Medicine Institute

To help streamline your Cleveland Clinic visit, please bring the information you have regarding your current medical issue including:

• Completed patient questionnaire
• A list of your current medications
• X-ray reports
• CDs from procedures such as catheterizations
• Lab reports
• Consultation reports and hospital/ER discharge notes
• Office visit notes from each physician who examined/treated you.

Please bring no more than two years of your current medical records, arranged in reverse chronological order with the most recent notes on top. Include the name, address and phone number of each doctor who has treated or examined you.

Your Cleveland Clinic National Consultation doctor will spend an hour with you, going over your records and performing a complete examination.

Depending on the outcome of this exam, he or she may refer you to other Cleveland Clinic doctors for additional examination and testing. We will do our best to schedule these appointments on the same day, or the next day. However, depending on the nature of your medical problem, you may have to extend your stay or schedule follow-up visits.

The National Consultation Service works closely with Global Patient Services, a full-service department  that ensures that out-of-state visitors have the best experience possible. They can help with appointment scheduling and arranging airline reservations and hotel accommodations, including reservations to hotels located on Cleveland Clinic main campus.

• Access Our Medical Concierge Service

Cleveland Clinic is located about 30 minutes from Cleveland Hopkins International Airport and about 20 minutes from Burke Lakefront Airport, an executive airport for smaller planes and jets. 

Once you arrive at Cleveland Clinic, please proceed to A91, on the ninth floor of the Crile Building (Marked A on the Map). Find directions and a map below:

• Driving Directions to the Crile (A) Building.
• View a map of Cleveland Clinic Main Campus

You also may request directions and a map by calling Patient Global Services locally at 216.445.5580 or toll-free at 800.223.2273, ext. 55580.

A summary of your visit will be sent directly to you within two weeks, including all test results and a treatment plan.

If you have been referred to Cleveland Clinic by another doctor, he or she will receive the report, as well.

Please schedule a visit with your primary care doctor to review the report and recommendations.

Kara Browning, MD

216.444.5665

Kara Helene Browning, MD, is a physician in the Cleveland Clinic Department of General Internal Medicine. Her certifications are as follows: American Board of Internal Medicine, 1998, and Certificate of Added Qualification in Sports Medicine, 1999.

• View staff profile

Stephen Hayden, MD

216.444.5665

Stephen Hayden, MD, received his medical degree (MB,BS) from the University of London in 1968 and an advanced medical degree (MD) from the University of Birmingham, England, in 1982.

He completed training in both general internal medicine and pulmonary diseases in Southend, the London Hospital and Birmingham. He was involved in research in asthma at the London Hospital, and the effects of welding fume at the University of Birmingham School of Medicine.

He joined the staff of Cleveland Clinic in 1980. He has been the Quality Review Officer for the Department of General Internal Medicine for many years.

Dr. Hayden currently sees patients in consultation, or as a second opinion visit, for diagnosis and coordination of care; most of the patients have multiple medical conditions.

His additional interests and activities involve quality management and improvement, and the application of information technology to clinical systems, quality and patient safety.

• View staff profile

Studies show that if you visit a travel health expert before international travel, you are seven times less likely to get sick on your trip. Ask yourself the following questions:

• Are you chronically ill and have a problem such as heart disease, chronic lung disease or diabetes mellitus?
• Will you be traveling or living overseas for an extended period of time, such as an exchange student or expatriate?
• Are you headed for a remote location or developing county (i.e. on a religious or medical mission)?
• Are you unsure or concerned about access to sophisticated medical care at your travel destination(s)?

If any of the above apply to you, we recommend a Pre-Travel Risk Assessment. You'll receive the following personalized services by our specially trained physicians and nurses:

• Review itinerary, length of stay, and current travel conditions/advisories for your destination
• Assess potential health risks, including the need for special vaccines, immunizations or medications
• Assess general medical and safety concerns for your specific itinerary
• Up-to-date information on the immunizations and medications recommended for the part of the world you’ll be visiting

• All travel-related and routine vaccinations (your specific itinerary will determine the ones you might require). These may include:
  • Routine flu vaccination, Hepatitis A, Typhoid
  • Childhood vaccinations – polio/diphtheria/pertussis/tetanus
• We are an official state-designated Yellow Fever Vaccine Center.

• Anti-malarial, anti-diarrhea and others -- personalized to your itinerary
• CDC recommendations cover countries as a whole; at your visit we can help you sort out what you need and what you do not.

• Tips and advice on avoiding insect-borne and food-borne illnesses
• Information about local medical facilities at your destination
• Advice on accessing proper health care, including medical evacuation, if necessary
• Precautions on water and food, climate and activity
• Advice on hygiene and protection against sexually transmitted diseases
• Other -- personalized to your itinerary

• Upon your return, we offer a full evaluation for any traveler who has fever, diarrhea or any new illness.

Steven Mawhorter, MD is board-certified in both Internal Medicine and Infectious Disease. He holds a Diploma in Tropical Medicine and Hygiene from Liverpool, England. He is a member of the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, the International Society of Travel Medicine and the Wilderness Medical Society.

Nancy Ivansek, PA-C, MA is a physician assistant with over 25 years of experience in general and internal medicine. She holds a Master's degree in community health education from Kent State University. She completed her physician's assistant training at Lake Erie College and Cleveland Clinic. Nancy works alongside Dr. Mawhorter to prepare patients for their trips abroad.

Brenda Powell, MD is board-certified in Family Practice. She received her medical degree from Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC. Dr. Powell is a member of the American Academy of Family Physicians, the Wilderness Medical Society, and the American Medical Women’s Association.

Jonathan Leizman, MD is board-certified in Family Practice and received his medical degree from The Ohio State School of Medicine and Public Health, Columbus, OH.

Dalia Mossad, MD is board-certified in Internal Medicine. She is a member of the American College of Physicians, the International Society of Travel Medicine and has a special interest in Preventative Medicine.