John Papilion, MD
Born and raised in the Denver area, Dr. Papilion was determined to return to Colorado to practice medicine. After attending Cherry Creek High School, graduating second in his class, he attended Northwestern University in Chicago where he graduated magna cum laude with a bachelor's degree in biology and philosophy.
Dr. Papilion returned to Denver at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center where he graduated with honors with a doctorate of medicine in 1981. Internship and general surgery residency was completed at St. Joseph Hospital in Denver. Orthopedic residency training was completed at Eastern Virginia Graduate School of Medicine where he was chief resident in 1989. Knee and shoulder reconstruction residency training was completed at St. Joseph Hospital in Denver. A one-year fellowship in arthroscopy, sports medicine, and knee and shoulder reconstruction was completed in 1990 at Christ Hospital in Cincinnati, Ohio. Dr. Papilion had the opportunity to care for the Cincinnati Bengals professional football and Cincinnati Reds professional baseball teams.
Dr. Papilion entered private orthopedic practice in the Denver area in 1990 and joined Advanced Orthopedic and Sports Medicine Specialists, P.C. in 1999. He has authored numerous articles and participated in numerous seminars and presentations on complex knee and shoulder problems. He is a member of the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons, the Colorado Medical Society, and the Aurora, Adams County and Douglas County Medical Societies. He was certified by the American Board of Orthopedic Surgery in 1992 and recertified in 2002. He holds the position of clinical assistant professor at the University of Colorado Medical School.
Dr. Papilion has special interests in complex knee and shoulder problems. He has special training and expertise in state-of-the-art reconstructive surgeries such as arthroscopic rotator cuff and labral repair in the shoulder, meniscal repair and meniscal transplantation, autologous chondrocyte implantation (cartilage replacement), osteochondral autograft transfer procedure (OATS), and unispacer arthroplasty (a new minimally invasive treatment for arthritis) of the knee. In addition, he performs traditional open and arthroscopic surgery, including anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction and knee replacement, and also treats elbow and ankle problems.
Dr. Papilion has three children. He is an avid golfer and fly fisherman and enjoys running and skiing.
