Michael Anderson, MD

Dr. Michael Anderson has been practicing in St. George for more than 25 years making him the senior most orthopedic surgeon in all of Southern Utah. His special interest in hip and knee replacement surgery began early in his career while training at the University of Utah under the tutelage of some of the foremost pioneers in joint replacement surgery, Aaron Hofmann, M.D., Kent Samuelson, M.D., and Harold Dunn, M.D., just to name a few. Dr. Anderson is also the longest serving member of the American Association of Hip and Knee Surgeons (AAHKS) in Southern Utah. He is also certified by the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery (ABOS).

For 15 years Dr. Anderson and his partners provided Sports Medicine coverage for Dixie State University and the local area high schools, donating time and expertise to keep the student athletes on the field and in the game. As a part of that service, knowledge and proficiency in the latest arthroscopic techniques of the knee and shoulder have been offered to the Washington County area athletes. Dr. Anderson continues to enjoy the ‘bread and butter’ of general orthopedics, hand surgery, carpal tunnel, trigger fingers etc., and the unpredictable challenge of trauma, piecing back together broken bones.

In the last year of medical school at the University of Utah, Dr. Anderson’s life focus broadened when his future wife, Kelly, walked through the door. Thirty years and 4 boys later they’ve made their home in Southern Utah. His love of the out of doors, climbing, cycling, and photography have filled the time not taken by his practice of medicine.

His training in orthopedic surgery has given him some unique opportunities including serving as the crew physician for an IMAX film in Antarctica documenting the travels of Ernest Shackleton in 1914, Shackleton’s Antarctic Adventure, as well as volunteer work in Third World countries.

Dr. Anderson focuses on “short stay” hip and knee surgeries.

Philosophy

I have a great passion for the practice of medicine and more specifically orthopedic surgery. From my earliest memories I have had the desire to become a doctor and now years later my love for the profession is still growing.

Similarly, it is hard to remember a time when I did not have a camera in my hands. The beauties of nature and the human body have always captivated and intrigued me.

There are a lot of similarities between orthopedic surgery and fine landscape photography. Both require a great deal of focus and precision in order to obtain consistent excellent results. In capturing a picture of a Southern Utah sandstone arch the composition has to be just right. Precise focus of the lens is required and the settings on the camera need to be perfect to result in a beautiful photograph. In orthopedic surgery the same commitment to precise technique, much like photography, results in the best outcomes possible. Both, orthopedic surgery and photography, fit well with my personality.

Education

1971-1975, Bachelors of Science, Southern Utah University

1977-1978, Biochemistry Graduate School, Brigham Young University

1979-1983, Medical Doctorate, University of Utah School of Medicine

1983-1984, Surgical Internship, University of Pittsburgh

1984-1988, Residency Orthopedic Surgery, University of Utah

Certifications and Association Memberships

• 1989-present, American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery
• 1989-present, American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgery
• American Association of Hip and Knee Surgeons
• 2004, Oxford Knee Certified
• 2011, Oxford Knee Advanced Certified

Publications/Presentations

• Automated Nitrogen-washout Methods for Infants: Evaluated Using Cats and a Mechanical Lung
• Peter Richardson and Michael Anderson, Journal of Applied Physiology, December 1981
• The Value of Preliminary Traction in the Treatment of Congenital Dislocation of the Hip
• WK Kahle, MB Anderson, J Alpert, PM Stevens, SS Coleman, Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery, August 1990
• A.Hofmann, MB Anderson, Complex Hip Revision Technique Techniques in Orthopedics, December 1988
• A.Hofmann, MB Anderson, Techniques in Orthopedics, December 1988
• “Cutis Arthroplasty”, (Presented at Western Orthopedic Association, Anaheim, CA, October 1989, Michael Anderson, M.D. and Ron Mann, M.D.
• “The Clinical Value of Radiologist’s Interpretation of Perioperative Radiographs of Orthopaedic Patients.” Orthopedics, 1991, Michael Anderson, M.D. et al.
• Woolly Bargains, A Scary Story For Young People, Outskirts Press, Amazon, 2013

Professional Experience

• Crew Physician for the PBS IMAX filming of “Shackelton’s Antarctic Adventure”, on location South Georgia Island, April 2000
• Founder and senior partner, Coral Desert Orthopedic Surgery,
• Team Physician Dixie State College, 1993-2012
• Orthopedic Surgeon Dixie Regional Medical Center, St. George, Utah, 1988-present

Volunteer Experience

• Orthopedics Overseas, Island of St. Lucia, July 1998
• Sports medicine for local area high schools (20+ years)
• Boy Scouts of America leader, 2003-2010
• Philippines after Typhoon Yolonda, 2013

Interests

• Rock and Ice Climbing
• Bicycle racing, LOTOJA finisher 2008-2011
• Photography, Michael Anderson Photography, Published Alaska Magazine, July 1996
• Martial Arts, Black Belt, 2002
• Writing, Woolly Bargains, A Scary Story For Young People, Outskirts Press, Amazon, 2013