In this episode Dr. Maxwell Cooper interviews Dr. Lars Svensson, a cardiothoracic surgeon and the Heart & Vascular Institute Chair at Cleveland Clinic. Dr. Svensson is an expert in aortic surgery and minimally invasive techniques, including percutaneous transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR). He was a PI for the groundbreaking PARTNER clinical trials that established TAVR as a safe and effective treatment option for patients with aortic valve disease. Dr. Svensson tells the listeners about his days as surgical resident learning under giants in cardiothoracic surgery, including Dr. Christian Barnard - the first surgeon to perform a human heart transplant, and the world renowned Dr. Michael DeBakey. He gives an overview of his clinical practice as a cardiothoracic surgeon and his responsibilities as the Heart and Vascular Institute Chair at Cleveland Clinic. Additionally, he discusses how Cleveland Clinic has been able to remain the #1 ranked heart hospital in the world for the last 28 consecutive years and the future of cardiovascular healthcare. Dr. Svensson describes his innovative process that has lead to many new techniques and devices for aortic surgery and percutaneous valve replacement. Lastly, Dr. Svensson provides advice for residents and medical students on how they can make innovative contributions to medicine.

*Views expressed in this podcast are those of the individuals, not their respective institutions

Lars Svensson, M.D., Ph.D.
Heart & Vascular Institute Chair
Chair of Delos M. Cosgrove, MD Heart Disease Research
Staff Cardiothoracic Surgeon
Professor of Surgery
Cleveland Clinic

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lars-svensson-5b957a233/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/LarsSvenssonMD 

Education/Training
Cardiovascular Surgery Fellowship, Baylor College of Medicine
Cardiothoracic Surgery Fellowship, Cleveland Clinic
General Surgery Residency, Johannesburg General Hospital
M.D., University of Witwatersrand School of Medicine
Ph.D., University of Witwatersrand School of Medicine
B.S., Treverton College