Education and Career
After graduating from the Zagreb School of Medicine, he completed his orthopaedic residency in 2015 and has since worked as an orthopaedic surgeon at the Zagreb Children's Hospital, treating children from the first days of life to adulthood.
During residency he trained at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, one of the best paediatric orthopaedic centres in the USA. As a resident, he also received an EFORT Travelling Fellowship and spent time at a leading centre in Greece.
Deepening his knowledge and skills after several years of working with children, he later passed the subspecialty examination in paediatric orthopaedics.
Specialisation in the Paediatric Knee
Today Prim. dr. sc. Vlaić examines and treats musculoskeletal conditions in children – from feet, knees, hips, spine and upper limbs. Through his clinical work in the outpatient clinic and operating theatre, he developed a special interest in paediatric knee problems and focused his training on the research of knee diseases and injuries.
He successfully completed a Knee Fellowship at the University Children's Hospital Basel, Switzerland, and The London Knee Fellowship, UK – training alongside some of the world's leading paediatric knee surgeons.
Doctorate and a New Surgical Technique
As a natural continuation of his clinical interest, in 2019 he defended his doctoral dissertation on knee ligament reconstruction. Based on the biomechanical research from his doctorate, he developed a new surgical technique for treating patellar instability.
Academic and Professional Engagement
In addition to patient care, as a speaker he actively participates in numerous national and international orthopaedic symposia and congresses. He is a member of several national and international orthopaedic associations.
He has published multiple scientific papers on paediatric orthopaedics and the knee in various international journals, and is co-author of chapters in three textbooks.
His academic work is recognised through membership of the Orthopaedics Chair at the University of Zagreb School of Medicine, where he teaches paediatric orthopaedics to medical students and instructs future orthopaedic and trauma surgery specialists on paediatric and adolescent knee pathology.
Primarius (Prim.) – a title awarded to physicians of exceptional merit in healthcare and professional work. Prim. dr. sc. Josip Vlaić holds both the title of Doctor of Science (dr. sc.) and the Primarius distinction.