Kenneth McCurry, MD

Kenneth McCurry, MD, is a cardiothoracic surgeon in the Sydell and Arnold Miller Family Heart, Vascular & Thoracic Institute at Cleveland Clinic. He is board-certified in thoracic surgery and surgery, with added qualifications in surgical critical care.

Specialty interests: Heart surgery, heart transplant, lung transplant, heart-lung transplantation, aortic valve surgery, coronary artery surgery, minimally invasive cardiac surgery, heart valve surgery, removal of cardiac tumors, reoperation valve surgery

Number of Procedures Performed: Cleveland Clinic performs more than 4,000 heart surgeries each year. All Cleveland Clinic cardiac surgeons complete between 300-400 cardiac cases peryear. Since joining Cleveland Clinic in 2009, he has performed almost 200 lung transplants.

Success rates: As one of the nation's highest-volume cardiac surgical centers, Cleveland Clinic treats highly complex and critically ill patients, performing procedures that only a handful of surgeons across the country can do. You can view success rates for specific procedures at http://my.clevelandclinic.org/heart/about-heart-vascular-institute/treatment-outcomes.aspx

Education and Training: Dr. McCurry earned his medical degree from the University of Florida. He served his surgical internship and residency at the University of Michigan Medical Center, as well as a fellowship in critical care, research and extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO; ECMO is an advanced form of cardiopulmonary bypass used in critically ill patients to allow time for recovery of the lungs and heart.). Dr. McCurry next pursued a surgery research fellowship at Duke University followed by a thoracic surgery residency at the University of Michigan and a fellowship in cardiothoracic transplant surgery and ventricular assist devices at the University of Pittsburgh. He joined the staff of the University of Pittsburgh Medical center in 1998 and Pittsburgh Children’s Hospital in 1999.

At the University of Pittsburgh, he was head of the Section of Cardiothoracic Transplantation, director of lung and heart-lung transplantation, director of cardiac transplantation, surgical director of clinical heart failure research and surgical director of pediatric lung and heart-lung transplantation.

Publications and Speaking: A prolific researcher and writer, Dr. McCurry has authored several hundred papers in leading medical journals, focusing primarily on patient outcomes following heart, lung and heart-lung transplantation. He presently has more than half a dozen major research grants for clinical trials related to heart failure and transplantation. Dr. McCurry is also a frequent speaker, presenting at or moderating more than 50 sessions at leading medical meetings in the past six years.

About Dr. McCurry: I believe my greatest strength is significant experience with a broad array of cardiothoracic surgical procedures leading to familiarity in different clinical situations.

Leisure time activities: Family activities, sports, exercise