Dear Colleagues,
We are pleased to announce that Julia Ann Katarincic, MD, has been appointed Chief of Orthopedics for Brown University Health, Chair of the Department of Orthopaedics at The Warren Alpert Medical School, and the Vincent Zecchino, MD Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery, effective July 1, 2026.
Dr. Katarincic will succeed Edward Akelman, MD, who is concluding his tenure as chair and chief today, June 30, following a distinguished career marked by clinical excellence, leadership, and a lasting contribution to orthopedic care, education, and research.
Dr. Katarincic is a nationally and internationally recognized orthopedic surgeon with more than two decades of leadership within Brown University Health and The Warren Alpert Medical School. She currently serves as Chief of the Division of Orthopedic Hand and Microvascular Surgery at Rhode Island Hospital and The Miriam Hospital and is a professor of orthopaedics at The Warren Alpert Medical School. She also serves as Vice Chair for Clinical Operations in the Department of Orthopaedics and Chair of the Operations Committee at University Orthopedics.
A dedicated clinician–leader and educator, Dr. Katarincic has held continuous hospital appointments at Rhode Island Hospital, Hasbro Children’s Hospital, and The Miriam Hospital since 2002. She previously served on faculty and in leadership roles at the Mayo Clinic and Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School. Her clinical expertise spans complex hand and upper extremity surgery, microvascular surgery, and pediatric orthopedics.
Her academic and professional contributions are extensive. Dr. Katarincic has authored more than 40 peer-reviewed publications and numerous book chapters and has served in key leadership roles within national and international organizations, including the American Society for Surgery of the Hand (ASSH), the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, the American Orthopaedic Association, and the International Federation of Societies for Surgery of the Hand. She has also played a significant role in advancing diversity, education, and global outreach in orthopedic surgery and is the past chair of the Medical Faculty Executive Committee at Brown.
Among her many honors, Dr. Katarincic has received multiple Teacher of the Year awards and the 2022 ASSH Sumner Koch Award, recognizing excellence in research and clinical investigation.
Dr. Katarincic earned her Bachelor of Arts in Mathematics from Dartmouth College and her Doctor of Medicine degree from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. She completed her internship and orthopedic surgery residency at Rhode Island Hospital and a fellowship in Hand and Microvascular Surgery at Mayo Clinic. She is board-certified by the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery, with a Certificate of Added Qualification in Surgery of the Hand.
Please join us in congratulating Dr. Katarincic on her appointment and in thanking Dr. Akelman for his extraordinary leadership and service. We look forward to this important next chapter for our orthopedic programs at Brown Health and The Warren Alpert Medical School.
John Fernandez
President and Chief Executive Officer
Mukesh K. Jain, MD
Senior Associate Provost for Life Sciences
Senior Vice President for Health Affairs
Dean of Medicine and Biological Sciences
Babar Khokhar, MD, MBA
President, Brown Health Medical Group
Executive Vice President & Chief Physician Officer, Brown University Health