Joseph F. Alderete, MD, FAOA

COL (Ret.) Joseph F. Alderete, Jr., MD,  graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point in 1997 and earned his MD from Pennsylvania State College of Medicine in 2001. He completed his internship and residency in Orthopaedic Surgery at Eisenhower Army Medical Center (2001–2006) before serving as a staff orthopaedic surgeon at Reynolds Army Community Hospital. He later pursued fellowship training in Musculoskeletal Oncology at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. Following the fellowship, Dr. Alderete joined Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, where he served as Chief of Orthopaedic Oncology, Medical Director of the Center for the Intrepid, and Chief Orthopaedic Surgeon. Throughout his 30-year military career, he deployed to Afghanistan and Iraq in various roles, including staff orthopaedic surgeon, Deputy Commander for Clinical Services at the Joint Special Operations Task Force–Kabul, and Task Force 32 Chief of Surgery in Iraq.

His leadership extended through education, research, and clinical care. He served as Associate Program Director for the San Antonio Uniformed Services Health Education Consortium (SAUSHEC) Orthopaedic Surgery Residency, Medical Director of the Center for the Intrepid, and founding Director of RESTORE FUSE, a multi-service research laboratory dedicated to advancing limb salvage and amputee care. This work translated basic science and clinical innovation into improved survivability and recovery for service members and civilians with severe extremity injuries. He also originated the Brooke Army Medical Center Osseointegration program, advancing outcomes for patients with limb loss.

Dr. Alderete’s research interests include sarcoma biology and reconstruction following tumor resection, combat casualty care in forward surgical systems, blast trauma survivability, exoskeletal advancement for casualty recovery, and novel limb salvage techniques in extremity and pelvic trauma. His efforts have consistently focused on improving outcomes for the amputee community through innovative surgical care, rehabilitation, and collaborative research.

He has been recognized with numerous honors, including the Warren R. Kadrmas Memorial Educator’s Award for Best Teaching Staff, induction into the Order of Military Medical Merit, the Legion of Merit, and multiple academic awards. In June 2024, he was appointed to the Frances and Blackstone Dilworth Professorship in Orthopaedic Oncology at UT Health San Antonio, where he continues his work as a clinician scientist and orthopaedic oncology surgeon. Within the Department of Orthopaedics, he directs the RegenR8 Lab for Extremity Trauma, advancing research and clinical programs in limb salvage, optimization, and recovery.