Joel Williams, MD

Dr. Williams has a unique expertise that encompasses all hip problems. He offers state-of-the-art treatments including hip preservation (open and minimally invasive), cartilage restoration/transplantation, labral and tendon tear surgery, periacetabular and/or femoral osteotomy, minimally invasive direct anterior hip replacement, surgical hip dislocation, hip/pelvis fracture/injury/trauma care in addition to offering multiple options for hip osteonecrosis (avascular necrosis or AVN), hip impingement and hip dysplasia. He works at Rush University Medical Center, Chicago’s premier orthopedic program (US News and World Report ranked #1 in Chicago, #2 in the Midwest, and #8 nationally).

In addition to treating the full range of hip problems, Dr. Williams has two other areas of expertise:

1. Leg alignment problems that have resulted from birth (congenital) or developmental issues.
2. Fractures that did not heal properly (malunion and/or nonunion)

Dr. Williams’ path to medicine was initially sparked by his parents who worked in Orthotics. He was fascinated my musculoskeletal medicine and decided on medical school. He attended medical school at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York. There, he was awarded a Doris Duke Clinical Research Fellowship and spent a year doing basic science research. Dr. Williams did his orthopedic surgery residency at the UC Davis, Sacramento, CA. As a resident, he did a research fellowship and was awarded several grants including one from the Orthopaedic Trauma Association to investigate fracture healing. His research has earned several awards including best paper at 3 meetings. Additionally, he was awarded a traveling fellowship from the AO Foundation to study hip and orthopedic trauma surgery in Chur, Switzerland.

After residency, he sub-specialized in orthopedic surgery by completing two fellowships. The first fellowship was in orthopaedic trauma at UC Davis; it covered treatment of trauma (fractures) of the hip/pelvis and leg, as well as osteotomy and leg re-alignment techniques. The second fellowship was in hip surgery in Seattle, WA and was focused on highly specialized hip procedures.

Dr. Williams is an active member of the academic hip and orthopedic trauma communities. He is a member of the AO Trauma North America, Orthopaedic Trauma Association, Anterior Hip Foundation, and AOA. He has given numerous lectures and presentations regionally, nationally, and internationally, and has been published in many prestigious journals. In his spare time, Dr. Williams enjoys spending time with his family, exercising, traveling, and reading.