Biography

Joanne Y. Zhou, MD, is an assistant professor in the Department of Orthopedic Surgery at McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston. She is a fellowship-trained orthopedic hand and upper extremity surgeon with expertise in hand and microvascular surgery. Her specific areas of interest include advanced arthroscopic and open hand, wrist, elbow, and shoulder procedures.

Dr. Zhou provides comprehensive care for a wide range of musculoskeletal injuries and conditions affecting the upper extremity—from the shoulder to the fingertip. She treats common and complex pathologies while emphasizing personalized, evidence-based treatment plans promoting recovery and function. In addition, she tailors every plan to the individual, ensuring each patient receives care suited to their goals and lifestyle. Her approach may include nonoperative therapies, minimally invasive joint preservation procedures, joint replacement, or reconstructive surgery following complex trauma. Ultimately, her goal is to restore mobility and help patients confidently return to their daily activities.

Dr. Zhou attended the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where she earned her undergraduate degrees in biology and neuroscience. She then completed medical school with a scholarly concentration in bioengineering at Stanford University. She remained at Stanford to finish her orthopedic surgery residency. Afterward, she completed a hand and upper extremity fellowship at Emory University. As part of the fellowship’s international component, she trained with world leaders in elbow instability, arthroplasty, and arthroscopy at Wrightington Hospital in England.

Moreover, Dr. Zhou is deeply involved in clinical and biomechanical research. She has authored numerous scientific articles and textbook chapters, received national grants, and presented her work at both national and international conferences. She is also an active member of several professional organizations, including the American Society for Surgery of the Hand (ASSH), American Association for Hand Surgery (AAHS), American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS), Global Elbow Network (GEN), Ruth Jackson Orthopaedic Society (RJOS), and the Orthopaedic Research Society (ORS).

Outside of medicine, Dr. Zhou enjoys spending time with her family, hiking, running, traveling, and exploring new restaurants.

Dr. Zhou sees patients in our offices in Cypress and The Woodlands, Texas. You can click here to make an appointment. 

Education

Undergraduate Degree
Bachelor of Science, Biology, Minor in Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Concentration in Public Policy, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA
Medical Degree
Scholarly Concentration in Bioengineering, Stanford University School Medicine, Stanford, CA
Residency
Orthopedic Surgery Residency, Stanford University School Medicine, Stanford, CA
Fellowship
Hand and Upper Extremity Fellowship, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA

Areas of Interest

Clinical Interests

Hand: Arthritis, fractures, dislocations, ligament injuries, tendon and nerve injuries, carpal tunnel syndrome, Guyon’s canal syndrome, trigger finger

Wrist: Fractures, sprains, ligament injuries, scapholunate injuries, tendonitis, arthritis, De Quervain’s tenosynovitis, Triangular fibrocartilage complex injury, ganglion cysts

Elbow: Cubital tunnel syndrome, tennis and golfer’s elbow, fractures, dislocations, distal biceps injuries, arthritis

Shoulder: Rotator cuff tears, biceps tendon disorders, shoulder arthritis, reverse total shoulder replacement

Forearm: Radius, ulna, and Galeazzi fractures

Publications

Visit the PubMed profile page

Peer Reviewed Manuscripts

  • Zhou JY, Hussain Z, Worden J, Vazquez F, Gottschalk M, Wagner E. “Arthroscopic Suprapectoral Biceps Tenodesis Below The Groove: A Surgical Technique.” Arthroscopy Techniques. 21 May 2025, inpress.
  • Chopra KN, Khawaja R, Gorsky AL, Greene N, Vazquez FL, Zhou JY, Hussain ZB, Gottschalk MB, Wagner ER. “Factors Influencing Online Patient-Reported Ratings Among Shoulder Surgeons.” JSES International. 2025 May 7.
  • Frey CS, Bugarinovic G, Zhou JY, Sherman S, Abrams G, Cheah J. “Popliteal Artery Variation In Non-Arthroplasty Orthopaedic Surgery” Orthopaedic Journal Of Sports Medicine, June 2024.
  • Zhou JY, Jodah R, Joseph LP, Yao J. “Scapholunate Ligament Injuries”. Journal of Hand Surgery Global Online. 2024 Apr 1.
  • Zhou JY, Tuyishime H, Yao J. “Arthroscopic-Assisted Repair of the Triangular Fibrocartilage Complex.” Journal of Hand Surgery Global Online. 2024 Apr 20.
  • Hampton JP, Zhou JY, Kameni FN, Espiritu JR, Manasherob R, Cheung E, Miller MD, Huddleston JI, Maloney WJ, Goodman SB, Amanatullah DF. “Host and Microbial Characteristics Associated with Recurrent Prosthetic Joint Infections.” Journal of Orthopaedic Research®. 2023 Dec 13.
  • Kim SE, Burket Koltsov JC, Richards AW, Zhou JY, Schadl K, Ladd AL, Rose J. “Validation of Inertial Measurement Units for Analyzing Golf Swing Rotational Biomechanics.” Sensors. 2023 Oct 13;23(20):8433.
  • van Niekerk M, O’Mara A, Kha S, Zhou JY, McAdams TA, Ladd A, Shea K, Frick S, Maloney WJ, Chu CR. “Strengthening the Pipeline: Promoting Diversity into Orthopedic Surgery.” Clinics in Sports Medicine. 2023 Dec 19.
  • Shapiro LM, Zhou JY, Shah K, Frey C, Chan C, Kamal RN. Is There a Critical Dorsal Lunate Facet Size in Distal Radius Fractures That Leads to Dorsal Carpal Subluxation? A Biomechanical Study of the Dorsal Critical Corner. The Journal of Hand Surgery. 2023 Aug 16.
  • Zhou JY, Frey CS, Shah KN, Ostergaard PJ, Yao J. “Antegrade Fixation of Distal Metaphyseal Ulnar Shortening Osteotomy.” Techniques in Hand & Upper Extremity Surgery. 2023 Sep 1;27(3):182-8.
  • Zhou JY, Richards A, Schadl K, Ladd A, Rose J. “The swing performance Index: Developing a singlescore index of golf swing rotational biomechanics quantified with 3D kinematics.” Frontiers in Sports and Active Living. 2022 Dec 23;4:480.
  • Frey CS, Zhou JY, Shah K, Chan CK, Joseph L, Storaci H, Segovia N, Yao J. “Distal Metaphyseal Ulnar Shortening Osteotomy Fixation: A Biomechanical Analysis.” The Journal of Hand Surgery. 2023 Jan 3.
  • Zeltser DW, Zhou JY, Joseph LP. “Coronoid Fractures and Varus Posteromedial Rotatory Instability.” Operative Techniques in Orthopaedics. 2023 Feb 3:101024.
  • Zhou JY, Lai C, Pun SY, Richey A, Leshikar HB, Avedian R, Steffner R. “Combining Shelf Osteotomy With Proximal Femoral Reconstruction After Oncologic Resection.” Techniques in Orthopaedics. 2022:10-97.
  • Zhou JY, Frey C, Segovia N, Yao J. “Anatomic relationship of extensor indicis propius and extensor digitorum communis: Implications for tendon transfer.” World Journal of Orthopedics. 2022 Nov 18;13(11):978-85.
  • Vuong B, Zhou JY, Park M, Patey R, Segovia N, Imrie M, Pun SY. “Knowledge and Practices Related to Hip-Healthy Swaddling for Newborns Among Maternity Nurses.” Journal of Obstetric, Gynecologic & Neonatal Nursing. 2022 Sep 8.
  • Zhou JY, Amanatullah D, Frick S. “EMTALA Obligations: A Case Example and Review of Literature.” Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery. 2019 Jun 19;101(12):e55.
  • Zhou JY, Zhang K, Cahill-Rowley K, Lowe E, Rose J. “The Pediatric Gait TDI: a temporal-spatial deviation index of walking.” Developmental Medicine Child Neurology. 2019 Dec;61(12):1423-31.
  • Zhou JY, Lowe E, Cahill-Rowley K, Mahtani GB, Young JL, Rose J. “Influence of impaired selective motor control on gait in cerebral palsy.” Journal of Children’s Orthopaedics. 2019 Feb 1;13(1):73-81.
  • Zhou JY, Mittermiller P, Curtin C, Johannet P. “Acute Extensor Tenosynovitis due to Disseminated Gonococcal Infection” Journal of Plastic Reconstructive Surgery – Global Open 7 (9).
  • Zhou JY, Butler EE, Rose J. “Neurologic correlates of gait abnormalities in cerebral palsy: Implications for treatment.” Frontiers in Human Neuroscience. 2017;11: 103. Zhou JY, Bortz W, Fredericson M. “Moving Toward a Better Balance: Stanford School of Medicine’s Lifestyle Medicine Course Is Spearheading the Promotion of Health and Wellness in Medicine.” American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine. 2017 Jan;11(1):36-8.
  • Ramirez S, Liu X, MacDonald CJ, Moffa A, Zhou J, Redondo RL, Tonegawa S. “Activating positive memory engrams suppresses depression-like behaviour.” Nature. 2015 Jun 18; 522(7556):335-9.

Book Chapters

  • Zhou JY, Wagner ER. “Thumb Arthritis, including Carpometacarpal.” In Orthopaedic Knowledge update. Pending publication.
  • Blevins KM, Zhou JY, Wagner ER. “Dupuytren’s Contracture History and Considerations.” In Dupuytren’s Disease: Current And Emerging Techniques 2025 Apr 27 (Pp. 1-6). Cham: Springer Nature Switzerland.
  • Joseph LP, Zhou JY, Yao J. Scapholunate Ligament Injuries in the Athlete. Orthopaedic Sports Medicine: An Encyclopedic Review of Diagnosis, Prevention, and Management. 2023 Aug 7:1-30.
  • Zhou JY, Joseph L, Yao J. “Arthroscopic-Assisted Repair of the Triangular Fibrocartilage Complex” Chapter 31 of Master Techniques in Orthopaedics. Accepted, pending publication.