George Russell Jr
Orthopaedic Trauma Physician · JACKSON, MS
About George Russell Jr
Breaking story: For orthopaedic surgery chair, it all falls into place EDITOR’S NOTE: This article was originally published in the Winter 2020 edition of Mississippi Medicine, the medical alumni magazine. If George Russell had not fallen out of a tree and discovered the gratifying world of fractures, the ranks of orthopaedic surgeons might be thinner today. Because, around age 4 or 5, Russell (now known as Dr. George V. Russell Jr.) dropped out of a tree like an overripe peach and broke his elbow – the first in a series of broken bones mended by specialists whose skills would inspire a little boy to become a physician whose patients include people who fall out of trees. “I always liked fractures,” said Russell, UMMC professor and James L. Hughes Chair of Orthopaedic Surgery. “To me as a kid, they seemed really cool. I just like moving the bones around. I like figuring out stuff.” His wife of 10-plus years, Stephanie Russell goes further: “He’s always thinking. He’s very thoughtful about everything.” Throughout his life, Russell, who turns 54 this month, has thought about and figured out a lot of things touching on his treatment of others, whether they are under the weather or under his wing, under the radar or under his roof. Born in Michigan, Russell was an infant when his family left for New York, not long before he broke his elbow; but Cincinnati is the place he considers home. That’s where he and his sister Lisa, now an attorney, mostly grew up, reared by Russell Sr. and their mom Patricia, or Pat, “the glue that held us together,” Russell said. “I didn’t see much of my dad when I was growing up. We were never very close. “He was in business and was gone from home a lot for work.” He died when Russell was a senior in high school, a public school that required a test for admission and where Russell played football for a year and “chess for fun,” he said.
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