Dr. Viktor C. Tollemar
Today, Dr. Tollemar’s practice is focused on hip and knee surgeries. His practice philosophy centers on a partnership between patient and provider.
Dr. Tollemar’s background
For orthopedic surgeon and joint replacement specialist Viktor Tollemar, MD, his path to a medical career arose from several factors. The son of a nurse and engineer, he was drawn to a career that would enable him to help people and fix problems. In medical school, orthopedics — and joint replacement, specifically — was a good fit for his mechanically inclined mind.
“I really became enamored with orthopedics and, in particular, joint reconstruction early on in medical school,” Dr. Tollemar said. “The profound impact of a hip or knee replacement on the quality of life of someone suffering from arthritis was unlike any other medical or surgical intervention I had ever seen.”
After graduating summa cum laude from Pennsylvania State University with a degree in pre-medicine, Dr. Tollemar earned his medical degree from the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine. He completed residency training in orthopedic surgery at the University of Michigan and a fellowship in adult reconstruction at Midwest Orthopaedics at Rush.
Dr. Tollemar’s practice philosophy
“I see the surgeon and patient having a relationship that enables them to come to a mutual agreement about whether surgery is the best course of action. It should not be one-sided, as it’s not up to the surgeon to decide when it’s time for surgery,” Dr. Tollemar said.
Instead of a unilateral decision, Dr. Tollemar’s approach to patient care focuses on communication. “I want to communicate my recommendation, but I also want to listen to the patient to learn how symptoms affect the individual’s life,” he said.
When he’s not working, he enjoys spending time with his wife and young daughter. He is an avid photographer and woodworker. He also enjoys the outdoors and spends time hiking, camping, and exploring the wilderness in the backcountry.
Education
Undergraduate Studies
Pennsylvania State University | May 2013
Medical School
University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine
Doctors of Medicine
Chicago, IL | June 2018
Residency
University of Michigan
Orthopedic Surgery Residency Program
Ann Arbor, MI | June 2023
Fellowship
Midwest Orthopaedics at Rush Adult Reconstruction Fellowship
Where?
Location? | July 2024
Professional Memberships
Certifications
Awards
- Winner of Best Resident Poster Award, University of Michigan Badgley Day
- Top 100 Posters, American Association of Hip and Knee Surgeons Annual Meeting
- Winner of Best Resident Research Presentation, Michigan Medicine Resident Thesis Day
- Making a Difference Award, Michigan Medicine
- Selected to teach Clinical Pathophysiology and Therapeutics, University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine – offered to highest-performing quartile in class
- Honorable Mention for Excellence, Pritzker Annual Summer Research Forum
Hobbies
- Photography
- Carpentry
- Home Renovations
- Mountain Climbing
- Skiing
- Camping
- Hiking
My Team
Locations
Resources
Resources
Licensure
- 2023-Present Ilinois Medical License #036.164606
- 2023-Present Indiana Medical License #01089189A
- 2018-Present Michigan Medical Doctor Educational Limited License #4351031390
- 2018-Present Basic Life Support; Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support; Pediatric Advanced Life Support
- Jan 2019 USMLE Step 3 (238)
- Nov 2017 USMLE Step 2 CS
- Nov 2017 USMLE Step 2 CK (252)
- April 2016 USMLE Step 1 (247)
Patient Education
Publications
Lectures
- Tollemar V, Olsen E, Ellenberg E, McHugh M, Gagnier J, Tarnacki L, Muscatelli S, Hallstrom B. Effect of Nutritionist Referral on Weight Loss in Obese Patients Seeking Total Joint Arthroplasty. University of Michigan Resident Thesis Day; Ann Arbor, MI. 2022 May 11.
- Tollemar V, Hallstrom BR. Case Presentation. Matthews Day Regional Meeting; Ann Arbor, MI. 2022 May 6.
- Tollemar V, Olsen E, Ellenberg E, McHugh M, Gagnier J, Tarnacki L, Muscatelli S, Hallstrom B. Effect of Nutritionist Referral on Weight Loss in Obese Patients Seeking Total Joint Arthroplasty. Orthopaedic Research and Education Foundation Midwest Regional Resident Research Symposium; Iowa City, IA. 2021 April 23.
- Tollemar V. Single-stage Revision for Chronic Prosthetic Joint Infection. Grand Rounds Podium Talk; Ann Arbor, MI. 2021 April 8.
- Tollemar V, Muscatelli S, Wilson J, Piche J, Grant D, Johnson P. Root Cause Analysis: Lost Ankle Aspiration. Grand Rounds Podium Talk; Ann Arbor, MI. 2021 February 25.
- Tollemar V. Warfarin Reversal in Patients Presenting with Hip Fractures. Grand Rounds Podium Talk; Ann Arbor, MI. 2020 January 23.
- Tollemar V. Coracoid Morphology is Not Associated with Subscapularis Tears. American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons Annual Meeting; Las Vegas, NV. 2019 March 12-16.
- Tollemar V, He TC, Reid RR. Craniofacial Defect Repair Using a Thermoresponsive Nanocomposite Scaffold and BMP9-transduced Human Urine-derived Progenitor Cells. Pritzker Annual Summer Research Forum. Chicago, IL 2015 Aug 28
Publications
- Tollemar VC, Hu HM, Urquhart AG, Dailey EA, Hallstrom BR, Bicket M, Waljee JF, Brummett CM. Association Between Initial Prescription Size and Likelihood of Opioid Refill After Total Knee and Hip Arthroplasty. Journal of Arthroplasty, 2022 Nov 7. PMID: 36356789
- Tollemar VC, Olsen E, McHugh M, Muscatelli S, Gagnier J, Hallstrom BR. Nutritionist Referral Improves Weight Lossand Increases Surgery Rate in Obese Patients Seeking Total Joint Arthroplasty. Arthroplasty Today, 2022 Aug 18; 17:74- 79 PMID: 36042939
- Muscatelli S, Zheng H, Muralidharan A, Tollemar V, Hallstrom BR. Limiting the Surveillance Period to 90-days Misses a Large Portion of Infections in the First Year After Total Hip and Knee Arthroplasty. Arthroplasty Today, 2022 May 30;16:90-95. PMID: 35662991
- Tollemar VC, Wang J, Koh JL, Lee MJ, Shi LL. Coracoid morphology is not associated with subscapularis tears. Journal of Shoulder and Elbow Surgery; 2019 Jun;29(6):1162-1167. PMID: 32057656
- Wierdl M, Tsurkan L, Chi L, Hatfield MJ, Tollemar V, Bradley C, Chen X, Qu C, Potter PM. Targeting ALK in pediatric RMS does not induce antitumor activity in vivo. Cancer Chemother Pharmacol. 2018 Aug;82(2):251-263. PMID: 29855693
- Dumanian ZP, Tollemar V, Ye J, Lu M, Zhu Y, Liao J, Ameer GA, He TC, Reid RR. Repair of critical sized cranial defects with BMP9-transduced calvarial cells delivered in a thermoresponsive scaffold. PLoS One. 2017;12(3):e0172327. PMID: 28249039
- Tollemar V, Collier ZJ, Mohammed MK, Lee MJ, Ameer GA, Reid RR. Stem cells, growth factors and scaffolds in craniofacial regenerative medicine. Genes and Diseases. 2016 Mar;3(1):56–71. PMID: 27239485
- Zhang F, Song J, Zhang H, Huang E, Song D, Tollemar V, Wang J, Mohammed M, Wei Q, Fan J, Liao J, Zou Y, Liu F, Hu X, Qu X, Chen L, Yu X, Luu HH, Lee MJ, He TC, Ji P. Wnt and BMP signaling crosstalk in regulating dental stem cells: Implications in dental tissue engineering. Genes and Diseases. 2016 Dec;3(4):263–76. PMID: 28491933
- Green JD, Tollemar V, Dougherty M, Yan Z, Yin L, Ye J, Collier Z, Mohammed MK, Haydon RC, Luu HH, Kang R, Lee MJ, Ho SH, He TC, Shi LL, Athiviraham A. Multifaceted signaling regulators of chondrogenesis: Implications in cartilage regeneration and tissue engineering. Genes and Diseases. 2015 Dec;2(4):307–27. PMID: 26835506
- Chen X, Stewart E, Shelat AA, Qu C, Bahrami A, Hatley M, Wu G, Bradley C, McEvoy J, Pappo A, Spunt S, Valentine MB, Valentine V, Krafcik F, Lang WH, Wierdl M, Tsurkan L, Tollemar V, et al. Targeting Oxidative Stress in Embryonal Rhabdomyosarcoma. Cancer Cell. 2013 Dec 9;24(6):710–24. PMID: 24332040
