Russ' Biography

"Russ" Reiss, MD graduated from Hahnemann University School of Medicine in Philadelphia, completed residencies in General Surgery and Cardiothoracic Surgery at the University of Utah and an Interventional Cardiology Fellowship at New York Presbyterian-Columbia University College of Physician and Surgeons in New York City.

Read Russ' Curriculum VitaE (CV)

From 1995-1998, Russ completed a postdoctoral research fellowship in the Center for Gene Therapy studying the regenerative and protective properties of Mesenchymal Stem Cells (MSCs). As part of his thesis work, he discovered and patented a phenomenon in which MSCs alone could be used to rescue mammals and humans from lethal radiation, as may be experienced in a nuclear meltdown or exposure to a "dirty bomb". Later, he co-founded the Center for Cell Therapy and Regenerative Medicine and obtained one of the first FDA approvals in the nation to place stem cells directly into the hearts of patients undergoing cardiac surgery. Next, Russ started Utah's only public Umbilical Cord Blood Bank to harvest precious cord blood and stem cells for free as a public resource to be used in life-saving bone marrow transplants, mainly for children suffering from leukemia and other life threatening blood disorders.

For the last decade, Russ has also been an integral member of the commercialization team that was granted FDA approval for use of MSCs to prevent kidney failure after cardiac surgery. Today he is an active Board Member helping this same team attain FDA approval and conduct critical clinical trials using stem cells to cure diabetes, a devastating disease that claims nearly 10,000 lives each day.

Throughout his medical career he has remained continuously active in advancing the fields of Cell Therapy & Regenerative Medicine through numerous public and private ventures, and has received research support from the NIH, NSF, and the VA. He has also been an active consultant with several biotechnology companies, which are working diligently to bring new stem cell therapies to the clinic.

From 2007-2011, Russ was the Medical Director of Creating Wellness an organization whose mantra is Be Fit, Eat Right, Think Well. Through the use of a unique scoring metric known as the Wellness Quotient, realistic goals were set for individuals appropriate to their particular health needs. As Medical Director, he provided clinical insight and programatic support for the development of corporate wellness initiatives.

In 2011, Russ became one of only two cardiac surgeons in the nation to be certified in both Cardiothoracic Surgery and Interventional Cardiology in order to perform complex cross-disciplinary cardiovascular procedures such as hybrid percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI) and transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR). He then became the Director of the Valve Clinic and Transcatheter Valve Therapies at St. Mary's Cardiac Center in Madison, Wisconsin where he built a successful TAVR program.

Then in 2012, Russ won a scary battle with leukemia. This was a big wake up call for him and led to a pivotal moment in his life where he realized he really wanted to help people "upstream" before they were in big trouble and in need of his services as a cardiovascular surgeon. So, he and his family relocated back to Park City and Russ began working on plans to help people stay healthy through regular athletic activity, positive thinking, and strong nutrition.

Having seen and experienced the life saving health benefits of regular exercise and athletics in his own life and throughout his surgical career, Russ now focuses his clinical efforts on maximizing human performance through athletic activity to avoid injury and disease. He is particularly interested in the cardiopulmonary physiology of the aging athlete and the clinical application of Cell Therapy & Regenerative Medicine in speeding functional recovery of acute and chronic conditions. 

Russ lives in Park City, Utah where he and his family enjoy skiing, mountain biking, hiking, camping, fly fishing and playing music. 

Read Russ' Curriculum VitaE (CV)

Park City Performance Medicine

(435) 200-3452