one year in Phoenix, Arizona to obtain this extensive medical training as a fellow in sports medicine and orthopedic foot and ankle surgery.
Dr. Copeland has served as a team physician for Colorado Mesa University (CMU), the Grand Junction Rockies, local high schools, and is currently a clinical adjunct faculty member at Rocky Vista College of Osteopathic Medicine. He actively works to help new and aspiring doctors, nurses, and trainers by providing clinical instruction for medical, physician assistant and athletic training students. His subspecialty work and interests lie in sports medicine and lower extremity hip and knee replacement along with knee and ankle arthroscopy.
Being able to help others regain their ability to walk is something that truly makes him happy. “Mobility is something we often take for granted until an accident or our bodies giving out bring us up short,” Dr. Copeland explains. He makes it his personal mission to help patients regain their mobility.
With over 15 years of orthopedic surgical experience, Dr. Copeland has a wealth of experience and knowledge to bring to patients and he genuinely has a passion to help people get back to living life to the fullest so they can enjoy all of the activities they love. Whether you have a sports injury or joints that have just plain worn out, he strives to help restore people to active and healthy lifestyles, and to help athletes get back to peak performance after an injury.
Dr. Copeland has always loved the outdoors. He explains: “Moving back home to practice medicine allowed me to pass that love onto my two children. Now that they’re grown, it’s so fun that we have that in common and are able to explore the great outdoors together.” His eyes light up as he shares his favorite outdoor sports: “Hunting, hiking and fly fishing.” His daughter, now 21 and a student at CMU, enjoys joining him on father-daughter hunting trips. His 18-year-old son also enjoys fishing, and you might find the two of them out on a river or hiking the Mesa when they can escape for some one-on-one time.
Dr. Copeland also had the privilege to share his hunger and love for adventure with his children. He has taken his family to many destinations all over the world, but his favorite trip in recent years was a bucket-list trip to Africa for several weeks. “Taking that time to go and explore a place completely different from our own with my family, doing what we love and playing in the outdoors, was one of the best experiences of my life,” he recounts with deep affection for the adventure he hopes to never forget.
In his work, Dr. Copeland enjoys activating his problem-solving skills and implementing his medical expertise to help people. His personal passion for the outdoors and his active lifestyle gives him a unique and empathetic understanding of how much his patients value being active and able to get outside and enjoy life.
Dr. Copeland truly uses his entire lifetime of learning to help his patients every day and has successfully merged his love for problem solving and a love of sports medicine in his orthopedic surgery practice for Family Health West in Fruita, Colorado.
Dr. Copeland is a Board-Certified Orthopedic Surgeon. He practices medicine at Monument Orthopedics and Sports Trauma in Fruita, a division of Family Health West.