Before attending medical school he was a founding member of the group and performed with Sha Na Na at the Woodstock Festival. He also traveled the world with the band and was featured in the movies Grease and Caddyshack. He later attended Albert Einstein College of Medicine and completed a fellowship in sports medicine at Kerlan-Jobe Orthopedic Clinic in Los Angeles. In 2005, Dr. Powell co-founded Stetson Powell Orthopedics and Sports Medicine. He has been chairman of the fellowship committee for the Arthroscopy Association of North America and is active in leadership positions for the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine.