Dr. Catherine Louise Irwin, MD

Dr. John Lapkass joined AFOC in 2005, after spending more than 16 years as an orthopedist at the Alaska Native Medical Center. He has received awards for recognition of and appreciation for providing health care for Natives, and has conducted field clinics all over the state.

Although he graduated from medical school at the University of California in San Diego, Dr. Lapkass has fully embraced the Alaska lifestyle. He enjoys many different outdoor activities, including all kinds of skiing, mountain and road biking, running, paragliding, and hiking. He regularly participates in many of the quintessential Alaska adventure races, including the Alaska Mountain Wilderness Classic and the 200-mile Iditasport. He has participated in five 100-mile races in Leadville, Colorado, where the average elevation is about 10,000 feet.

Not surprisingly, Dr. Lapkass has a special interest in sports medicine. He enjoys arthroscopy, ACL reconstruction, shoulder arthroscopy and instability repair, and …rotator cuff repair. He is also proficient in total joint replacement, including hip, knee, elbow, and shoulder. Dr. Lapkass is one of the only orthopedists Anchorage who performs total elbow replacements.

Dr. Lapkass is a favorite among his patients, some of whom have followed him to AFOC from the Alaska Native Medical Center. He is married with one daughter, Maya.