Dr. David Laird, who is board certified in general surgery, is a medical graduate of Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta. His internship in general surgery was at Methodist Hospitals of Memphis; his residency was at the UT School of Medicine in Memphis. A major in the U.S. Air Force, Dr. Laird moved to Jackson after serving as the Chief of Surgical Services at Holloman Air Force Base in Alamogordo, N.M. His experience includes the full scope of general surgery and extensive endoscopy experience. He also had indepth trauma training at the Presley Memorial Trauma Center in Memphis.

The employees of Jackson-Madison County General Hospital selected Dr. Laird as the 2007 Guest Excellence Doctor of the Year. The award is based on the physician's care and concern for patients, professionalism, integrity, respect for other health care professionals, and willingness to go beyond the scope of duty.

Dr. Laird and his wife, Taylor, have three sons.

About Us

Located in Jackson, Tennessee, our clinic specializes in giving the West Tennessee Community the best in general surgical care.

Jackson Surgical Associates was founded in 1970 by the late Dr. George Dodson, who was joined by Dr. Edward Crocker and later by Dr. Barnett Scott and Dr. Tom Edwards. The clinic's current physicians are Dr. Dean Currie, Dr. David Villarreal, Dr. David Laird and Dr. Jeffrey Apple.

All of our doctors are board certified in general surgery.

Leaders in Surgery

Through the years we have become leaders for introducing innovative and effective surgical procedures. For example, we were the first in Jackson to do a lumpectomy for removing breast cancer. We also were the first to do minimally invasive laparoscopic cholecystectomies to remove gallbladders in the late 1980s - the procedure used for 90 percent of gallbladders today.

We also introduced laparoscopic hernia and appendectomy surgery, video-assisted thoracoscopy for performing certain lung procedures, and laparoscopic nissen fundoplication to treat gastroesophageal reflux diseases. We also were the first to offer thoracic aortic stent grafting for thoracic aneurysms. We evaluate breast lesions through the use of stereotactic non-invasive breast biopsy and we are on the leading edge of technology by offering sentinel lymph node biopsies. These minimally invasive procedures result in easier and often faster recovery for patients.

More on the history of Jackson Surgical Associates…