About

Professor George Murrell Director of the Orthopaedic Research Institute at St George Hospital and Professor at the UNSW

George A C Murrell

MBBS (Adel), MD (UNSW), DPhil (Oxon)

Professor George Murrell is a renowned shoulder specialist in Sydney, dedicated to advancing the field of shoulder surgery with a particular focus on arthroscopic techniques to repair and restore damaged ligaments and tendons. Based at St George Hospital and the UNSW, where he serves as the Director of the Orthopaedic Research Institute and Professor, he has an extensive background that includes graduating from Adelaide University and being the 1984 South Australian Rhodes Scholar.

 

At Oxford, Professor Murrell excelled in athletics, completed a DPhil (PhD), and received the prestigious Royal College of Surgeons Arris and Gale medal. His academic journey also included time at Cambridge, where he engaged in teaching and rowing, followed by completing his orthopaedic training at Duke University in the USA.

 

Further honing his expertise, he underwent a two-year fellowship in sports medicine, shoulder surgery, and research at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York. Here, he received a National Institutes of Health First Award and an American Orthopaedic Association North American Travelling Fellowship, earning him recognition as a Distinguished International Alumnus.

 

Professor Murrell is actively involved in the academic community as a member of the editorial boards for several prestigious journals, including the Journal of Shoulder and Elbow Surgery, Shoulder and Elbow, and Techniques in Shoulder and Elbow Surgery. His research team has garnered over 30 awards, and his fellowship program attracts orthopaedic surgeons from across the globe, eager to learn from his expertise. Whether they are local residents, from other parts of Sydney, the country, interstate, or overseas, patients seeking expert care in shoulder surgery find a valuable resource in Professor Murrell. For those in need of shoulder surgery in Sydney, his clinic offers unparalleled expertise and a commitment to personalized patient care.

Professional Organisations:

American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgery – International Member

Orthopaedic Research Society, Piedmont Orthopaedic Society

Sport Medicine Australia – Fellow

American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine

Faculty of Sports and Exercise Medicine

Royal College of Physicians and Royal College of Surgeons of Ireland – Fellow

Korean Shoulder and Elbow Society – Honorary Member

Shoulder and Elbow Society of Australia – Corresponding Member

Current Positions:

Shoulder Surgeon

Director, Orthopaedic Research Institute (www.ori.org.au)

Conjoint Professor, University of New South Wales

Senior Staff Specialist, The St George Hospital Campus, Sydney, NSW, Australia

Awards

1979 Le Messurer Bursary

1979 St Mark’s Collegians Prize

1980 Lendon Scholarship

1981 Bickersteth Scholarship

1983 W.A. Dibden Prize

1984 South Australian Rhodes Scholarship

1990 Royal College of Surgeons of England Arris and Gale Medal

1991 American College of Sports Medicine New Investigator Award

1992 American Orthopaedic Association – Zimmer Award for Orthopaedic Residents

1992 International Society for Free Radical Research Young Investigator Award

1993 Eastern Orthopaedic Association Resident/Fellow Award

1994 American Orthopaedic Association – Zimmer Award for Orthopaedic Fellows

1994 American Orthopaedic Association North American Travelling Fellow

1996 American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine 3M Basic Science Award

2001 Federation Internationale de Medicine du Sport (FIMS) AFSM Intercontinental Travelling Fellow

2003 COMMS Award, American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine Best Paper 2003 Annual Meeting

2005 FE Johnson Memorial Fellowship

2010 The Petronas Chair, University of Malaya

2010 The Hospital for Special Surgery International Alumni Ambassador

2012 “Excellent long-term outcomes of arthroscopic capsular release for frozen shoulder” finalist Charles S. Neer Award, American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons

2014 Most Popular Presentation Shoulder & Elbow Society of Australia

2015 “Primary versus revision arthroscopic rotator cuff repair – an analysis in 350 consecutive patients” finalist Charles S. Neer Award, American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons

2015 “The effect of concomitant glenohumeral joint capsule release during rotator cuff repair – a comparative study of 195 patients” finalist Charles S. Neer Award, American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons

2015 “Does stiffness impair or enhance healing post rotator cuff repair? A study in 1500 consecutive arthroscopic rotator cuff repairs” finalist Caspari Award, 10th Biennial ISAKOS Congress

2015 Pier Giorgio Marchetti, MD, Award, Distinguished International Alumnus, The Hospital for Special Surgery.

2015 Honorary Member Korean Shoulder and Elbow Society

2018 Gentchos Lecturer in Shoulder and Elbow Surgery, University of Pennsylvania

2020 St Mark’s College Distinguished Collegian

2025 Guest Speaker Graduation Ceremony, St Peters College, Adelaide

Professor George Murrell Books Publications

Books

Murrell GAC. (1988)

Studies on Dupuytren’s Contracture.

Doctor of Philosophy (D.Phil.) Thesis, Oxford University.

 

Murrell GAC, Huang CH-C, Ellis H. (1990)

Medical Research: A Guide to Writing a Thesis in the Medical Sciences.

Cambridge University Press, Cambridge – English and Japanese translation.

 

Murrell GAC, Huang CH-C, Ellis H. (1999)

Research in Medicine. Planning a Project – Writing a Thesis. Second edition.

Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.

 

Murrell GAC. (2006)

Nitric oxide and tendon healing.

Doctor of Medicine (MD) Thesis by published works, University of New South Wales.

 

Usher-Smith J, Murrell GAC, Ellis H,Huang C. (2010)

Research in medicine. Planning a Project – Writing a thesis. Third edition.

Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.