Dr. Stender completed his undergraduate studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He earned his Master of Science in applied physiology from the Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science, and his Medical Degree from the Chicago Medical School where he was part of the prestigious Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society. He then went on to complete his residency in orthopaedic surgery at the University of Connecticut, and also completed a fellowship in sports medicine at the Detroit Medical Center.