Physicians & PAs
J. Kent Ellington, MD

Phone: 704.323.3668

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J. Kent Ellington, MD


  • University of North Carolina Charlotte -- Bachelor of Science
  • University of North Carolina Charlotte -- Masters of Science
  • Wake Forest University School of Medicine -- Doctor of Medicine
  • Carolinas Medical Center -- Internship
  • Carolinas Medical Center -- Residency, Orthopedic Surgery 
  • Mercy Medical Center, Baltimore -- Fellowship, Institute for Foot & Ankle Reconstruction

  • As an award winning surgeon, with over 15 years of research experience, Dr. Ellington has 2 patents pending and is currently an Adjunct Assistant Professor of Biology at UNC Charlotte
  • Dr. Ellington is also active in teaching orthopedic residents and fellows
  • Dr. Ellington travels to local junior high and high schools and teaches about trauma prevention
  • Clinical Faculty, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Carolinas Medical Center
  • Reviewer for Foot and Ankle International
  • Board of Directors -- OrthoCarolina Foundation
  • Board of Directors -- OrthoCarolina Research Institute (OCRI)
  • Research Advisory Committee -- OrthoCarolina Research Institute (OCRI)
  • Head Team Physician -- Charlotte Copperheads
  • Team Physician -- UNC Charlotte
  • Team Physician -- Stewart-Haas Racing
  • Team Physician -- Wingate University
  • Team Physician -- Johnson C. Smith University



Specialties
Foot & Ankle
Fellowship Trained
Foot & Ankle

  • Specializes in orthopaedic foot & ankle reconstruction
  • Clinical interests include foot/ankle and lower extremity deformity correction, trauma and fracture care; foot/ankle sports medicine/arthroscopy; cartilage preservation; and arthritis management of the foot and ankle, including ankle replacement.

  • Member of the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons
  • Member of the American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society
  • Board Certified Surgeon

  • Admin Asst/Surgery Scheduler -- Karen Ritchie, MAA
  • Office Asst -- Stephen Bingemer, CMA
  • Surgical Asst -- Nicole Cieslak, CST, CSFA

  • 2011 Reviewer for the Journal Foot and Ankle International
  • 2010 Invited JBJS website creator and editor of foot/ankle website
  • 2009 Resident Teaching Award, CMC Orthopaedics 
  • 2008 AOA Emerging Leaders Program
  • 2008 Basil Boyd Annual Research Award 
  • 2007 North Carolina Nano-Biotechnology Research Award 
  • 2007 Carolinas Medical Center Orthopaedic Surgery Annual Resident Research Award 
  • 2004 Alpha Omega Alpha, Honor Medical Society
  • 2004 Richard L. Burton Research Achievement Award, Wake Forest Univ School of Medicine
  • 2004 Highlight Paper AAOS
  • 2003 Highlight Paper AAOS
  • 2003 Highlight Paper OTA
  • 2002 Highlight Paper OTA
  • 2001 Wake Forest University School of Medicine Research Award
  • 2000 Cameron Applied Research Center Excellence in Research Award
  • 2000-2003 North Carolina Medical Association Academic Scholarship, Iredell County

Research Projects In Progress:

  1. Outcomes following ankle fracture-dislocations
  2. Rate of talar AVN after talar neck fractures
  3. The Role of Alendronate for Prevention of Talar Osteonecrosis After Trauma (T.O.A.T) trial: A Double Blinded, Prospective Randomized, Placebo-controlled Study
  4. Local antibiotic delivery for wound infections
  5. Utility of additional Xrays in patients with ankle fractures
  6. Diagnosis of syndesmotic ankle sprains in NFL players
  7. Vitamin D levels in patients with nonunions
  8. Trinity for fusions of the ankle and hindfoot
  9. Denovo for cartilage defects of the ankle
  10.   Biomimetic for fusions of the foot and ankle
  11.   Percutaneous repair of Achilles rupture

Published Work: 
  • Ellington J.K., Reilly SS, Ramp WK, Smeltzer MS, Kellam JF, Hudson MC. Mechanisms of Staphylococcus aureus invasion of cultured osteoblasts. Microb Pathog, 26: 317-23, 1999.
  • Bost, K.L., Bento JL, Ellington JK, Marriott I, Hudson MC. Induction of colony-stimulating factor expression following Staphylococcus or Salmonella interaction with mouse or human osteoblasts. Infect Immun, 68:5075-83, 2000.
  • Ellington, J.K., Elhofy A, Hudson MC. Involvement of mitogen-activated protein kinase pathways in Staphylococcus aureus invasion of normal osteoblasts. Infect Immun, 69: 5235-42, 2001.
  • Ellington, J. K., L. Webb, M. Harris, B. Smith, T. Smith, K. Tan, M. Hudson. Intracellular Staphylococcus aureus. A Mechanism for the Indolence of Osteomyelitis. J. Bone Joint Surg Br, 85:918-21, 2003.
  • Ellington J.K., M. Harris, M.C. Hudson, S. Vishin, L.X. Webb. Intracellular Staphylococcus aureus and antibiotic resistance: Implications for treatment of staphylococcal osteomyelitis. J Orthop Res., Jan;24:87-93, 2006.
  • Monica Rabinovich, Shankari N. Somayaji, Rajeev Raghavan Pillai, Michael C. Hudson, Ellington, JK Michael Bosse, James Horton, and Kenneth E. Gonsalves. Active Polymer Nanoparticles: Delivery of Antibiotics. Mater. Res. Soc. Symp. Proc. Vol. 1019, 2007
  • Ellington J.K., Kneisl J. Acrometastasis to the Foot: Three Case Reports with Primary Colon Cancer. Foot and Ankle Specialists, 2:140-5, 2009.
  • Ellington J.K., Jones C.P, Cohen B, Anderson R, Davis H. Clinical and radiographic review of 107 hallux metatarsophalangeal joint arthrodesis using dome-shaped reamers and a stainless-steel dorsal plate. Foot Ankle Int, 31:385-90, 2010.
  • Berkes M, Obremskey WT, Bosse MJ, Hymes R, Scannell B, Ellington JK. Maintenance of Hardware After Early Postoperative Infection Following Fracture Internal Fixation. JBJS Am, 92:823-8, 2010.
  • Ellington JK, Anderson R, Davis H, Cohen B, Jones C. Radiographic outcomes following proximal interphalangeal joint arthrodesis with an intramedullary fusion device for lesser toe deformities. Foot Ankle Int, 31:372-6, 2010.
  • Ellington JK, McCormick J, Marion C, Anderson R, Davis H, Cohen B, Jones C. Outcomes following surgical repair of tibialis anterior tendon rupture. Foot Ankle Int, 31:412-7, 2010.
  • Kwon JY, Ellington JK. Orthopeers: bring peer review to the people. Harvard Orthopaedic Journal. September, 2010.
  • Ellington JK, Myerson MS, Coetzee CC. The use of the Lapidus for revision hallux valgus. Foot Ankle Int. 2011 Jul;32(7):674-80.
  • Hunt K, Ellington JK, Anderson R, Davis H, Cohen B, Jones C. Locked vs nonlocked plates for hallux MP arthrodesis, Foot Ankle Int. 2011 Jul;32(7):704-9.
  • Kwon JY, Ellington JK, Marsland D, Gupta S. Safe placement of a percutaneous transcalcaneal pin: An anatomic study and technique tip. Foot Ankle Int. 2011 Jun;32(6):651-5.
  • Ellington JK. Hammertoes/Clawtoes: PIP Correction. Foot Ankle Clin. 2011 Dec;16(4):547-58.
  • Ellington JK, Myerson MS. The Use of Arthrodesis to Correct Rigid Flatfoot Deformity. Instr Course Lect. 60:311-320, 2011.
  • Gupta S, Ellington JK, Myerson MS. Management of specific complications after total ankle replacements. Semin Arthro 21:310-319, 2011.
  • Ellington JK, Michael J. Bosse, Renan C. Castillo, Dolfi Herscovici, Thomas G. DiPasquale, Ellen J. MacKenzie, And The LEAP STUDY Group. The mangled foot and ankle: the role of soft tissue coverage. J Ortho Trauma, Submitted, 2011.
  • Ellington JK, Gettys FK, Bosse MJ, Osborne P. Outcomes following talar neck fractures. J Ortho Trauma, Submitted, 2011.
  • Ellington JK, Myerson MS. Outcomes following revision total ankle replacement. J Bone Joint Surg Am, In progress, 2011.
  • Ellington JK, Michael J. Bosse, Renan C. Castillo, Dolfi Herscovici, Thomas G. DiPasquale, Ellen J. MacKenzie, And The LEAP STUDY Group. The mangled foot and ankle: the role of soft tissue coverage. J Ortho Trauma, Submitted, 2011.