Jona Kerluku

Bio: 

Jona Kerluku is a Doctor of Medicine candidate at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Carle Illinois College of Medicine, where she is also pursuing a Master's in Business Administration. She earned dual bachelor's degrees in Mathematics and Exercise Science, graduating Summa Cum Laude from CUNY Lehman College, where her quantitative background continues to inform her approach to medicine and engineering.

Jona's scholarship sits at the intersection of orthopaedic surgery, health equity, and clinical innovation. She has authored more than a dozen peer-reviewed publications and two textbook chapters, with research spanning surgical disparities, machine learning applications in arthroplasty, and patient-provider relationships. Her work has been supported by numerous grants from organizations including the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons and the Hospital for Special Surgery.

A dedicated innovator and advocate, Jona co-founded Innovators in Action, a nonprofit that has delivered over 200 free adaptive devices to children with disabilities. She has designed innovation curricula implemented in pathway programs spanning elementary school through high school, and has held leadership roles across education and medical societies, including faculty-appointed task forces on clinical innovation and learner assessment.

Through teaching, research, and community-centered design, Jona is committed to advancing accessible, equitable, and engineering-informed approaches to medicine.

Contact: kerluku2@g.illinois.edu

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonakerluku/