Heart News
July 2, 2004
Renowned Heart Surgeon Becomes the 5th Leader in the Clinic’s 83-Year History
Internationally renowned heart surgeon Delos M. "Toby" Cosgrove, M.D., has been appointed as the new chief executive officer and chairman of the Board of Governors of The Cleveland Clinic.
Dr. Cosgrove, 63, will assume his new duties following a transition period spent working with current CEO Floyd D. Loop, M.D. Dr. Cosgrove joined The Cleveland Clinic in 1975. He currently serves as chairman of the Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery.
"Toby Cosgrove is a proven leader," said Dr. Loop, who, after nearly 15 years as the Clinic’s chief executive officer, launched an internal search for his successor in January. "For an organization to succeed, it is imperative that each new CEO outperform his predecessor. Toby Cosgrove has the passion and vision needed to move The Cleveland Clinic forward to unprecedented heights."
Mal Mixon, chairman of the Board of Trustees of The Cleveland Clinic and head of the CEO search committee, said several qualities distinguished Dr. Cosgrove in the quest for a new leader.
"Toby Cosgrove is a clinical giant," said Mixon, CEO of Ohio-based Invacare Corp., an industry leader in home medical products. "He combines his clinical talent with great people skills, team-building skills, fundraising skills and an entrepreneurial spirit. We will be proud to have Toby Cosgrove represent The Cleveland Clinic around the world."
Dr. Cosgrove’s entrepreneurial skills have been evident throughout his career. He has 18 patents filed for developing medical and clinical products used in surgical procedures, including the Cosgrove Mitral Valve Retractor, the Stentless Aortic Valve, Low Velocity Aortic Cannula, and the Cosgrove-Baxter Annuloplasty System for use in valve repairs. He is the largest patent holder in Cleveland Clinic history.
Dr. Cosgrove has been an invited lecturer at more than 100 national and international symposia conferences and meetings, or as an honored guest speaker. He is a member of several editorial boards including the Annals of Thoracic Surgery, Journal of Heart Valve Disease, American Heart Journal, Circulation, and Cardiac Chronicle, among others that include journals in Italy, Kuwait, and Germany. He has published nearly 400 journal articles, book chapters, one book and 17 training and continuing medical education films. His films cover topics such as blood conservation in cardiac surgery, surgical reconstruction of the mitral valve, and aortic valve repair.
He is a member of 16 scientific societies including the Society of Thoracic Surgeons, the American Association of Thoracic Surgery, the American College of Surgeons, the American Heart Association and the American Association of Thoracic Surgery for which he served as President in 2000. He is an honorary member of six international organizations.
Dr. Cosgrove earned his medical degree from the University of Virginia School of Medicine in Charlottesville and completed his clinical training at Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston Children’s Hospital, and Brook General Hospital in London. He is a graduate of Williams College in Williamstown, Mass., where he serves on the Board.
During his career, he has performed more than 18,000 surgical procedures and has become a world-renowned expert in the field of heart valve repair. He was a surgeon in the U.S. Air Force and served in Da Nang, Republic of Vietnam as the chief of U.S. Air Force Casualty Staging Flight. He was awarded the Bronze Star and the Republic of Vietnam Commendation Medal.
Despite his individual successes, Dr. Cosgrove makes it clear that he will need the support of all of The Cleveland Clinic’s 29,000 employees if he is to follow in the accomplished footsteps of retiring CEO Dr. Loop.
"I am honored and humbled by the trust and confidence placed in me," Dr. Cosgrove said. "All of us at The Cleveland Clinic are privileged to stand on the shoulders of giants—and Floyd Loop is a giant. I will devote all of my abilities to the success of this organization and the patients it serves. But I will need everyone’s help to keep the Clinic moving forward. As we act as a unit, the possibilities are endless."
Click here to read about Dr. Cosgrove - hours before taking his official role in the Cleveland Plain Dealer!*
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© Cleveland Clinic Foundation 6/04
