Two Cleveland Clinic Physicians Take On New International Leadership Roles

Cleveland Clinic announces the promotion of two physician leaders to oversee international operations and Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi. Rakesh M. Suri, M.D., D.Phil., will return to Ohio from Abu Dhabi to serve in the newly created role of President of International Operations. Jorge A. Guzman, M.D., MBA, has been named CEO of Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, the post currently held by Dr. Suri. Both positions will be effective March 31, 2021.

In his new role, Dr. Suri will lead Cleveland Clinic’s overall international strategy and advance business development opportunities. In addition, he will be responsible for Global Patient Services and oversee operations for Cleveland Clinic Canada.

The role of President of International Operations will help the organization operate as One Cleveland Clinic in the United States and abroad. It also will focus caregivers on providing world-class care to patients no matter their location.

Dr. Suri has served as CEO of Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi since 2017. He has overseen the hospital’s strategy and effective operation as the first-ever U.S. multispecialty hospital to be replicated outside of North America with more than 5,000 caregivers.

He was appointed to Cleveland Clinic staff in 2015 and named Chief of Staff of Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi that same year. He helped lead the recruitment of more than 400 world-class physicians, participated in the opening and initiation of clinical services throughout the hospital, and led the medical staff to deliver a suite of complex and innovative services with safety and quality outcomes that are competitive among leading academic medical centers globally.

Dr. Suri earned his medical degree with honors from the University of Toronto and a doctorate at Magdalen College, Oxford, UK, as a Rhodes Scholar. He trained in general surgery and performed a cardiovascular surgery fellowship at the University of Toronto. He completed a thoracic surgical residency at Mayo College of Medicine.

Dr. Guzman has served as Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi’s Chief of Staff since 2017. During that time, he has overseen physician recruitment and clinical operations for the 400-bed hospital. Dr. Guzman is a staff physician in the hospital’s Critical Care Institute treating patients in Abu Dhabi, and a staff physician in Cleveland Clinic’s Critical Care department in Ohio.

Prior to that, Dr. Guzman served as vice president of Regional Hospital Medical Operations in Cleveland. He was director of the Medical Intensive Care Unit at main campus and director of Intensive Care Unit Operations for the Cleveland Clinic health system. He was appointed to Cleveland Clinic staff in 2007.

Dr. Guzman received his medical degree from the Universidad Nacional de Cordoba in Argentina. He is a fellow of the American College of Critical Care and graduated from the Healthcare MBA program of Baldwin Wallace University. He has authored or co-authored more than 50 scientific papers in peer-reviewed medical journals, many book chapters, and is the awardee of two patents by the US Patent and Trademark Office.

The chief executive officers of both Cleveland Clinic London and Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi will continue to report to Cleveland Clinic CEO and President Tom Mihaljevic, M.D.