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Dr. Joseph Hahn, chief of staff at the Cleveland Clinic since 2005, is retiring in December after 38 years with the hospital system.
(Cleveland Clinic)
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- After nearly four decades as a neurosurgeon, leader and innovator, Cleveland Clinic Chief of Staff Dr. Joseph Hahn will retire, effective Dec. 31.
Dr. Brian Donley, president of the community hospitals and family health centers, will succeed Hahn as the new chief of staff on Jan. 1.
Hahn joined the Cleveland Clinic staff in 1976 in the Department of Neurosurgery, becoming chairman of the department in 1981. He was named chairman of the Division of Surgery in 1987 and served in that role until 2003, making him the longest serving Surgery Division chair in the organization's history.
In 2003, Hahn launched Cleveland Clinic Innovations, the commercialization arm of the Cleveland Clinic, as a way for Clinic doctors to commercialize their medical discoveries. Hahn was the entity's first board chairman.
Clinic President and CEO Dr. Toby Cosgrove appointed Hahn chief of staff in 2005.
"It has been an honor and privilege to work alongside Joe," Cosgrove said in a statement. "As chief of staff, he has been a driving force in recruiting, managing and retaining an unparalleled staff to lead this organization through a time of unprecedented change.
"Joe has worked diligently to enhance communication with the professional staff, improve our leadership development, and expand opportunities for physician leadership," Cosgrove said. "His commitment to championing a culture of teamwork will be his lasting legacy to our organization."
Hahn will work closely with Donley over the next five months during the transition.
Dr. Brian Donley
Since January 2014, Donley has overseen the Clinic's eight community hospitals and 16 family health centers in Northeast Ohio.
An orthopaedic surgeon by training, Donley joined the Clinic in 1996. He is a former president of Lutheran Hospital, and is a professor of surgery at the Lerner College of Medicine of Case Western Reserve University.
In 2008, Donley established and chaired Cleveland Clinic's Professional Conduct Committee, a role he held until August 2013.
Donley is frequently mentioned as a possible candidate to succeed Cosgrove as CEO someday.
"Brian's training and experience in the Orthopaedic Institute, his role as an educator and innovator, and his recent regional administrative success make him uniquely qualified to lead as chief of staff," Cosgrove said.
Hahn echoed those sentiments in a statement, saying, "I leave knowing our legacy of teamwork will continue under Brian Donley's leadership.
"It has been a tremendous honor and privilege to spend my 38-year career at Cleveland Clinic," Hahn said.