About Judson W. Karlen, MD
Judson Karlen, MD, is a pediatric orthopedic surgeon and vice-chief of orthopedic surgery at Phoenix Children's. With specialized training in hip and spine surgery, Dr. Karlen has a special interest in caring for young patients with scoliosis and hip conditions.
Dr. Karlen joined the division of orthopedics when the program was in the early stages of development. He is proud that the program has evolved and grown to become a provider of comprehensive orthopedic services and a leader in the Southwest region. Dr. Karlen now serves as the director of the Pediatric Orthopedic Fellowship program at Phoenix Children's.
After graduating magna cum laude from the University of Southern California (USC) in Los Angeles, Dr. Karlen earned his medical degree from the University of California San Francisco School of Medicine in San Francisco. He completed his orthopedic surgery residency training at the University of Hawaii in Honolulu. Dr. Karlen went on to complete fellowship training in pediatric orthopedic surgery at Children's Hospital in Los Angeles and in hip preservation surgery with Schulthess Klinik in Zurich, Switzerland.
Dr. Karlen is board certified by the American Board of Orthopedic Surgery. He is a fellow of the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons, the Pediatric Orthopaedic Society of North America and a member of the Scoliosis Research Society. He recently presented at the Scoliosis Research Society's International Congress of Early Onset Scoliosis.
As an orthopedic surgeon, Dr. Karlen's goal is always to maximize activity, mobility and function for his patients. He is proud to partner with his patients and their families as they set goals, then work to achieve them. Dr. Karlen first became interested in becoming a doctor in early childhood, but it wasn't until a medical mission to Ghana that he fully understood the impact a career in medicine could have. The value of improving a patient's quality of life is central to his practice.
Outside the operating room, Dr. Karlen enjoys spending time with his family and cheering on the USC Trojans and the Arizona Cardinals.
Medical School / Education
UCSF School of Medicine, San Francisco, CA
Residency
(Orthopedic Surgery) University of Hawaii, Honolulu, HI
Fellowship
(Pediatric Orthopedic Surgery) Children's Hospital Los Angeles, CA
(Hip Preservation Surgery) Schulthess Klinik, Zurich, Switzerland
Orthopedic Surgery
American Board of Orthopedic Surgery
Orthopedic Surgery
Pediatrics
Faculty of the Year, Mayo Clinic Arizona Orthopedic Residency Program, 2022
Faculty of the Year, University of Arizona Phoenix Orthopedic Residency Program, 2017
Professional Affiliations
Member, Scoliosis Research Society
Fellow, American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons
Fellow, Pediatric Orthopaedic Society of North America
Karlen, JW, Skaggs, DL, Ramachandran, M and Kay, RM - The Dega osteotomy: a versatile osteotomy in the treatment of developmental and neuromusclular hip pathology. J Pediatr Orthop-Oct/Nov 2009; 29(7): 676-82
Sankar WN, Vanderhave KL, Matheney T, Herrera-Soto JA and Karlen JW - The modified Dunn procedure for unstable slipped capital femoral epiphysis: A multicenter perspective. J Bone Joint Surg Am 2013; 95(7): 585-591
Chung AS, Renfree S, Lockwood DB, Karlen J, and Belthur M - Syndromic Scoliosis: National Trends in Surgical Mangement and Inpatient Hospital Outcomes: A 12 Year Analysis. Spine Nov 15 2019; 44(22): 1564-70
Hip and Spine Deformity
Slipped Capital Femoral Epiphysis (SCFE)
Developmental Dysplasia of the Hip (DDH)
Phoenix Children's Specialty Care - Arrowhead Campus
6524 W. Sack Dr.
Glendale, AZ 85308
Rating & Reviews
Great care team and overall positive experience for the entire family.
Dr. Karlan walked with our family through an extremely difficult surgery for my Son with confidence and reassurance our family needed. The skill he has and the success of my Son's results will bless his life for years to come. We are so grateful for Dr. Karlan.
The entire experience from the beginning to end was great! The staff is great and the provider is amazing. They all explain everything to my daughter so she's not afraid of what is happening next
We absolutley Love Dr. Karlan
Thank you Dr. Karlen for your excellent patient care!
Kid friendly
The Doctor and staff are extremely caring. I would recommend them to anyone.
Excellent doctor
PCH is the best! We have received outstanding care from start to finish from all we have been involved with. Dr Karlen has provided excellent, kind and compassionate care to our daughter. We feel lucky to have such a great hospital available to us here in the valley.
Great doctor, great staff'_very nice facility'_clean and welcoming
Dr Karlen has been very helpful and kind. He cares for our daughter and always has her best interest in mind. I've been impressed that he has always been easy to get a hold of and very professional and answers all our questions. He has been great.
We had a great visit with Dr. Carlin. He was thorough, professional, and was able to answer all of our questions and concerns.