- Graduate School - Tulane University School of Public Health (2006-2010), Public Health
- Fellowship - Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine (2015-2016), Joint Preservation, Resurfacing & Reconstruction
- Residency - Harvard Combined Orthopaedic Program (2010-2015), Orthopedic Surgery
- Internship - Brigham and Women's Hospital/The Faulkner Hospital (2010-2011), Surgery
- Medical School - Tulane University (2006-2010)

Joel Wells, M.D., M.P.H.
- Orthopaedic Surgery - General Orthopaedics
- Sports Injuries
- Comprehensive Hip Surgery
New Patient Appointment Accepting Virtual Visits or 214-645-8300
Biography
Joel Wells, M.D., is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and a comprehensive hip surgeon at UT Southwestern’s Orthopaedic Surgery Clinic. Dr. Wells sees patients at the Sports Medicine Clinic at Richardson/Plano.
Dr. Wells earned his medical degree at Tulane University, followed by an internship in surgery at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital and a residency in orthopaedic surgery at Harvard Orthopaedics and Massachusetts General Hospital. He then received advanced training in joint preservation, resurfacing, and reconstructive surgery through a fellowship at Washington University in St. Louis.
Among his numerous honors, in 2020 Dr. Wells received the Leaders in Clinical Excellence Patient and Family Recognition Award and the Abilene Christian University Young Alumnus of the Year Award. He has also received various awards for his research efforts on hip dysplasia including the Harvard Orthopaedic Surgery Best Clinical Research Award: Survivorship of the Bernese Periacetabular Osteotomy (PAO): What Factors are Associated with Long-term Failure?
Meet Dr. Wells
Comprehensive Hip Surgeon in Dallas
As a fellowship trained surgeon in comprehensive hip surgery, Joel Wells, M.D., cares for patients of all ages, from preadolescents to the elderly.
“My role as a comprehensive hip surgeon is to take care of patients at all ages and stages of life, from the youngest to the eldest,” he says. “I can take care of all aspects of hip pathology.”
Few surgeons in North Texas are capable of performing the surgeries he does routinely to treat hip dysplasia, hip impingement, and complex hip deformities.
For example, Dr. Wells is an expert at performing periacetabular osteotomy, a complex surgery for repositioning the hip joint. Although the procedure is the most common type of hip preservation surgery in young adults, it usually is done only at specialized centers.
“Because of the cutting-edge technologies and experience we have with procedures like periacetabular osteotomies and surgical hip dislocations, we’re in a unique position at UT Southwestern to help people,” Dr. Wells says, “whether we’re taking care of pediatric deformities, geriatric injuries, or anything in between.”
Dr. Wells’ background as an athlete drew him to a career in sports medicine. He played college baseball at Abilene Christian University and was actually drafted by the New York Mets in 2006. Personal experience allows him to empathize with the athletes and patients under his care.
As such, he wants people with hip pain to know there is something that can be done for it, and he has a quick recovery plan to get them moving sooner after surgery.
“Historically the only solution to hip pain may have been a total hip”, he says. “Now with hip preserving procedures, there are options with good long-term outcomes other than a total hip. Whatever your hip pain may be, I want to help. With our comprehensive hip team our goal is to get patients up and moving quicker to a faster recovery.
Prior to joining the faculty at UT Southwestern, Dr. Wells was part of the care team for the Boston Red Sox and the New England Patriots, where he focused on diagnosing and treating hip and knee injuries of all varieties.
Education & Training
Professional Associations & Affiliations
- American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS)
- American Association of Hip and Knee Surgeons (AAHKS)
- American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery (ABOS)
- Dallas County Medical Society
- International Society for Hip Arthroscopy (ISHA)
- Miles4Hips, Medical Director
- Texas Medical Assocation (TMA)
- Texas Medical Board (TMB)
- Texas Orthopaedic Association (TOA)
Honors & Awards
- Leaders in Clinical Excellence Patient and Family Recognition Award 2020
- Prosthetics & Orthotics School of Health Professions Outstanding Educator Award 2020
- D Magazine Best Doctor 2020
- Young Alumnus of the Year 2020, Abilene Christian University
- Once Upon A Time Grant Recipient 2019
- International Hip Dysplasia Institute Listed Physician 2019
- Orthopedics Blue Ribbon Article Award 2019
- Hogland Fund Grant Recipient 2019
- Robert J. Potter Grant Recipient 2018
- Abilene Christian University Sports Hall of Fame Inductee, Jim Womack Award 2016
- Harvard Orthopaedic Surgery Best Clinical Research Award: The Long-Term Outcomes Following The Bernese Periacetabular Osteotomy, and Predictors of Failure 2015
- Chief Resident Massachusetts General Hospital Orthopaedic Surgery 2014-2015
- Tufts Accomplished Teaching Award in Surgery 2011
- Tulane Orthopedic Surgery Caldwell Society Award: Top Medical Student in Orthopaedic Surgery 2010
- Gold Humanism in Medicine Society Award 2009
- Lone Star Conference Baseball Player of the Year 2006
- ESPN The Magazine Academic All American 2006
- MLB Amateur Baseball Draft, Selected by NY Mets 2006
- Rawlings/American Baseball Coaches Association All American 2006
- Valedictorian of Abilene Cooper High School 2002
Books & Publications
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Publications
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Cam-type femoroacetabular impingement-correlations between alpha angle versus volumetric measurements and surgical findings.
Dessouky R, Chhabra A, Zhang L, Gleason A, Chopra R, Chatzinoff Y, Fey NP, Xi Y, Wells J European radiology 2019 Feb -
Effect of Patient Body Mass Index, Recommendation for Weight Modification, and Nonmodifiable Factors on Patient Satisfaction.
Wells J, Batty M, Box H, Nakonezny PA, The Journal of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons 2019 Aug -
Femoral Morphology in the Dysplastic Hip: Three-dimensional Characterizations With CT.
Wells J, Nepple JJ, Crook K, Ross JR, Bedi A, Schoenecker P, Clohisy JC Clinical orthopaedics and related research 2016 Oct -
Early-Onset Osteoarthritis originates at the chondrocyte level in Hip Dysplasia.
Hernandez PA, Wells J, Usheva E, Nakonezny PA, Barati Z, Gonzalez R, Kassem L, Henson FMD, Scientific reports 2020 Jan 10 1 627 -
Damage control resuscitation in combination with damage control laparotomy: a survival advantage.
Duchesne JC, Kimonis K, Marr AB, Rennie KV, Wahl G, Wells JE, Islam TM, Meade P, Stuke L, Barbeau JM, Hunt JP, Baker CC, McSwain NE The Journal of trauma 2010 Jul 69 1 46-52 -
Survivorship of the Bernese Periacetabular Osteotomy: What Factors are Associated with Long-term Failure?
Wells J, Millis M, Kim YJ, Bulat E, Miller P, Matheney T Clinical orthopaedics and related research 2016 May -
Analysis of Femoral Version in Patients Undergoing Periacetabular Osteotomy for Symptomatic Acetabular Dysplasia.
Sankar WN, Novais E, Koueiter D, Refakis C, Sink E, Millis MB, Kim YJ, Clohisy J, Wells J, Nepple J, Zaltz I The Journal of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons 2018 Jun -
Ultrasound-guided suprainguinal fascia iliaca compartment block versus periarticular infiltration for pain management after total hip arthroplasty: a randomized controlled trial.
Gasanova I, Alexander JC, Estrera K, Wells J, Sunna M, Minhajuddin A, Joshi GP Regional anesthesia and pain medicine 2019 Feb 44 2 206-211 -
Does 3DMR provide equivalent information as 3DCT for the pre-operative evaluation of adult Hip pain conditions of femoroacetabular impingement and Hip dysplasia?
Yan K, Xi Y, Sasiponganan C, Zerr J, Wells J, Chhabra A The British journal of radiology 2018 Jul 20180474 -
Intermediate-Term Hip Survivorship and Patient-Reported Outcomes of Periacetabular Osteotomy: The Washington University Experience.
Wells J, Schoenecker P, Duncan S, Goss CW, Thomason K, Clohisy JC The Journal of bone and joint surgery. American volume 2018 Feb 100 3 218-225 -
Treatment of intra-articular hip malignancy with extra-articular resection, preservation of the acetabular columns, and total hip arthroplasty.
Wells JE, Clohisy JC, O'Keefe RJ Arthroplasty today 2018 Dec 4 4 431-435 -
3d CT segmentation of CAM type femoroacetabular impingement - Reliability and Relationship of CAM lesion with Anthropomorphic Features.
Zhang L, Wells J, Dessouky R, Gleason A, Chopra R, Chatzinoff Y, Fey NP, Xi Y, Chhabra A The British journal of radiology 2018 Aug 20180371 -
Are Complications After the Bernese Periacetabular Osteotomy Associated With Subsequent Outcomes Scores?
Wells J, Schoenecker P, Petrie J, Thomason K, Goss CW, Clohisy JC Clinical orthopaedics and related research 2018 Nov -
Long-Term Outcomes Following the Bernese Periacetabular Osteotomy. Podium presentation at the annual meeting of the Pediatric Orthopaedic Society of North America April 2015 Atlanta, GA
Joel E. Wells MD, Michael Millis MD Young-Jo Kim MD PHD, Travis Matheney MD 2015 Apr -
Long-term Results Following the Bernese Periacetabular Osteotomy: The Washington University Experience. Podium Presentation at American Association of Hip and Knee Surgeons Dallas TX November 2016
Wells J, Schoenecker P, Clohisy J 2016 -
Characterization of Femoral Morphology in the Borderline Dysplastic Hip: Patient-specific 3-D CT Modeling. Podium Presentation at American Association of Hip and Knee Surgeons Dallas TX November 2016
Wells J, Nepple J, Crook K, Ross J, Bedi A, Clohisy J 2016 -
Long-term Complications after Periacetabular Osteotomy. Poster Presentation at American Association of Hip and Knee Surgeons Dallas TX November 2016
Wells J, Petrie J, Schoenecker P, Clohisy J 2016 -
Long Term Results Following the Bernese Periacetabular Osteotomy: The Washington University Experience. Presentation at the annual meeting of the Pediatric Orthopaedic Society of North America April 2016 Indianapolis, In
Joel Wells MD MPH, Kayla Thomason BS, Geneva Baca BA, Perry Schoenecker MD, John Clohisy MD 2016 -
Age, Amount of Arthrosis, and Severity of Dysplasia May Help Predict Early vs. Late Failure of Bernese Periacetabular Osteotomy. Podium presentation at the annual meeting of the Pediatric Orthopaedic Society of North America April 2016 Indianapolis, In
Travis Matheney MD, Joel Wells MD, Michael Millis MD 2016 -
Average Ten Year Clinical Outcomes of the Bernese PAO for the Treatment of Classic Acetabular Dysplasia. Poster Presentation at the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons 2016 Annual Meeting Orlando, FL
Stephen Duncan, Joel Wells, Kayla Thomason, Geneva Baca, Gail Pashos, Perry Schoenecker, John Clohisy 2016 -
Predictors of Long Term Failure Following the Bernese Periacetabular Osteotomy. Poster Presentation at the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons 2016 Annual Meeting Orlando, FL
Joel E. Wells MD, Michael Millis MD Young-Jo Kim MD PHD, Travis Matheney MD 2016 -
Three Patterns of Acetabular Deficiency Are Common in Young Adult Patients With Acetabular Dysplasia.
Nepple JJ, Wells J, Ross JR, Bedi A, Schoenecker PL, Clohisy JC Clinical orthopaedics and related research 2016 Nov
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Cam-type femoroacetabular impingement-correlations between alpha angle versus volumetric measurements and surgical findings.
Research
- Anterior Total Hip Replacement
- Cartilage Injury
- Complex Hip Revisions
- Comprehensive Hip Surgery
- Femoroacetabular Impingement (FAI)
- Hip Arthroscopy
- Hip Dysplasia
- Hip Impingement
- Hip Instability
- Hip Preservation Surgery
- Hip Reconstruction
- Hip Resurfacing
- Joint Preservation Surgery
- Labral Repairs
- Minimally Invasive Direct Anterior Total Hip Replacement
- Pelvis and Femoral Anatomy
- Periacetabular Osteotomy (PAO)
- Perthes Disease
- Surgical Hip Dislocations
- Tendon Repairs
- Sports Injuries
Clinical Focus
- Sports Injuries
- Comprehensive Hip Surgery
Q&A by Dr. Wells
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Orthopaedic, Sports Medicine, and Rehabilitation Programs
at UT Southwestern Medical Center at Richardson/Plano 3030 Waterview Parkway, 1st FloorRichardson, Texas 75080 972-669-7000 Directions
New Patient Appointment Accepting Virtual Visits or 214-645-8300 or 817-882-2700