Dr. Padgett was a resident in orthopedic surgery at Hospital for Special Surgery and subsequently performed a one-year postdoctoral fellowship at The Rush Presbyterian Medical Center in Chicago in Adult Reconstructive Surgery of the hip and knee. From 1990-1993, Dr. Padgett was the Director of the Adult Reconstructive Service at the Naval Hospital, San Diego.
In 1993, Dr. Padgett joined Hospital for Special Surgery as an attending surgeon on the Hip and Knee Service. In 2006, Dr. Padgett became the chief of the Hip Service, and in 2008 chief of the Adult Reconstruction and Joint Replacement Service. In addition to his duties at Hospital for Special Surgery, Dr. Padgett is also a consulting physician for the Bronx V.A. Medical Center.