After obtaining his BA degree at Harvard University, Raymond went to Stanford Medical School for his MD training. While at Stanford, he also received a Winston Churchill Scholarship to go to University of Oxford, England. At Oxford he developed new technologies to be used in clinical medicine and received a DPhil (Doctor of Philosophy) for his work on Immunology. He then went back to Harvard for his surgical residency at Mass General Brigham Hospital. During his residency he also obtained a post-doctorate fellowship at Harvard Medical School, where he obtained patents for new heart valves. After obtaining his General Surgery board certification, he continued at Mass General Brigham Hospital for his cardiothoracic surgery training and board certification. After graduation, he began working at Kaiser Permanente Hospital, Los Angeles, where he has performed over 3000 heart operations in 20 years. In addition, he has received 18 academic and teaching awards and has published over 40 original papers.