Rakesh M. Suri, MD, is Chief Executive Officer and Chair of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi. In his role, Dr. Suri oversees the hospital’s overall strategy and effective operation as the first-ever US multispecialty hospital to be replicated outside of North America with more than 5,000 caregivers.
He is an international thought leader on innovation and the future of healthcare. Under his leadership, Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi opened the first multi-organ transplant facility in the United Arab Emirates and developed a state-of-the-art oncology center, offering an integrated and transformative approach to diagnosing and treating cancer for the region. Together with his fellow caregivers, he has expanded the range of Center of Excellence care available across a range of medical and surgical specialties.
In his secondary role, Dr. Suri recruited and led the Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgical team and was involved in the creation of robotic and transcatheter cardiac programs at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi. He holds extensive clinical expertise in robotic and minimally invasive cardiac surgery, mitral valve repair and transcatheter valve therapies. He has completed more than 6,000 surgical procedures in his career and helped to make Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi home to the most sophisticated group of robotic cardiac surgeons in the world.
He is also a consultant in the Department of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery at Cleveland Clinic in the U.S. and Professor of Surgery at Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine. He is the current President of The Heart Valve Society and a member of the Cleveland Clinic International Leadership Board
Dr. Suri’s first role at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi was Chief of Staff, where he spearheaded the recruitment of more than 400 physicians and led the medical staff. Prior to that, he was a consultant in the Division of Cardiovascular Surgery, Professor of Surgery, and Chair of the Enterprise Robotic Practice at Mayo Clinic. Dr. Suri brings a commitment to his patients and surgical innovation, a passion for research and an enthusiasm for teaching others. He holds extensive clinical expertise in robotic and minimally invasive cardiac surgery, mitral valve repair and transcatheter valve therapies.
His significant research pursuits include contributions to more than 340 peer-reviewed journal articles and book chapters, 18 patents and several FDA multicenter trials. He has led and participated in cutting-edge clinical trials during his time at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi and Cleveland Clinic.
Dr. Suri earned his undergraduate degree at Queen’s University in Kingston, Canada, 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.