Department Orthopaedic Surgery

A Brief History

Dr. Willis C. Campbell was born in Jackson, Mississippi, in 1880 and received his medical education from the University of Virginia in 1904. After his internship, Dr. Campbell opened his medical practice in Memphis, specializing in general surgery, anesthesia, and pediatrics. He studied orthopaedics in London and Vienna and returned to Memphis in 1909 to open his orthopaedic practice.

When the University of Tennessee Medical Campus was established in 1910, Dr. Campbell organized the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and became the first professor and head of that department, a position he held until his death.

In 1924, Campbell Clinic established the first residency program in Memphis to train orthopaedic surgeons. The residency program began with four residents, has gradually expanded to the present 40 residents. In 1946, the Campbell Clinic foundation was chartered as the resident education branch of the Campbell organization and functioned as the Department of Orthopaedics for the University of Tennessee. In 1990, Campbell Foundation partnered with the Department of Orthopaedics to manage the residency program. The University of Tennessee-Campbell Clinic Orthopaedic Residency Program is an accredited, five year orthopaedic residency program for 40 full-time orthopaedic residents. All affiliated educational facilities are located in the Memphis metropolitan area. Today, Campbell Clinic doctors are continuing this tradition of educational excellence by teaching at the Department of Orthopaedics and lecturing all over the nation and the world.

Historic Highlights