Jason Kappa, MD

Dr. Jason Kappa is a fellowship-trained orthopedic surgeon specializing in shoulder surgery and Sports Medicine. He earned his Bachelor of Science in biomedical engineering in 2011, with distinction, from Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut. He earned his Doctor of Medicine at Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta, Georgia, in 2015. He completed his surgical internship and residency in Orthopedic Surgery at George Washington University School of Medicine in Washington, DC, in 2020, and his Sports Medicine and Shoulder fellowship at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Texas, in 2021.

Prior to joining Kelsey-Seybold in 2021, as part of his fellowship, Dr. Kappa served as an assistant physician for St. Thomas High School Athletics, the University of Houston Athletics, the Houston Texans, and the Houston Astros.

Dr. Kappa enjoys cooking, skiing, cycling, and spending time with family.

Fun Facts

The best advice Dr. Kappa has ever received is “if you love what you do, you won’t work a day in your life.”

Not everyone knows this about Dr. Kappa, but he comes from a family of physicians. His wife, parents, grandmother, older brothers, and sisters-in-law are physicians.

For most of his life, he wanted to be an engineer but was drawn to medicine by the personal relationships developed with peers and patients. “That and the fact I wasn’t very good at physics.”

Publications, Peer-Reviewed

• Scully R, Kappa JE, Schulte L. Management of lower extremity long-bone fractures in spinal cord injury patients. J Am Acad Orthop Surg. 2017 Sept;25(9):e204-213
• Sweeney KR, Kappa JE, Shi J, Gottschalk M, Bruce RW, Fletcher ND. Radiographic Assessment of Guided Growth: The correlation between screw divergence and change in anatomic alignment. J Pediatr Orthop. 2017 Jun;37(4):e261-e264
• Kappa JE, Shore BJ, Allar BG, Bruce RW, Fletcher ND. Minimally invasive Dega Acetabuloplasty for the treatment of neuromuscular hip dysplasia. Current Orthopaedic Practice, Current Orthopedic Practice. 2018 Aug;29(4):354-360
• Mantell M, Fox B, Baker M, Kappa JE, Ho A, Pandarinath R. Incidence of graft failure with Achilles tendon allograft combined with Retroscrew in primary ACL reconstruction. Current Orthopedic Practice. 2019 June;30(3):263-268
• Tran A, Kappa JE, Smith E, Hoy M, Farrar F, Chandran A, Pandarinath R. The Effect of Turf Toe Injuries on Player Performance in the National Football League. Iowa Orthop J. 2019;39(2):35-39
• Lee D, Lee R, Cross M, Tran A, Kappa JE, Moghtaderi S. Low Serum Albumin Levels Are Associated with Increased 30-Day Cardiopulmonary Complications, Reoperation, and Readmission Rates Following Total Shoulder Arthroplasty. Iowa Orthop J. 2019;39(2):27-34

Books & Book Chapters

• Scully RD, Kappa JE, Melvin JS. "Outpatient" - Same-Day Discharge Hip and Knee Arthroplasty. J Am Acad Orthop Surg. 2020 Oct 15;28(20):e900-e909
• Smith E, Kappa JE, Yu WD, O’Brien J. Interventions for osteoporosis in patients with degenerative scoliosis. Seminars in Spine Surgery, 2017. 29:123-129
• Faucett SC, Kappa JE. Biomechanics of the Medial Collateral Ligament and the Posteromedial Corner of the Knee and Its Clinical Implication. The Medial Collateral Ligament and the Posteromedial Corner: A Comprehensive Analysis. LaPrade RF, Chahla J. Nova Science Publishers, October 2018
• Kappa JE, Weinreb J, Yu WD, O’Brien J. Anterior Thoracic Decompression and Fusion (open and minimally invasive). The Resident’s Guide to Spine Surgery. 2019
• Kappa JE, Gregory JR. Rotator Cuff Arthropathy: Basic science, mechanical and biologic causes. Publication pending, AAOS Resident Curriculum

Abstracts

• Irving JR, Kappa JE, Seale KT. The Effects of Increased Flow Rate on Jurkat T Cell Viability in the Multi trap Nanophysiometer. Poster Presentation. BMES 2010 Annual Meeting. Austin, TX. 2010
• Kappa JE, Allar B, Shore BJ, Bruce RW, Fletcher ND. Efficacy of a Minimally Invasive Approach to the Dega Osteotomy for the Repair of Neuromuscular Hip Dysplasia: A Retrospective Cohort Study. Abstract, presented at POSNA 2015, AAOS annual meeting 2017
• Smith E, Scully R, Kappa JE, Macarthur B. Aseptic Loosening in Total Hip Arthroplasty: Emerging Theories and Management. The scientific exhibit, presented AAOS annual meeting 2017
• Lee R, Lee D, Zeller Z, Stake S, Kappa JE, Webber M, Pandarinath R. Risk Factors and Complications Associated with Blood Transfusions in Revision Total Hip Arthroplasty. AAHKS Annual Meeting, Poster presentation 2019