A retired, board-certified orthopedic surgeon based in Honolulu, Hawaii, John Frauens, MD, formerly served as the longtime director of the Total Joint Service division at the Kaiser Permanente Medical Care Program. There, his responsibilities for more than a quarter of a century primarily entailed performing all bone tumor, knee replacement, and artificial hip surgeries at the medical center. Maintaining one of the organization’s lowest complication rates among surgeons despite having completed more than 3,000 joint replacements, Dr. John Frauens also codeveloped the Kaiser Hawaii Osteoporosis Program and developed the Department of Orthopedic Surgery at the Kaiser Moanalua Medical Center.

In 2010, Dr. John Frauens retired from Kaiser and transitioned to his full-time leadership as president and CEO of SoftJoint, Inc., which focuses on the research and development of synthetic cartilage. He also volunteers his services as an orthopedist to individuals incarcerated in Hawaii through the state’s Department of Public Safety.

Outside of his work, Dr. John Frauens stays active by skiing, golfing, and scuba diving. He owns a 1967 Pontiac convertible GTO and finds great pleasure in anything having to do with old muscle cars. A well-traveled individual, he has been to Taipei, England, Australia, Greece, and many other countries. Dr. Frauens enjoys cooking cuisines from several of the nations he has visited but especially enjoys Italian food and good wines.