Dr. AJ Julka

Dr. Julka has extensive experience in both primary and revision surgical procedures. His practice encompasses all disorders of the hand, wrist, elbow, and shoulder—from simple to complex cases. Over the years, he has developed particular expertise in reverse and anatomical total shoulder arthroplasty (shoulder replacement), arthroscopic rotator cuff repair, CMC arthroplasty, fracture management, and endoscopic carpal tunnel release, among other upper extremity surgeries.

An Ohio native, Dr. Julka grew up in Cleveland. He received his medical doctorate, graduating magna cum laude, from The Ohio State University College of Medicine. It was during his first-year medical school class, “Human Anatomy,” that he discovered his passion for hand and upper extremity surgery. He completed a rigorous orthopedic surgery residency at the University of Michigan Hospitals, where he was recognized as a leader and selected for the American Orthopaedic Association Resident Leadership Forum. He also received multiple “Making a Difference” awards for excellence in patient care and the Baril Award for research.

Following residency, Dr. Julka completed advanced fellowship training in hand and upper extremity surgery at the Cleveland Clinic, learning from many of the pioneers in the field.

Dr. Julka then spent three years as an Assistant Professor of Orthopedic Surgery at the University of Wisconsin Hospitals, where he was one of four surgeons responsible for managing upper extremity trauma at a busy level 1 trauma center.

Early in his practice, Dr. Julka rapidly advanced his surgical skills while caring for some of the most complex cases in the state. He was deeply involved in training future surgeons and mentoring community practitioners. For his outstanding teaching, he received the Ozagaki Surgical Teaching Award for two consecutive years—the first surgeon in the program’s history to do so.

He later returned to Ohio to be closer to family, spending four years at The Ohio State University Medical Center, another level 1 trauma center. As part of a four-surgeon team, Dr. Julka cared for some of the city’s most complex upper extremity cases. During this time, he began developing minimally invasive approaches to upper extremity surgeries and improving the overall patient experience. In collaboration with his hand therapy colleagues, he created a rapid recovery protocol for CMC arthroplasty patients and was the first surgeon at the university to utilize a minimally invasive wrist arthroscope.

Dr. Julka also produced and published numerous surgical technique videos to share less invasive surgical methods with colleagues both nationally and internationally. In recognition of his innovation and excellence in patient care, he was promoted to Associate Professor of Orthopedic Surgery in 2021 along a clinical excellence track.

Despite his success in academic medicine, Dr. Julka felt a strong calling to provide more personalized patient care outside the academic setting.

In 2021, he joined the talented team at JIS Orthopedics, where he found colleagues who shared his values of surgical innovation, clinical expertise, and a commitment to delivering world-class, individualized care.

Dr. Julka lives in Columbus, Ohio with his wife, Dr. Courtney Kauh, an eyelid plastic surgeon, their daughter Kaia, and their two dogs, Ollie and Lulu. In his free time, he enjoys hiking, mountain biking, swimming, snowboarding, and cooking with his family.