Joe Impastato, III, PA-C, practices sports medicine at Ochsner Health. A native of New Orleans, Joe graduated from Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, with a degree in science. Since then, his life has been dedicated to biology, the human body and medicine.

Joe joined Ochsner Health as a physician associate in 2013 and became a member of the Ochsner Sports Medicine Institute team in May 2016. Prior to this role, he gained valuable experience working as a physician assistant in the Ochsner Emergency Department for three years, where he managed acute care issues. His diverse background also includes decades of patient care at various levels, along with experience in medical sales and local pharmacies. This broad experience has deepened his understanding of multiple facets of medicine and enhanced his ability to improve patient care.

Joe works both independently and primarily as a surgical assistant to fellowship-trained orthopedic surgeon Dr. Misty Suri. Together, they have formed a stable and effective team for nearly a decade, delivering the highest level of patient and surgical care. Joe assists Dr. Suri with perioperative care, surgeries, and extends clinic care for his patients.

They are actively involved in cutting-edge research on rotator cuff repair advancements, including studies on rotator cuff augmentation with the Arthrex Cuffmend dermal allograft and the shoulder tuberoplasty procedure for irreparable rotator cuff tears. Joe’s areas of expertise include injury management, and treatment; viscosupplementation injections (e.g., Euflexxa, Synvisc); surgical and non-surgical biologic treatment therapies; Iovera nerve ablation; PRP and BMAC injections; and arthroscopic surgery assistance, particularly for shoulder and knee procedures. To date, Joe has assisted Dr. Suri in more than 2,500 shoulder surgeries.

He specializes in treating athletes at all levels and provides sports medicine team coverage for several local high schools and colleges throughout the Greater New Orleans area.