About Mark Barba, MD

My name is Dr. Mark Barba and I would like to take this opportunity to tell you more about myself, and how I became committed to healthcare. I am a subspecialized orthopedic surgeon with a practice in joint replacement and a special interest in replacements of the hip joint.

When I was growing up, I had a garage full of automotive tools and a father who patiently taught me how they worked. He was also very concerned that I properly cared for the tools and remained disciplined and organized. A place for everything and everything in its place was his lesson — boring for a child, but a great foundation for a surgeon.

I always knew I wanted to be a doctor. I could not understand how a kid would want to be anything else. I needed stitches three times while growing up and loved every visit to the emergency room! In medical school I chose to focus on orthopedics; the instruments just felt natural in my hand, and no one had to tell me which way to tighten a screw.

I chose to further subspecialize in joint replacement because I have a hard time with failure and replacement of an arthritic joint is almost always a victory. I did not see this in any other aspect of medicine I studied. I love it even more now than ever. Joint replacement implants have evolved to provide amazing results. I especially focus on devices that now allow people to return to even higher levels of activity. Ask me about the Birmingham Hip and the Oxford Knee and I think you will be impressed with how far the science of joint replacement has progressed. No matter what the reason for your appointment, I look forward to our visit because it is people that are my motivation. Otherwise, I would probably be working on cars.