Katie Russell, MD

Katie W. Russell, MD is a pediatric surgeon with strong interests in pediatric trauma, extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), chest wall deformity, fetal consultation, minimally invasive surgery, and global surgery.

Dr. Russell’s clinical interests include pediatric surgical problems such as:
• pectus excavatum
• inguinal hernias
• hydroceles
• appendicitis
• vascular access
• feeding access
• gallbladder disease
• childhood cancers

She has a particular interest in treating neonatal and pediatric conditions using minimally invasive techniques. She is leading a multidisciplinary clinic dedicated to the treatment of children with pulmonary hypoplasia related to congenital diaphragmatic hernia, congenital lung lesions, and giant omphalocele.

Dr. Russell is a leader at Primary Children’s Hospital serving as both the Trauma Medical Director, and the Surgical Director of the ECMO program. She is leading telehealth initiatives to lower cost for families related to travel
in both the outpatient and inpatient setting. She is involved in a multi- institutional research collaborative, The Western Pediatric Research Consortium, to push the forefront of rigorous research in pediatric surgical conditions.

Dr. Russell has also been active in the field of global surgery. In 2017 she spent two months in the South Sudan with Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF). She has completed multiple surgical missions in Haiti, Guatemala and Tanzania. She was also on a surgical team that responded in Nepal after the 2015 Earthquake. She intends to continue her efforts in global surgery throughout her career.

Dr. Russell earned a B.A. degree in visual art at Brown University and earned her M.D. at the Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California where she was elected AOA. She completed her general surgery residency at the University of Utah including a 1-year research fellowship under the mentorship of Dr. Eric Scaife. During her research fellowship they completed a randomized controlled trial evaluating the effect on patient decision making on cost containment in pediatric appendectomy. She also participated in wilderness medicine research and has continued to teach for the Alaska Mountaineering School and the National Park Service. During her residency she received the Chassin Award for the professionalism in surgery. Dr. Russell completed her fellowship in pediatric surgery at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.

In her free time, Dr. Russell likes spending time with her husband Dave and their daughter Wild. They love the mountains and skiing and snowboarding.