Annual Publication 2025 FINAL 05292025 accessible - Flipbook - Page 36
FROM ATHLETE TO SURGEON:
A RESIDENT’S PATH TO ORTHOPAEDICS
BY LAURIE GARCIA
M
ost people spend much of their upbringing
wondering and thinking about what they
want to do for the rest of their lives. For
some, it clicks; there’s a moment of clarity
when the answer becomes very clear.
For Jordan Miller, MD, medical resident in
the Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine at UNLV Department of
Orthopaedics and a member of the school’s charter class, the
answer came to him in his senior year of high school.
A Las Vegas native, Dr. Miller attended Green Valley High School,
where he participated in several sports: he was an all-state
football player and played varsity baseball and track. During his
senior year, Dr. Miller went through some injuries related to these
sports, such as separating his shoulder during football, breaking
his thumb while playing baseball, and tearing his hamstring while
running in track. Throughout all of these injuries, an orthopaedic
36 KIRK KERKORIAN SCHOOL OF MEDICINE AT UNLV
surgeon was guiding Dr. Miller every step of the way. These times
were pivotal in Dr. Miller’s life, serving as an introduction to a
career in orthopaedics.
This interest in medicine stayed with Dr. Miller through his time
at Brigham Young University, where he continued to play football.
“I had a lot of friends, especially in college, who got hurt on the
昀椀eld – a lot of teammates. I became very interested in their injury,
their treatment, and their rehab protocols, and I wanted to learn
about it,” says Dr. Miller. “With that background, I just was drawn
to it and … it resonated with me.”
After college, Dr. Miller went on to be accepted into the Kirk
Kerkorian School of Medicine and became a member of its
charter class. Wanting to “elevate orthopaedic care” in Las Vegas,
Dr. Miller became a resident in the school’s orthopaedic surgery
residency program.
