Alumni spotlight
Published on Friday, June 9, 2023
Dr. Luna Russo was born in the Dominican Republic and had the privilege of living at the tropical island for 28 years. His father is a surgical oncologist and his mother is a child psychologist. They both inspired him on his journey in medicine. He moved to the United States in 2011 and started his training in Obstetrics and Gynecology. In 2012 he transferred as a PGY-2 to UMMC. His class (2015) embraced him as a brother. Dr. Luna Russo is beyond thankful for his classmates and the training and mentorship he received. UMMC will always be HOME and close to his heart. He said, "UMMC challenged me, but also nourished my confidence and autonomy. I was honored to be chosen as education chief resident despite only being a trainee for 2.5 years at the institution."
After graduation Dr. Luna Russo joined Sanders Clinic for Women in Tupelo MS. He chose to pursue a fellowship in minimally invasive gynecologic surgery after 4 years of practice and matched at the Cleveland Clinic. After the completion of his fellowship, he took a faculty position at the Cleveland Clinic and currently serves as the Director of Endometriosis and Chief of the GYN division.
We asked Dr. Luna Russo to answer a few questions for us:
What projects are you currently working on?
1) A universal endometriosis patient registry
2) Non-invasive diagnostic testing for the diagnosis of endometriosis
3) Healthcare leadership and management
What do you like to do in your free time?
1) I love the ocean
2) Fishing
3)Vinyl collecting
4) My family
What advice do you have for the new interns?
1) Work hard and play hard
2) Have a purpose
3) Find balance
What are your thoughts on the future of OB-GYN?
The future is bright! I believe the training period should be extended and tracked. We are a surgical speciality, and we should have a year of general surgery included in our training. I will leave it there as this is controversial. I will say… after my recent visit to MS, our residents rock!
