George V. Russell, 1988
B.S., Denison University
M.D., University of Cincinnati
M.B.A., Northwestern University
Professor and Chair
Department of Orthopaedic Surgery
University of Mississippi Medical Center
Jackson, Miss.
Citation awarded on Saturday, June 3, 2017
George finished his orthopaedic residency at the University of Cincinnati, and then completed an orthopaedic trauma fellowship at University of Washington’s Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, Wash. In 2000, George joined the department of orthopaedic surgery at the University of Mississippi Medical Center after serving as assistant professor of orthopaedic trauma at the University of South Alabama.
At the University of Mississippi, he has become one of the nation’s leading orthopaedic trauma surgeons. He is recognized as an expert on obesity in orthopaedics, and his creation of the clamshell osteotomy, used to correct crooked bones, has been utilized around the globe. He has authored and co-authored numerous publications, and has presented both nationally and internationally on his specialty of orthopaedic trauma.
George is committed to resident education and has been selected multiple times as Professor of the Year. He is a member of the Mississippi Orthopaedic Society, which he has served as president. He was elected to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons Leadership Fellows Program and represented Mississippi on the Academy’s Board of Councilors.
George has served the University of Mississippi Medical Center in several leadership roles, including vice chair of the department of orthopaedic surgery, chief of orthopaedic trauma, medical director of orthopaedics, faculty senate, and promotion advisory committee.
In 2013, George was selected to serve as the chair of the department of orthopaedic surgery. He was honored as the inaugural recipient of the James L. Hughes M.D. Endowed Chair in 2014. Having never imagined himself in Mississippi, George has become profoundly attached to the incredible satisfaction of serving a population with tremendous need, offering him the privilege of practicing what he loves.
George has completed Ironman triathlons in New Zealand and South Africa. Currently, he occupies his spare time with CrossFit and golf. He is married to Stephanie Russell, also a triathlete, and has three daughters.
