James (Joe) Gholson, MD, is a board-certified, fellowship-trained orthopedic surgeon specializing in personalized and minimally invasive partial knee replacement, anterior approach hip replacement and total knee replacement. He tailors each patient’s surgical plan and treatment regimen to speed recovery and support a faster return to work and daily life.

In the clinic, Dr. Gholson partners with his patients to understand how arthritis affects their daily lives. He helps them map out a path back to the activities they enjoy – whether that’s pain-free playtime with their grandchildren or getting back to a favorite sport. “It’s important to define treatment goals early in our relationship so we’re always focused on what matters most to the patient,” he says.

Dr. Gholson operates at El Camino Health in both Los Gatos and Mountain View, where he elevates the OR experience using his muscle sparing NovaPrecision technique in hip and knee replacement. He has completed thousands of joint replacement surgeries in the South Bay community, previously serving as the highest volume joint replacement surgeon at Kaiser in San Jose. He uses the latest orthopedic technology – including robotics and artificial intelligence – to improve hip and knee replacement outcomes and enhance his patient-centered approach to care.

Dr. Gholson graduated magna cum laude from Harvard Medical School. He has contributed to numerous orthopedic publications, national presentations and textbooks, and is a reviewer for The Journal of Arthroplasty. He is a fellow of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons and a fellow of the American Association of Hip and Knee Surgeons.

Outside of work, Dr. Gholson enjoys running, lifting weights, snowboarding, hiking and spending time with his wife and three children.