Dr Gary Francis

Cleveland, OH - Dr Gary Francis, the chief of clinical cardiology at the Cleveland Clinic, is heading back to Minnesota where he first started his career. In October 2008, Francis takes on a new role as professor of medicine at the University of Minnesota, an opportunity that will allow him to be involved in new and translational research.

"What I hope to do when I go back there is not go back to the bench but to work with a group of outstanding biologists who are working on stem-cell projects and other basic-science endeavors related to clinical heart failure," said Francis. "As you know, the buzzword these days is translational. I feel comfortable with basic science and clinical cardiology and will be quite comfortable in that setting. Even though I won't be doing basic research, I will certainly interact with [those who do]."

Francis, a past president of the Heart Failure Society of America, has been at the Cleveland Clinic for 11 years. He spoke very highly of the clinic, telling heartwire that it was a great experience and that joining the faculty was one of the best decisions he ever made. "The clinic is strong and the faculty is deep," said Francis. "It's a large faculty. They have excellent leadership with Steve Nissen, but I think people leaving is the natural evolution of great places. The Brigham is the same way. They train fantastic leaders there, too."

The change allows Francis to move closer to family and to work with Dr Jay Cohn, someone he worked with for over 20 years after first completing his training. The University of Minnesota, he said, is a "place on the move," and he will be very involved in the heart-failure program, especially the training, mentoring, and recruiting of faculty. He is already recognized for his teaching skills, having won numerous awards, including the 2000 Cleveland Clinic Distinguished Teacher of the Year award.

"I have a great love of working with young people, teaching, and I hope to continue to do that," said Francis. "We've had absolutely wonderful fellows and great young faculty here at the clinic, and I hope to develop that at Minnesota."