Dr. Merz graduated magna cum laude with a Bachelor of Science degree at Baylor University before attending medical school at the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio. After finishing medical school, he completed an orthopedic surgeon residency at the University of Illinois in Chicago. In his final year of residency, he served as the administrative chief resident. Dr. Merz completed two fellowships after residency – adult reconstruction and hip preservation. He was an Otto E. Aufranc fellow in adult reconstruction at New England Baptist Hospital in Boston, MA. While there, he had extensive training in primary and revision total hip and knee surgeries as well as partial knee replacement.