Fabijan Čukelj, M.D., Ph.D.

Fabijan Čukelj, M.D., Ph.D. joined St. Catherine Specialty hospital as proven specialist in orthopedics, traumatology and sports medicine with rich international experience.

Fabijan Čukelj, M.D., Ph.D. graduated from the Faculty of Medicine in Zagreb after which he finished his residency in general surgery, specialization in orthopedics and subspecialization in traumatology in Split, Rijeka, Zagreb and Lovran.

After passing a specialist exam, he went to the UAE where he started his rich international experience. He was employed  at the Orthopedic and Traumatology Department of Shaik Zayed Military Hospital in Abu Dhabi. At the same time he also worked as UAE national football team physician from the 1996-1997 on call from the famous Croatian coach Tomislav Ivić.

After returning to Croatia and working at the Knin General Hospital and the Salus Special Hospital, he found his position at the Department of Traumatology at University Hospital Centre Split where he was the first to perform some operations that subsequently became standard procedures (hip arthroscopy, ankle arthroscopy, arthroscopic reconstruction of ACL and PCL, etc.) At the same time he worked as a club doctor at HNK Hajduk Split and occasionally as a consultant of the Croatian National Football Team and in 2015 and 2016 briefly in PR China (2015 as a medical consultant in sports traumatology for FC Guangzhou R & F football club and in 2016 as a medical consultant in Orthopedics and Traumatology for the Beijing Oasis International Hospital). In 2017 he moved to Zagreb,working as Deputy CEO at University Department for Traumatology of University Hospital Cetre "Sisters of Mercy” Zagreb.

Fabijan Čukelj, M.D., Ph.D. teaches and conducts orthopedics courses at the Medical School in Split and at the Faculty of Health Studies in Split.

He is the author of many indexed papers and coauthor of some books and is a member of the Croatian Association for Sport Traumatology and Arthroscopy, the Croatian Association of Orthopedics and Traumatologists, the Croatian Traumatology Society, Croatian Orthopedic Society, AO , ESSKA, EFORT, ESTES, etc.

He is the winner of the International Olympic Committee's Award for Consistency in Honoring Ethical Principles of the Olympic Movement 1997.

He has participated in several international projects, most interesting projects being related to cooperation and exchange of work and experience with PR China in the field of orthopedics.

Primary focus of work for Fabijan Čukelj, M.D., Ph.D. is : osteosynthesis (ORIF) of upper extremities, osteosynthesis (ORIF) of lower extremities, hip prosthesis, knee prosthesis, hip arthroscopy, knee arthroscopy, ankle arthroscopy, knee ligament reconstruction, ultrasonography of the locomotor system, treatment of sports injuries, treatment of traumatized and polytraumatological patients in emergencies and treatment of sports injuries (conservative and surgical treatment).

Particular emphasis in the last years of his work is on providing a personalized approach to every patient, both in the selection of implants and in the introduction and combination of regenerative medicine in the treatment of orthopedic traumatological patients.