Cleveland Clinic Names A. Marc Gillinov, M.D., Chairman of the Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery

Cleveland Clinic has appointed A. Marc Gillinov, M.D., as chairman of its Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery.

In this capacity, Dr. Gillinov will lead the team of cardiothoracic surgeons for the Miller Family Heart & Vascular Institute. In 2016, the cardiac and general thoracic surgeons performed more than 6,500 procedures, with a mortality rate of two percent for cardiac operations, which is below the national average, including complex valve operations, heart transplants and artificial heart devices.

Cleveland Clinic has retained its position as the nation’s No. 1 hospital for cardiology and heart surgery for 22 consecutive years, according to U.S. News & World Report’s annual hospital rankings. Since 1995, no hospital has ranked higher in heart care than Cleveland Clinic. The cardiothoracic team has earned a 3-star (highest) score in all three categories of the Society of Thoracic Surgeons’ (STS) risk-adjusted quality ratings for adult cardiac surgery, and also achieving a 3-star STS rating in lobectomy for lung cancer.

Dr. Gillinov specializes in mitral valve repair, robotic mitral valve surgery, aortic valve surgery and atrial fibrillation. He has one of the world’s largest practices in robotic and minimally invasive mitral valve repair surgery.

Dr. Gillinov joined the staff in cardiothoracic surgery in1997. A native Clevelander, Dr. Gillinov first worked at Cleveland Clinic when he was a high school student; during his summers, he served as a research assistant in cardiac surgery. He earned his medical degree from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine following an undergraduate degree from Yale University. He served a residency in general surgery, cardiac and thoracic surgery at Johns Hopkins Hospital, where he was chief resident for both cardiac and thoracic surgery.

In addition to his clinical responsibilities, Dr. Gillinov serves as the Chief Experience Officer of the Heart & Vascular Institute and holds The Judith Dion Pyle Chair in Heart Valve Research.

“Marc is an innovative surgeon who grew up in Cleveland, showed an early interest in heart surgery while a high school student, and has gone on to become a national and internationally recognized leader in mitral valve surgery. The robotic surgery team he has led has achieved the unequalled result of an operative risk of less than one-tenth of one percent out of more than 1,500 robotic mitral valve robot surgeries on patients from all over the world,” said Lars Svensson, M.D., chair of the Miller Family Heart & Vascular Institute. “There is no doubt the cardiothoracic team he will lead will continue to make major contributions on heart care not only in Cleveland, but in Ohio and nationally, and keep the program the leading heart center in the USA.”

“It is an honor to work with the world’s finest cardiothoracic surgical team,” Dr. Gillinov said. “Our outstanding people and our unparalleled resources ensure that we will continue to excel in patient care and lead in innovation.”

Dr. Gillinov is currently involved in numerous multinational clinical trials studying various topics, including the management of mitral valve disease, aortic valve disease and atrial fibrillation. Dr. Gillinov has presented his research and clinical findings at more than 200 national and international medical symposia and conferences. He has been granted patents for several innovations, including new techniques for valve repair for which he received a Cleveland Clinic Award for Innovation.

Dr. Gillinov is an active member of many national cardiothoracic societies, including the Society of Thoracic Surgeons and the American Association for Thoracic Surgery. He has authored or co-authored over 320 peer-reviewed articles that have been published in leading journals, including the New England Journal of Medicine and the Journal of American Medical Association. He also has authored chapters in several thoracic and cardiovascular textbooks. Dr. Gillinov is the co-author of the book “Heart 411: The Only Heart Guide You Will Ever Need.”

He serves on the editorial boards of Current Cardiology Review, Innovations, Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, Journal of Cardiac Surgery, Journal of Atrial Fibrillation, and Journal of Heart Valve Disease as the associate editor.

Dr. Gillinov succeeds Joseph Sabik, M.D., who served as chair since from 2008 to 2017.