Precision over presumption—why "patellofemoral syndrome" is not an adequate diagnosis

Dr John P Fulkerson is a Professor of Orthopedic Surgery at Yale specializing in patella instability surgery and 3-D innovative research. He published Disorders of the Patellofemoral Joint and is founder of both the International Patellofemoral Study Group and The Patellofemoral Foundation (www.patellofemoral.org).

In the past, he has been Head team physician for the NHL Hartford Whalers and Hartford Wolfpack as well as a team physician for US Olympic Men's Ice Hockey and Trinity College (Hartford). He has published extensively in the scientific literature regarding the patellofemoral joint, authored many chapters, monographs and one book on the topic. 

He is probably best known for orthopedic surgical innovation-first describing several common surgical procedures: anteromedialization of the tibial tubercle, medial quadriceps tendon-femoral ligament reconstruction, and first publication in the world's literature on bone-free quadriceps tendon reconstruction of the anterior cruciate ligament (1998), an ACL graft alternative that is increasingly popular today.

Fulkerson has lectured extensively around the world and received many awards including the San Francisco Bay Area Lifetime Achievement Award, The Patellofemoral Foundation Lifetime Achievement Award, the AOSSM Sports Medicine Hall of Fame 2023, US News and World Report Top Doctors, the Wisdom House Community Service Award (with his wife Lynn), University of Connecticut Sports Medicine Fellow Educator of the Year 2020, and Connecticut Orthopedist of the Year 2016.