Beyond Leadership: a Cleveland Clinic Podcast

This episode will share practical insights on leading with empathy, making decisions amid uncertainty, developing others, and translating organizational values into everyday action. The conversation offers thoughtful reflections and small, meaningful leadership practices that help create a culture of excellence, trust, and shared purpose.

This episode will focus on the essential strategies for building a culture of innovation in healthcare. The panel discusses the frameworks needed to transition frontline ideas into system-wide solutions, illustrating how a mission-driven approach ensures long-term institutional growth.

This episode will focus on Balancing Finance and Operations in Uncertain Environments. Our panel will evaluate specific frameworks for managing expenses and scaling innovation while maintaining a steadfast commitment to patient-centered care. By quantifying the impact of adaptability and collaborative leadership, we provide actionable insights necessary to measure and drive growth in today’s volatile healthcare landscape.

This episode will focus on Building Engagement and Trust through Leadership, features Dr. Serpil Erzurum, and Dr. Brian Harte. Together, they discuss how leaders can foster psychological safety, build resilient teams, and create environments where employees thrive. Listeners will gain actionable insights to strengthen their leadership and support teams in delivering exceptional care.

Raed Dweik, MD, MBA, Chief of the Integrated Hospital Care Institute at Cleveland Clinic, joins host Brian Bolwell, MD to discuss his path to leadership, conflict management, and the benefits of active listening.

Margaret McKenzie, MD, MS, FACOG, Vice President of Cleveland Clinic South Pointe Hospital and Marymount Hospital, joins host, Brian Bolwell, MD to discuss her journey to leadership, the importance of introspection, and how to bring a greater respect for humanity into the work of a leader.

Richard Parker, MD, President of Cleveland Clinic Hillcrest Hospital and Cleveland Clinic Mentor Hospital, joins host Brian Bolwell, MD, to discuss the power of knowing your audience, developing a local culture, and his work with the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Neil Smith, DO, President of Cleveland Clinic Fairview Hospital, joins host, Brian Bolwell, MD, to discuss his path to leadership, lessons learned along the way, and the power of just saying yes.

Rebecca Starck, MD, President of Cleveland Clinic Avon Hospital, joins host, Brian Bolwell, MD, to discuss imposter syndrome, flying under the radar, and supporting not only those on your team, but the greater community beyond the hospital walls.

Lars Svensson, MD, PhD Chief of Cleveland Clinic Heart, Vascular and Thoracic Institute, joins host, Brian Bolwell, MD, to discuss having courage as a leader, the importance of being vulnerable, and how to best manage change within a team. Note: this episode was recorded prior to Dr. Svensson's change in title from Institute Chairman to Institute Chief.

We discuss the importance of setting the right tone as a leader and how he leads with transparency, humility, and communication.

Patrick Byrne, MD, MBA, Chairman of Cleveland Clinic's Head and Neck Institute, joins host, Brian Bolwell, MD, to discuss how to trust in your team, putting others first, and leading in service of a greater vision.

Brian Rubin, MD, PhD, Professor and Chair of Cleveland Clinic's Institute of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, joins host Brian Bolwell, MD, to discuss the importance of creating a shared vision as a leader, listening to your team, and being fearless when confronting change.

Meredith Foxx, MSN, MBA, APRN, NEA-BC, PCNS-BC, PPCNP-BC, CPON, Chief Executive Nursing Officer of Cleveland Clinic, joins host Brian Bolwell, MD, on this episode of Beyond Leadership to discuss lessons learned throughout her nursing career, how to lead people, and the importance of finding the joy in every moment, including at work.

Jamanda Haddock, MA, MRCP, FRCR, Interim Chief of Staff and Chair of Hospital Services at Cleveland Clinic London, joins host Brian Bolwell, MD, to discuss creating teams, setting the emotional tone as a leader, and keeping it fair.

Corinne Ehretsman, Executive Director of Clinical Operations at Cleveland Clinic, joins host Brian Bolwell, MD, to discuss the importance of taking action, building teams, and knowing your purpose as a leader.

Miguel Regueiro, MD, Chair of Cleveland Clinic's Digestive Disease and Surgery Institute, joins host Brian Bolwell, MD to discuss leadership journey and how to keep it real and keep it simple when leading at any level. This episode was recorded in mid-2022 and statements regarding COVID-19 and current affairs were true at that time.

David Rowan, Cleveland Clinic Chief Legal Officer, joins host Dr. Brian Bolwell to discuss the importance of organizational transparency, trust, and relationships within the enterprise and beyond.

Dr. Steven Corwin, President and CEO of NewYork-Presbyterian Heatlhcare System, joins the podcast to discuss doing the right thing - leading with empathy, authenticity, and a care for the future.

Dr. Richard Cohen, Chair of the Digestive Disease & Surgery Institute, Professor, Chief of Surgery and Deputy Medical Director at Cleveland Clinic London, joins host Dr. Brian Bolwell to discuss how to build trust by following through on promises, never being above any task, and leading with authenticity.

Dr. Joanne Conroy, President and CEO of Dartmouth Health, joins host Dr. Bolwell to discuss the importance of engaging with your team and stakeholders, fostering trust, and serving a greater purpose as a leader.

William Peacock, Cleveland Clinic Chief of Operations, joins host Dr. Brian Bolwell to discuss the importance of leading with grace, being a servant leader, and his own leadership journey which took him from the US Navy to Cleveland Clinic.

Paul Matsen, Cleveland Clinic Chief Marketing and Communications Officer, joins host Dr. Brian Bolwell to discuss how trust breeds collaboration, creativity, and most of all, success.

Johnese Spisso, RN, MPA, President of UCLA Health, CEO of UCLA Hospital System, and Associate Vice Chancellor of UCLA Health Sciences, joins host Dr. Brian Bolwell to discuss the importance of accountability, organizational transparency, and her leadership journey.

Brian Harte, MD, President of Cleveland Clinic Akron General Hospital, discusses leadership challenges, managing conflict, and being open to new opportunities with host Dr. Brian Bolwell.

James Stoller, MD, MS, Chairman of the Education Institute at Cleveland Clinic, joins host, Dr. Brian Bolwell, to discuss what he has learned about leadership during his career, what he teaches to others about leadership, and shares his advice on how to make leadership personal.

Marna Borgstrom, Former CEO of Yale New Haven Hospital and Yale New Haven Health, joins host Dr. Brian Bolwell to discuss her leadership journey, the value of being mindful of the impact leaders' actions have on their teams, and the importance of leading by example.

Dr. Leslie Jurecko, Chief Safety and Quality Officer at Cleveland Clinic, joins host Dr. Brian Bolwell to discuss the importance of creating psychological safety at all levels of an organization.

Robert Wyllie, MD, Chief Medical Operations Officer at Cleveland Clinic discusses the benefits of failing and learning from failure during his career and how learning how to fail can make a successful leader.

Host Dr. Brian Bolwell is joined by Charles Falcone, MD, MBA Global Leader of the Academic Sector and Director of the Physician Leadership Institute at Korn Ferry to discuss the future of physician leadership and the importance of making an impact regardless of where you are in your leadership journey.

Bradford Borden, MD, Associate Chief of Staff and Director of Emergency Services at Cleveland Clinic, talks about self-reflection and other qualities -- like honesty and open communication -- as tenets of good leadership.

A candid conversation between Rita Pappas, MD, Medical Director of Hospital Operations at Cleveland Clinic and host Brian Bolwell, MD, about leadership in 2021 and what they foresee for the year ahead--both for leadership and personally.

Conor Delaney, MD, PhD, Chief Executive Officer and President of Cleveland Clinic Florida shares his leadership journey and insights into what makes an effective team.

Tommaso Falcone, MD, Chief of Staff, Chief Academic Officer and Medical Director at Cleveland Clinic London shares insights on his leadership journey from Chair of OB/GYN to his current role in London.

Rita Pappas, MD, Medical Director of Hospital Operations at Cleveland Clinic discusses her leadership journey from clinical nurse to physician and the challenges that she faces as Chief Medical Officer of Hope Hospital, Cleveland Clinic’s COVID-19 surge facility.

Cindy Hundorfean, EMBA, President and Chief Executive Officer of Allegheny Health Network and former Chief Administrative Officer at Cleveland Clinic, discusses her leadership journey to CEO and the importance of being an authentic leader.

Marc Harrison, MD, President and CEO of Intermountain Healthcare and former CEO of Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, discusses his national and international journey to leadership and the lessons he’s learned along the way.

The decision to make a career transition while in a senior role can be a difficult one for executives to make. In this episode, Donald Malone, MD discusses his 32 year leadership journey at the Cleveland Clinic and his role as Department of Psychiatry and Psychology Chairman and president of Lutheran Hospital.

Chief Talent Officer Gina Cronin and Chair of Physician Development Dr. Brian Bolwell get transparent about career changes that may or may not have gone so well. During this series of conversations, top leaders reveal their thoughts on how disruption led to new opportunities and even career heights.

Steve Pohlman, interim Chief Supply Chain and Support Services Officer at Cleveland Clinic leads a multi-disciplinary team that managed complex supply chain disruption with simple concepts learned as a leader. While rolling out a new inventory management system during the pandemic, he reminded his teams to explain the need for change to stakeholders by leading with why. He states, “Once they understand the why and where we're going to end up, then they want to know the what and the how. And it's ideally doing it with them, not to them. We're not going to do this to you, we're going to do this with you.” Listen now.

SERIES: Inspiring Others | Driving Results – In her meteoric rise, Chief of Staff Beri Ridgeway, MD, jests that she could write a book about her mistakes. Through this fast paced leadership journey she has learned the value of self-reflection and shares, "To be an effective leader, one really has to know herself." She reports it provided grace with herself and in doing that, it allowed her to extend it to others resulting in the best outcomes (which is not how she expected things to happen). And by living in the moment she tries to make the best decisions that she can with the data that she has, knowing that she'll reevaluate that decision and iterate. Hear more from the first woman to be chief of staff at Cleveland Clinic.

Inspiring Others | Driving Results – Intellectual curiosity has provided unwavering support for the success of Cleveland Clinic's Chief Research and Academic Officer Dr. Serpil Erzurum. It is that attribution of being curious -- deeply curious about science and medicine as well as people and their families -- that has built trust among her team and colleagues and led to success. While conversing with Dr. Brian Bolwell about cancer research and care, she recalls saying to herself, "We can do it together because there's nothing we can't do at the Cleveland Clinic if we work together." Listen to this conversation about the impact of developing relationships to create a common vision. To be able to say what they were doing and what they were going to focus on was key. And looking forward, she knows this process will allow them to inspire others to establish relationships so that they can achieve amazing things.

Inspiring Others | Driving Results – Twenty years ago, did nursing have the voice that they have today? How has nursing changed? Main Campus Chief Nursing Officer Shannon Pengel explains how the institute model--forming that triad of a physician, a nurse, and an administrator leading a clinical Institute--has had a great impact on nursing to gain a strong voice. Developing that collaboration and partnership with physician leaders and administrators gave them the ability to demonstrate how they impact change and drive results. It set the stage for people to speak up and have that dialogue and offer suggestions or solutions to problems from all perspectives. Developing trust and psychological safety creates a culture of free thinking and innovative ideas that leaders want to hear.

Inspiring Others | Driving Results 48,000 members, 48,000 individual opinions, and 48,000 individual priorities can drive results in a big way. Being at the helm means creating an environment where change is reinforced. Where peers inspire one another. Where a ripple change can affect many, many more. And that's the magic of associations. Listen as Deborah Bowen, CEO of the American College of Healthcare Executives, and Dr. Brian Bolwell, Chair of Physician Leadership and Development at Cleveland Clinic, discuss issues like diversity, equity, and inclusion, safety, leadership skills and being intentional.

It’s Got To Be Real. Cleveland Clinic CEO Mike Kessel on Authentic LeadershipSERIES: Inspiring Others | Driving Results - Mike Kessel says the most important thing in life is people. So when he walked into his new role as Cleveland Clinic Canada CEO eleven years ago he knew as an American it was important to establish goodwill and form relationships to strategically guide and grow Cleveland Clinic in another country. He also focused on supporting good-hearted people who put the team ahead of the individual. Authentic relationships underscore his success. Mike says, "It's got to be real."

Inspiring Others | Driving Results – Pandemic shutdowns and lockdowns have slowed the virus but not these teams at work near Buckingham Palace. Amidst uncontrollable barriers, will Cleveland Clinic London open its doors for full operation on January 31, 2022? CEO Dr. Brian Donley points to his team of 250 caregivers who are staying on schedule by accomplishing great things in concert with hundreds of ancillary workers. How do they find inspiration? In this first in the series Inspiring Others | Driving Results, Dr. Donley expresses how crafting nine words to define their purpose -- compassionate caregivers transforming health and care for the world – offers a continual focus on members of the team. He believes every person wants meaning and purpose in the work they do. And it is purpose that drives passion and passion drives work effort. For every leader out there, he cautions, “Take advantage of the incredible privilege that you have to impact people in their professional and personal lives.” Listen in and remember, sometimes it’s not about you.

How does a leader drive results and still nurture trusting relationships? In this new series, Inspiring Others | Driving Results, we will focus on great leaders who have achieved standout results while keeping balance and mastery in leading successful teams. What fundamental leadership principles do they rely on to inspire others? How do they practice self-reflection? Watch for the Inspiring Others | Driving Results series in the weeks ahead to listen in on meaningful conversations with authentic leaders willing to earnestly advocate for their best practices. Listen now to hear Dr. Bolwell provide a sneak peek of upcoming episodes.

Relationships are critical whether leading through violent crimes, hostage rescue team or building neighborhood relationships. A presidential debate, an active shooter concern and other large scale events bring many security issues for all stakeholders. Replicating an intelligence cycle ensures understanding a threat and where responsibilities lay. Gordon Snow describes his vast experience with his breadth of knowledge in security.

Can contextual intelligence – or CI – lead you to an epiphany? Dr. Matt Kutz says while it’s not a super power, you can develop a unique perspective and absolutely make better decisions when you explore the 1 principles of CI that help you better explore lessons learned from your past and even your future.

Vugar Zeynalov, Cleveland Clinic Chief Information Security Officer, brings his approach to leading businesses with heavily regulated global markets through high-stakes acquisitions, business expansion, and the adoption of emerging technologies in the face of cyber criminals.