DR. JOHN T. WILLIAMS JR.

Dr. John T. Williams Jr. couldn’t help but go into medicine. His father, John Sr., is a retired doctor who was the first African-American board-certified orthopedic surgeon in the state of Pennsylvania. The elder Williams was in private practice for 32 years and was affiliated for 50 years with Einstein Medical Center in Philadelphia.

“My dad was a very driven man, and he made sure that my brother, Geoffrey, and I had a very strong work ethic,” John Jr. says. “He said, ‘You don’t have to be a doctor, but I recommend you do something professional.’ He and my mother, Myrtle, were very influential in helping my brother and me to be focused and to achieve academic excellence.”

John Jr., an animal lover, initially wanted to be an orthopedic veterinarian, but in college decided to be an orthopedic surgeon. “Junior,” as he was known, followed in his father’s footsteps by earning a degree from Howard University College of Medicine in the District of Columbia in 1994, 30 years after his dad graduated from there. Geoffrey also followed into the field and is a regional manager for an orthopedic implant company.

John Jr. also went to work at Einstein, serving as the total joint specialist for 11 years, the last seven as the director of the total joint program. He relocated in 2011 to Central Florida and has built a large patient base since then.

“WE MAKE SURE THE PATIENTS FEEL THEY ARE CATERED TO, AND WE TREAT THE WHOLE PERSON, NOT JUST THE PART THAT IS PAINFUL,” John says. “They know when we see them, they have our full attention. From the time they walk in the door to the time we are finished treating their ailment, they will feel like they are getting compassionate care.”

He and his wife, Martina, have been married for 20 years, and have a son, John T. Williams III, who is a junior in high school.