Meet Your Surgeon
Dr. Justin T. Smith, MD.
Double board-certified orthopaedic surgeon and sports medicine specialist (FAAOS, FAANA). Fellowship-trained. Founder of Journey Orthopaedic Institute. The physician you see is the physician who treats you, start to finish.
- ABOS board certifications
- 2
- Years of medical training
- 10
- Technology Editor
- JSES
Why I left insurance-based care
I trained for more than a decade to take care of athletes and active people. Then I spent years watching the insurance system get in the way of doing exactly that.
Prior authorizations that delayed an MRI for weeks. Surgeries held up while a claims reviewer who never met the patient decided what was “medically necessary.” Network rules that dictated where someone could go, not where they would get the best care. Surprise bills that landed long after the visit was over. None of it made patients healthier. It just added friction, cost, and waiting.
So I built something different.
At Journey Orthopaedic Institute, there is no insurance company in the exam room. Pricing is transparent and posted up front, so you know what you are paying before you book. You are seen in days, not months. Your visit is unhurried, and the plan is built around you, not around what a payer will approve. We provide an itemized superbill and can file out-of-network claims on your behalf, though reimbursement is not guaranteed.
This is care the way it should have been all along: direct, honest, and centered on the person in front of me.
Justin T. Smith, MD, FAAOS, FAANA
Founder, Journey Orthopaedic Institute
See Dr. Smith’s full professional profile and peer-reviewed publications.
Ten years of training, under some of the best in the world.
Dr. Smith completed a decade of medical training before founding JOI, from medical school through residency and a sports-surgery fellowship in the Carolinas.
- 2021 to 2022
Orthopaedic Sports Surgery Fellowship
Steadman-Hawkins Clinic of the Carolinas
Subspecialty training in sports injuries of the shoulder, elbow, hip, knee, and ankle, learning from world-renowned surgeons in shoulder arthroplasty, cartilage preservation, osteotomy correction, ACL reconstruction, hip arthroscopy, and on-field sports coverage.
- 2016 to 2021
Orthopaedic Surgery Residency
Beaumont Health, Michigan
Five years of general orthopaedic training across trauma, sports, adult reconstruction, shoulder and elbow, foot and ankle, hand, spine, oncology, and pediatrics.
- 2016
Orthopaedic Surgery Research Fellowship
Northwestern University, Feinberg School of Medicine
A dedicated research fellowship in orthopaedic biomaterials and bone healing, including 3D-printed scaffolds and nanofiber biomaterials for spinal fusion, producing multiple peer-reviewed publications (including work in Nature Nanotechnology).
- 2012 to 2016
Doctor of Medicine, MD
Oakland University William Beaumont (OUWB) School of Medicine
Medical doctorate with foundational training in human biology, anatomy, pharmacology, immunology, pathology, and genetics.
- 2008 to 2012
B.S., Genetics
University of Georgia
Undergraduate study with an emphasis in human biology, immunology, and genetics.
Dr. Smith grew up in the suburbs of north Atlanta before heading to the University of Georgia. He met his future wife, Dr. Christie Smith, on a medical mission trip in Costa Rica, which led him to metro Detroit for medical school and residency, back south for fellowship in Greenville, SC, and finally to the Charlotte area to practice and build JOI.
A lifelong team-sport athlete and dedicated outdoorsman, he and Christie are adventure partners who hike, bike, kayak, and raft their way around the world. That same drive shows up in the clinic.
“The word doctor comes from the Latin docere, to teach. We are teachers and guides, from the field to the clinic to the operating room and back. I strive to be able, affable, and available.”
Trusted on the sideline, from the pros to Friday nights.
As a team physician, Dr. Smith has cared for athletes at every level, from professional and Division I programs to local high schools. Past and present coverage includes:
Team affiliations reflect past and present coverage and do not imply current endorsement by any organization.
Surgeon-led care, without the insurance hassle
Surgeon-led, every visit
You see a double board-certified surgeon directly. No handoffs to someone you never met.
Transparent pricing
Real prices, posted up front. No surprise bills and no guessing.
Rapid access
Seen in days, not months. Phone, text, and mobile visits when you need them.
Integrated care
Diagnosis, biologics, procedures, surgery, and physical therapy coordinated under one plan.
Your Rehab Partner
Dr. Christie Smith, PT, DPT, KEOMPT
Doctor of physical therapy and certified orthopaedic manual therapist (KEOMPT). Sports rehab, post-op recovery, and return-to-performance.
The fastest way back to what you love is a surgeon and a therapist working from the same plan. At JOI that is exactly how it works, and it is personal: Dr. Christie Smith and Dr. Justin T. Smith met on a medical mission trip in Costa Rica and now build every recovery plan as one team.
Christie leads rehabilitation across the practice. From the first evaluation through return to sport, your therapy is coordinated directly with your surgeon, so nothing falls through the cracks between the operating room and the gym floor. Sessions are one-on-one, with hands-on manual therapy, sport-specific rehab, and post-operative recovery built around your goals and your timeline. She is licensed in South Carolina, North Carolina, and Michigan.
- One coordinated plan shared between surgeon and physical therapist
- Manual therapy and sport-specific rehabilitation
- Post-operative recovery and return-to-performance programming
- StemWave shockwave therapy available alongside rehab
Rebecca Tucker, ATC rounds out the team, leading clinical operations and sports-medicine support so every visit, message, and recovery plan stays coordinated and responsive.
Training and standards behind your care
The credentials below are verified. They reflect the training, certification, and national service that shape every plan of care at JOI.
ABOS Board Certified, Orthopaedic Surgery
ABOS Subspecialty, Orthopaedic Sports Medicine
FAAOS, Fellow of the AAOS
OSSIOfiber® Center of Excellence
Double board-certified
- Board-certified by the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery (ABOS) in Orthopaedic Surgery
- Subspecialty certified by the ABOS in Orthopaedic Sports Medicine
- FAAOS, Fellow of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons
- FAANA, Fellow of the Arthroscopy Association of North America
- Fellowship-trained in orthopaedic sports surgery at the Steadman-Hawkins Clinic of the Carolinas
Teaching and editorial roles
- Technology Editor, Journal of Shoulder and Elbow Surgery (JSES)
- Contributor and April 2026 cover feature, Surgery Business Magazine
- Assistant Professor, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Charlotte
- Residency training at Beaumont (Michigan)
- Founder and CEO, Journey Orthopaedic Institute
National committee service
- ASES (American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons): AI Committee and Technology Committee
- AOSSM (American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine): Self-Assessment Exam Committee
- Member: AAOS, AANA, AOSSM, ASES, Hawkins Society, SC Orthopaedic Society
- Patellofemoral Instability Part I: when to operate and soft-tissue procedures (State of the Art). Journal of ISAKOS, 2024.
- Patellofemoral Instability Part II: bony procedures for patellar stabilization. Journal of ISAKOS, 2025.
- Patellofemoral Instability Part III: patellofemoral cartilage treatment (State of the Art). Journal of ISAKOS, 2025.
- Corticosteroid injections prior to surgery had no effect on 2-year outcomes following arthroscopic rotator cuff repair. JSES International, 2023.
- EHR ICD-10 coding for proximal humerus fracture does not capture fracture complexity for comparative-effectiveness research. Journal of Shoulder and Elbow Surgery (JSES), 2023.
- Can the femoro-epiphyseal acetabular roof (FEAR) index distinguish dysplasia from impingement?. Clinical Orthopaedics and Related Research (CORR), 2021.
- Glycomimetic supramolecular assemblies for heparin-binding proteins. Nature Nanotechnology, 2017.
Plus a book chapter in The Patellofemoral Joint (ISAKOS, 2022) and peer-reviewed surgical video publications in the AAOS Orthopaedic Video Theatre.
- The Role of Artificial Intelligence in Orthopaedic Sports Medicine. Global Knee Summit, Dubai, UAE, 2026.
- Addressing Subchondral Insufficiency Fractures with the OSSIO Knee-Bar. Global Knee Summit, Dubai, UAE, 2026.
- Artificial Intelligence in Orthopaedic Sports Medicine (Expert Talk). Florida Orthopaedic Society Annual Meeting, 2026.
- Blending Technology and Modern Surgical Technique. KEOMT International Meeting, Zaragoza, Spain, 2025.
- How Can AI Optimize Orthopaedic Billing and Coding?. 32nd Annual Tampa Shoulder Course, 2026.
- Artificial Intelligence in Sports Medicine. SC and NC Orthopaedic Society Annual Meetings, 2024 to 2025.
A frequent national and international speaker on artificial intelligence in orthopaedic surgery and sports medicine.
Where Dr. Smith trained and contributes
Double Board-Certified · ABOS · FAAOS · FAANA · NPI 1669922969 · Dr. Justin T. Smith is licensed in South Carolina, North Carolina, Michigan, and Wyoming.
Ready When You Are
Get expert orthopaedic care, directly.
See a double board-certified sports medicine surgeon in days, not months. Transparent pricing, no insurance hassle, a plan built around you.