As Dr. Jim Young Nears Retirement, a Colleague Speaks About His Impact

James Young, MD, retires in July after 27 years of service. He has led in a variety of roles including: Chair of the Division of Medicine and later of the Endocrinology & Metabolism Institute, Executive Dean of the Lerner College of Medicine, Chief Academic Officer, and most recently as Executive Director of Academic Affairs.

He has also been a mentor to others. We asked Randall Starling MD, MPH, who has worked closely with Dr. Young over the years, to comment on Dr. Young’s impact on his career and life. This is what he shared:

“I first encountered Dr. Young at an investigators’ meeting for a large clinical trial he was leading. In the spring of 1995, I chatted with Robert Hobbs, MD, who informed me Dr. Young would lead the heart failure section at Cleveland Clinic and suggested I meet him to discuss potential employment options.

“One hour later, I was speaking with Dr. Young, who invited me to interview for a position at Cleveland Clinic. Soon after, we began to brainstorm a vision for how to build the heart failure programs. He made me an equal partner from day one and carefully considered every suggestion that I made. Dr. Young started on July 1, 1995, and I began two months later.

“Counting Dr. Young and myself, there were only four heart failure physicians on the roster when we began. Dr. Young approved hiring another physician colleague and allowed me to appoint the first-ever heart failure fellowship position. We began training heart failure specialists in a fellowship in 1995. This was 15 years before the formal training programs started in the U.S.

“One of our proudest accomplishments is that we trained more than 100 heart failure specialists that are today leaders in the heart failure community globally. Dr. Young, a trusting, supportive colleague, provided me this opportunity to start and develop this educational program. It is fitting that he went on to lead Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine as Dean, and he is renowned for his educational skills.

“There are many more examples of how Dr. Young opened doors and supported me throughout my Cleveland Clinic career. I suspect he may have facilitated many opportunities that I did not even realize.

“On a more personal note, Dr. Young guided me to seek leadership in professional organizations and to pursue research opportunities that maximize my ability to succeed professionally and academically.

“With his support as a colleague and in conjunction with our superb cardiology and surgical partners, the Cleveland Clinic Heart Failure program on main campus has grown to be the one of the most respected, successful, productive heart failure programs in the world. We also have heart failure programs in Florida and Abu Dhabi.

“Dr. Young has always had a ‘can do’ attitude. He emphasizes that we can accomplish anything we define as a goal, and we must merely figure out how to get it done! His persistence and commitment are inspiring. He has had a profound impact on me and many others.”

Drs. Young and Starling (left to right) have trained more than 100 heart failure specialists that are now leaders in the heart failure community globally.

An adaptation of this article originally appeared on Today, the Cleveland Clinic employee intranet.