Dr. Mitchell Tarka was born and raised in St. Louis and graduated summa cum laude from the University of Missouri-Columbia with a degree in Mechanical Engineering. After spending time as a robotics design engineer, he returned to the University of Missouri-Columbia for medical school, where he graduated in the top 8% of his class.

After medical school, he completed an Orthopaedic residency at the University of Vermont. In that time, he was able to publish multiple papers in internationally recognized journals.

After residency, he completed a fellowship at Union Memorial Hospital in Baltimore, MD, specializing in foot and ankle surgery. His fellowship emphasized ankle arthroscopy, ankle fracture care, total ankle replacement, and minimally invasive foot and ankle reconstruction. His training also included care of the injured athlete with surgeries completed on NFL, MASL, and NCAA athletes.

He has received the Roger H Michael award for research and has won the Goldner award finalist at the 2023 American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society Meeting. His research includes articles on foot and ankle surgery, Achilles tendon ruptures, lower extremity anatomy, and sport-specific injuries.

Dr. Tarka has received the Goldner Award – best basic science paper in 2023, given by the American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society (AOFAS) for work on the Achilles tendon injuries

BSME
University of Missouri-Columbia

Medical School
University of Missouri-Columbia

Orthopedic Surgery Residency
University of Vermont

Foot and Ankle Fellowship
Union Memorial Hospital

Goldner Award – best basic science paper in 2023.