Justin J. Ernat, MD, MHA, FAAOS

Languages spoken: English
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Clinical Locations

  • Dr. Ernat specializes in orthopaedic sports medicine with a surgical focus on the knee and shoulder. He received his undergraduate education at Illinois Wesleyan University where he received a bachelor's degree in Chemistry, magna cum laude. He was very active in organic chemistry research there, including publishing multiple papers that focused on utilizing green chemistry for pharmaceutical developments. He would go on to attend medical school at The Chicago Medical School at Rosalind Franklin University where he was selected to the Gold Humanism in Medicine Honor Society. He joined the United States Army and completed orthopedic surgical residency training at Tripler Army Medical Center in Honolulu, HI. During his time in residency, he concurrently completed a master's degree in healthcare administration and management. He participated in care for the Army, Air Force, Navy, Marines, and Coast Guard service members, and was active in research across all sub-specialties of orthopedics. After residency, Justin served as an active duty orthopedic surgeon at Blanchfield Army Community Hospital, Fort Campbell, KY. While at Fort Campbell, he was involved in the care of soldiers and families of the 101st Airborne Division, and specifically served as head team orthopedic surgeon for both the 5th Special Forces Group and the 160th Special Operation Aviation Regiment (SOAR). He deployed to Syria in 2018/2019 during Operation Inherent Resolve with a surgical team under the direction of the Special Operations Joint Task Force, caring for special operations service members and civilians, as well as local nationals and Syrian Democratic Forces. Upon completing 9 years of service in the Army, he completed a fellowship in orthopaedic sports medicine surgery at the world-renowned Steadman Clinic and Steadman Philippon Research Institute in Vail, Colorado. There, he was active in research regarding knee and shoulder injuries.

    He is certified by the American Board of Orthopedic Surgery, has published multiple orthopedic research papers, and has presented his research at national and international meetings. He is a member of the Arthroscopy Association of North America, the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine, the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgery, and the Society of Military Orthopaedic Surgeons. His practice includes management of the following knee and shoulder pathologies in addition to all sports-related injuries:

    • Knee: - ACL, PCL, MCL, and LCL - Cartilage Restoration - Meniscus Injuries- Osteotomy for Malalignment - Multiligament Knee Injury - Patellofemoral Disorders

    • Shoulder: - Shoulder instability - Labral/SLAP tears - Rotator cuff injuries - Impingement - AC joint , SC joint, and clavicle injuries - Biceps tendon Injuries

    Board Certification and Academic Information

    Academic Departments Orthopaedics - Primary

    Patient Rating

    4.8/5

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    Patient Comments

    Patient comments are gathered from our Press Ganey Patient Satisfaction Survey and displayed in their entirety.
    Patients are de-identified for confidentiality and patient privacy.

    November 25, 2022

    Dr Ernat was happy to answer my (many) questions in detail, and gave me really interesting explanations for what we were seeing in my knee. I'm very grateful to have seen him for this appointment.

    November 25, 2022

    He was extremely arrogant and smirked if I mentioned any non-operative options. When I asked him what a non-operative protocol might look like, he said, "I can't force you to have the surgery we'd make a treatment plan." Then he hurried out of the room with no explanation of what that might look like and no opportunity for me to ask questions.

    November 25, 2022

    Dr. Ernst is simply awesome, and his staff over-the-top fantastic.

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  • Dr. Ernat specializes in orthopaedic sports medicine with a surgical focus on the knee and shoulder. He received his undergraduate education at Illinois Wesleyan University where he received a bachelor's degree in Chemistry, magna cum laude. He was very active in organic chemistry research there, including publishing multiple papers that focused on utilizing green chemistry for pharmaceutical developments. He would go on to attend medical school at The Chicago Medical School at Rosalind Franklin University where he was selected to the Gold Humanism in Medicine Honor Society. He joined the United States Army and completed orthopedic surgical residency training at Tripler Army Medical Center in Honolulu, HI. During his time in residency, he concurrently completed a master's degree in healthcare administration and management. He participated in care for the Army, Air Force, Navy, Marines, and Coast Guard service members, and was active in research across all sub-specialties of orthopedics. After residency, Justin served as an active duty orthopedic surgeon at Blanchfield Army Community Hospital, Fort Campbell, KY. While at Fort Campbell, he was involved in the care of soldiers and families of the 101st Airborne Division, and specifically served as head team orthopedic surgeon for both the 5th Special Forces Group and the 160th Special Operation Aviation Regiment (SOAR). He deployed to Syria in 2018/2019 during Operation Inherent Resolve with a surgical team under the direction of the Special Operations Joint Task Force, caring for special operations service members and civilians, as well as local nationals and Syrian Democratic Forces. Upon completing 9 years of service in the Army, he completed a fellowship in orthopaedic sports medicine surgery at the world-renowned Steadman Clinic and Steadman Philippon Research Institute in Vail, Colorado. There, he was active in research regarding knee and shoulder injuries.

    He is certified by the American Board of Orthopedic Surgery, has published multiple orthopedic research papers, and has presented his research at national and international meetings. He is a member of the Arthroscopy Association of North America, the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine, the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgery, and the Society of Military Orthopaedic Surgeons. His practice includes management of the following knee and shoulder pathologies in addition to all sports-related injuries:

    • Knee: - ACL, PCL, MCL, and LCL - Cartilage Restoration - Meniscus Injuries- Osteotomy for Malalignment - Multiligament Knee Injury - Patellofemoral Disorders

    • Shoulder: - Shoulder instability - Labral/SLAP tears - Rotator cuff injuries - Impingement - AC joint , SC joint, and clavicle injuries - Biceps tendon Injuries

    Board Certification and Academic Information

    Academic Departments Orthopaedics -Primary

    Research interests

    Education history

    Fellowship Sports Medicine - The Steadman Clinic and Steadman Philippon Research Institute Fellow
    Healthcare Administration and Management - Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science MHA
    Residency Orthopedic Surgery - Tripler Army Medical Center Resident
    Medicine - Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science, Chicago Medical School M.D.
    Undergraduate Chemistry - Illinois Wesleyan University B.A.