Dr. Piper founded what is now Advanced Bone & Joint Surgery in 1980, after completing an Orthopedic surgery residency at Barnes Hospital, Washington University in St. Louis. His M.D. was earned at St. Louis University School of Medicine. Dr. Piper also attended St. Louis University for his undergraduate degree, majoring in chemistry. He has been certified by the American Board of Orthopedic Surgery since 1982, and is a diplomate of the American Board of Spine Surgery.

Dr. Piper is a member of AO Spine of North America. He has been the course director of many spine seminars/courses held at the Practical Anatomy Workshop of St. Louis University, in St. Louis. These are well recognized spinal surgery conferences that feature faculty and participants from around the world. These have been held since 1997. Dr. Piper has collaborated with spine device manufacturers to improve the quality of instrumentation and implants used in the repair of spinal degenerative conditions.