A new patellofemoral specialty program will be developed under newly appointed Professor John Fulkerson, MD, who joined the Department of Orthopaedics & Rehabilitation on September 1.
Fulkerson, a sports medicine specialist, has spent his career so far operating on patients who have suffered complex sports injuries. His focus, though, has been patellofemoral instability, the soft tissues in and surrounding the knee that can become inflamed or damaged during sports and high impact activities.
Fulkerson, the former team physician for the NHL Hartford Whalers, the United States Olympic Men’s Ice Hockey Team, and Trinity College Athletics, said he was excited to come to Yale to develop a program that encompasses research, clinical work, and resident education.
"Patellofemoral problems are widespread, and patella instability is pretty common. It's an area in which precision diagnosis and surgery are essential, so it warrants a focused approach," Fulkerson said. "Patients can feel very confident when they come to Yale, that they'll be seeing a team that has a lot of experience and that can get the result they're looking for."
Fulkerson is a graduate of the Department’s orthopaedic surgery residency program. He studied under and was inspired by Professor Peter Jokl whose passion for treating sports injuries motivated Fulkerson to pursue his career. Fulkerson has since worked in private practice and was Professor of Orthopedic Surgery at University of Connecticut where he helped develop the U Conn orthopaedic surgery residency program. He also started the University's Sports Medicine Fellowship program.
The new Patellofemoral program will incorporate 3D surgical strategies and techniques to develop new forms of surgical innovation. Surgeons use diagnostic scans of patients to create 3D images, showing the complexity of each patient's case and allowing surgeons to 3D print points of interest. This will enable physicians to test the models with potential medical devices in advance, while also allowing surgeons to get a precise rendering of the injuries before surgeries begin.
I think that this work will create a situation where we have such a deep understanding of these issues that Yale is going to be the place where people want to be treated with the advantages of this advanced technology
Professor John Fulkerson, MD.
Fulkerson said Patellofemoral injuries are still poorly understood, but using the newest technology at Yale will allow him and other faculty to develop a better understanding of the best approaches to each injury.
"The contours and the mechanics are complex," Fulkerson said. "Everything that we look at in two-dimensional images is an approximation, but it doesn't even get close to the level of understanding that we get with 3D printing. 3D printing enables us to gain a much better understanding, and we're right in the process of studying that now. The two play back and forth. The research we're already doing with the 3D prints plays to the clinical side where we treat patients. I think that this work will create a situation where we have such a deep understanding of these issues that Yale is going to be the place where people want to be treated with the advantages of this advanced technology."
Lisa L. Lattanza, MD, Chair of the Department of Orthopaedics & Rehabilitation, said that Dr. Fulkerson is nationally and internationally known for his work in the area. "Dr. Fulkerson’s experience and passion for innovation are a perfect fit with Yale and the 3D surgical innovation already happening within the department,” Lattanza said. “We’re excited to have him join us and take the treatment of this problem to the next level and add his expertise to the care of our patients, education of our residents, and discoveries of new and better treatments.”
When he’s not at the clinic, Fulkerson enjoys cycling and gardening. He lives in Litchfield with his wife.