Lars Svensson MD, PhD

Lars Georg Svensson, MD, PhD, is the Chairman of the Sydell and Arnold Miller Family Heart, Vascular & Thoracic Institute at the Cleveland Clinic. Dr. Svensson is an internationally known cardiovascular and thoracic surgeon. His research has led to many innovative surgical treatments and techniques. Dr. Svensson is board-certified in thoracic, cardiovascular, and general surgery. He is a Professor of Surgery at the Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine of Case Western Reserve University.

Before being appointed to Chair of the institute, Dr. Svensson’s leadership positions at Cleveland Clinic included Director of the Aorta Center; Director of the Marfan Syndrome and Connective Tissue Disorder Clinic; Director of Quality and Process Improvement, Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery; Director of Affiliate Cardiothoracic Surgery Programs; and Co-Director, Transcatheter Valve Program.

Dr. Svensson was born in Barberton, South Africa. He completed his undergraduate work at Treverton College in Mooi River, South Africa. He earned his medical degree and PhD in blood flow pathophysiology from the University of Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, where he received numerous fellowships and awards. Dr. Svensson received his training in cardiology and general surgery at the Johannesburg Hospital, South Africa, and his training in cardiothoracic surgery at the Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH, for which he received a fellowship. He also completed a cardiovascular surgery fellowship and residency at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, TX.

In 2005, Dr. Svensson was named King James IV Professor of Surgery of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh. His academic appointments have included Chief of Cardiothoracic Surgery at the Veterans Administration Hospital in Houston, TX; Clinical Instructor in Surgery at Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA; Clinical Professor of Cardiothoracic Surgery at Tufts University, Boston; and Assistant Professor of Surgery at Baylor College of Medicine, Houston.