Long-time Head of Ob/Gyn & Women’s Health Institute Takes on New Responsibilities

Tommaso Falcone, MD, FRCS(C), FACOG, Professor of Surgery at Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine of Case Western Reserve University, served as Chairman of the Ob/Gyn Department and of the Ob/Gyn & Women’s Health Institute for a total of 17 years.

His tenure drew to a close in September as he began a new role across the pond as Chief of Staff, Chief Academic Officer and Medical Director at Cleveland Clinic London. The newest Cleveland Clinic international outpost is slated to open to patients in 2020 (the medical office building) and 2021 (hospital).

In the article below, Dr. Falcone reflects on the past, present and future of the institute he helped build, and outlines what’s on the horizon for him.

Q: Tell us what you are most proud of in your Cleveland Clinic career.

Dr. Falcone: The most important thing about the time I spent as chair of the department and the institute is the growth we saw in ob/gyn and women’s health. We went from 20 staff members in 1995 to 151 full-time staff today. We greatly expanded our footprint, including the number of hospitals we practice in, the patients seen and babies delivered. We began as a small department and now we are a very large institute.

In addition to our employed physicians, we have a large midwifery program and over 360 nonphysician support staff, including ultrasound technicians, embryologists, nurse practitioners and nurses. In 2018, we are expected to have more than 400,000 patient visits, more than 10,000 deliveries and 11,000 surgeries distributed over 36 sites, three main tertiary care hospitals with Level 3 NICUs and four secondary hospitals. We are ranked No.5 in the nation and No. 1 in Ohio by U.S. News & World Report.

The staff is highly regarded throughout Northeast Ohio, across the country and internationally for clinical care, education and research. I am very proud of them and the physicians I have mentored, many of whom have gone on to become leaders and exceptional clinicians.

Q: Have training programs grown as well?

Dr. Falcone: We greatly expanded our training programs. We went from no Cleveland Clinic residents when I started in 1995 to having our own residency program with seven new residents each year in a program that is highly focused on surgery. We also have new fellowship programs, bringing the total to four sought-after fellowships.

Q: For you personally, what are your primary achievements?

Dr. Falcone: My research team performed the world’s first robotic gynecological surgery in a patient in 1999. More recently, we performed the first uterine transplant in the Americas.

In the research arena, I continue to work on ways to improve the surgical management of endometriosis and fertility preservation for women suffering from this painful disease.

Q: Why did you go into Ob/Gyn?

Dr. Falcone: I liked obstetrics and delivering babies; it is such a happy and important part of our lives. But I found that I liked surgery even more.

Q: What will be your duties in London?

Dr. Falcone: As Chief of Staff, my responsibility is to develop all programs in various specialties — heart, neurosurgery, digestive disease, orthopaedic surgery, eventually all specialties — to build out the entire service. It will be both challenging and fascinating.

My biggest opportunity is to build a world-class team, specifically one that excels in clinical care, research and education. Physicians in the UK are very well trained, of course. I’m looking forward to building a hospital staff with Cleveland Clinic standards care and culture. We are combining the best of Cleveland Clinic and the best of UK medicine into a unique practice model.

I’m also looking forward to expanding our global health care delivery system and bringing our brand to the world. London is a leading international community with incredible diversity.

I will continue practicing too, but my main duties will be as a leader.

Q: Are you ready to leave Cleveland?

Dr. Falcone: I have done what I needed to do here. It is time to hand over responsibilities to someone else, and I am leaving the institute in very capable hands. It is important for the department and the institute to acquire some fresh insights, some fresh leadership. While I will miss my colleagues very much, I am looking forward to taking on new responsibilities in a new country, while remaining part of the Cleveland Clinic family. The best of both worlds!

And our five children are already planning their visits. My wife Deborah and I are very much looking forward to that.