November 28, 2022

Meet Anna Miller, MD, FACS

Orthopedic Trauma Specialist 

Anna N. Miller, MD, FAAOS, FACS, FAOA, is the Vice Chair for Faculty Affairs for the Department of Orthopedic Surgery at Washington University School of Medicine. After graduating from Baylor College of Medicine, Dr. Miller did her residency at the Hospital for Special Surgery. Dr. Miller then completed an orthopedic trauma fellowship at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle. Prior to joining Washington University Orthopedics, Dr. Miller was faculty at Wake Forest School of Medicine.

Dr. Miller has particular interests in the improvement of orthopedic trauma care on a national level and is the Chair of the Orthopaedic Subgroup for the American College of Surgeons' Committee on Trauma as well as being a board member of the Orthopaedic Trauma Association.

Where are you from? 

Arlington, TX. Home of the Texas Rangers (baseball) and the original Six Flags.

What made you choose orthopedic trauma as a specialty?

I was an EMT in college and enjoyed the emergency trauma; the most fulfilling part of orthopedics for me was bone repair (as opposed to soft tissue surgeries), so it all made sense. 

What brought you to Washington University Orthopedics?

The trauma team recruited me here from Wake Forest in 2016. 

What aspect of your practice do you find most interesting or rewarding?

I love it so much when residents answer questions correctly and you see it "click" for them in conference or the OR. I also love when my clinic team quotes me back to myself -- we love to joke around and I can tell they really get me. 

Was there a past patient who made a lasting impact on you?

The first Halloween in my practice, I was on call and a really badly injured patient came in; we had to do an urgent amputation. He and his wife still call me every year on Halloween to thank me and give me their life updates (for over ten years now)!

Anything new on the horizon for trauma care?

The biggest thing we are working on is improving our national trauma systems to have better emergency care for everyone who needs it, especially those in rural areas or near state lines. Right now these systems are only controlled locally so there can be big gaps in care which is scary!

What is the best advice you ever received and who was it from? 

All my best advice has been from my husband. He is extremely wise and helps keep me sane, so I guess the best advice for me is the modern version of "happy wife, happy life" which is probably more like "happy spouse, happy house" or something like that. 

What is your favorite thing to do outside of work? 

Tons of stuff! Working in my native plant garden, native wildlife photography, reading, traveling, eating, bird watching, and cooking. 

If you weren't a physician, what would you like to be doing?

A native garden designer or wildlife restoration ecologist. I used to say pastry chef but getting back to nature is much more important. 

Learn why patient's choose Washington University Orthopedics, request an appointment online or call (314) 514-3500.