Anthony “AJ” Johnson, M.D.

Anthony “AJ” Johnson, M.D., is the Orthopaedic Surgery Residency program director for Dell Medical School and the orthopaedic sports medicine clinical director at UT Health Austin’s Musculoskeletal Institute. He graduated from the United States Military Academy in 1994 and the University of California, Los Angeles School of Medicine in 1998 as a member of Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society. He graduated with honors from the orthopaedic surgery residency program at Brooke Army Medical Center in 2004. He became an American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery diplomate in 2006 and obtained his sub-specialty certification in orthopaedic sports medicine in 2008.

During his 28-year military career, he developed a passion to meet the needs of war fighters who sustain injuries during service. This passion developed in direct response to the needs of his patients while working as a Medical Corps officer (20 years), as an Orthopaedic Surgeon for the Joint Special Operations Command (six years) and during his last five years as the Chairman of the largest Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and the only Level-1 Trauma Center in the Department of Defense.

His passion for improved treatment, rehabilitation and reintegration led him to serve in senior roles as the president of the Society of Military Orthopaedic Surgeons, principal investigator for the Joint Warfighter Initiative to develop evidence-based CPGs and AUCs for war injuries and member of the steering committee of the Major Extremity Trauma and Rehabilitation Consortium. His scholarly activities include 67 peer-reviewed publications, four clinical practice guidelines, 17 moderator/panelist roles, 75 podium presentations and over $22.3M in extra-mural grant funding for his work on post-traumatic osteoarthritis and health outcomes disparities in casualties with an emphasis on the reintegration of elite disabled tactical athletes, especially female amputees.