Dr. Russell is board certified in both General Surgery and Colon and Rectal Surgery as well as a nationally recognized health services researcher with formal research training through the Robert Wood Johnson Clinical Scholars Program and PhD coursework from the UCLA School of Public Health.  She has received grant funding from multiple sources including the Conquer Cancer Foundation of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, John A. Hartford Foundation, National Institute on Aging, VA Health Services Research and Development, and VA National Center for Patient Safety.  She has a special interest in geriatric surgery and has been actively involved with the development of the American College of Surgeons Geriatric Surgery Verification Program.