Patient Care Spotlight - Justin B.

Justin B.  – OPA-C

Certified orthopedic physician assistant Justin B. is one of the most energetic, dedicated, and eclectic people you will ever meet.

He’s Dr. Brian Maiocco’s surgical assistant and right hand in the clinic. The father of an eight-year-old daughter, Justin is the one you’ll see playing with the kids during staff get-togethers. He’s a lifelong musician who is starting up his third rock band, The Stick, and has played with Dr. Maiocco’s popular local band, Doyle’s Revenge. Oh, and he’s also well-known in the herpetology community for breeding dwarf monitor lizards.

So where to begin?

A native of rural northern Massachusetts, Justin and his family moved to the Tampa Bay area when he was a teenager. His love of music and art started at an early age and was nurtured throughout school: he attended the arts and music magnet program at Gibbs High School in St. Petersburg and continued those studies at Florida State University.

A severe knee injury while playing basketball sparked Justin’s interest in orthopedics, and he switched his major to premed-biology with a minor in chemistry. After college, he got a job as an x-ray technologist and physician assistant at Advent Health North Pinellas. There, he met Dr. Maiocco and, in 1999, joined him at Orthopedic Specialists. Justin assists with surgeries, regenerative medicine, and pain management. He also performs fluoroscopy and ultrasound.

“It’s the most rewarding thing to help patients,” he says. “They come to us in pain and we fix their problems. That’s so gratifying.”

He appreciates the collaboration and positive atmosphere at Orthopedic Specialists. “The doctors have laid-back and straightforward attitudes,” he says. “They’re genuinely nice people who care.”