PULSE
Cleveland Clinic News and Notes
Edited by John Soeder
World-Class Ranking
For the seventh consecutive year, Cleveland Clinic is the No. 2 hospital in the world, according to Newsweek’s World’s Best Hospitals 2025 list. Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi (No. 172) and Cleveland Clinic Fairview Hospital (No. 225) are also recognized among the Top 250 hospitals in the world. “This recognition is a direct reflection of our 83,000 caregivers, who form the heart and soul of our global organization,” said Cleveland Clinic CEO and President Tom Mihaljevic, MD, holder of the Morton L. Mandel CEO Chair. “Their dedication, compassion and commitment to excellence are the pillars of Cleveland Clinic care. Every day, they answer the call to serve those in need.”
MILESTONE
Raising the Bar in the UAE
CLEVELAND CLINIC ABU DHABI is marking a decade of redefining complex care in the United Arab Emirates and beyond. Since opening in 2015, the hospital has delivered more than 6.8 million patient encounters and performed over 175,000 procedures, including more than 800 transplants and 6,400 neurosurgeries, while introducing medical innovations that have transformed healthcare in the region.
His Highness Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, attended Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi’s 10th anniversary celebration in March 2025 at the Emirates Palace Mandarin Oriental. The event brought together leading voices in global healthcare to reflect on the hospital’s impact and its pivotal role in advancing the UAE’s healthcare sector.
With eight specialty institutes and more than 5,700 caregivers representing over 80 nationalities, Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi continues to grow as a regional hub for complex care, research and education. In 2024 alone, the hospital surpassed 1 million patient encounters and performed over 26,000 surgeries.
Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi has delivered numerous national firsts, including the UAE’s first combined heart and lung transplant and the first robotic mastectomy in the Middle East. The hospital’s Fatima bint Mubarak Center is redefining cancer care, while AI-driven treatments and pioneering research are helping to shape the future of medicine.
“Ten years ago, we set out to deliver the most advanced and complex care to patients in the UAE and the wider region,” said Georges-Pascal Haber, MD, CEO of Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi. “Today, we stand as a beacon of excellence. … We are driven every day by the trust of our patients and the dedication of our caregivers.”
U.S. Representatives Shontel Brown, center, and Max Miller discuss funding advanced computation in biomedical science with Cleveland Clinic Chief of Government Relations Melissa Myers. | Photo: Don Gerda
MEETING OF THE MINDS
Tackling Tough Challenges
Cleveland Clinic’s second annual CLEVELAND DISCOVERY & INNOVATION FORUM brought together international leaders to discuss advancements enabled by quantum computing, artificial intelligence and digital health. “We need the best minds in medicine and technology to work together to solve healthcare’s toughest challenges,” said Lara Jehi, MD, Chief Research Information Officer at Cleveland Clinic.
Held in April 2025 on Cleveland Clinic’s main campus, the forum featured more than 20 speakers from academia, industry, foundations, venture capital and government to explore the current landscape and potential future of healthcare and life sciences research. The event was designed in collaboration with the National Science Foundation. It also was officially recognized as part of the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology, led by UNESCO, which is teaming up with Cleveland Clinic to provide researchers in Africa with remote access to the IBM Quantum System One at Cleveland Clinic’s main campus.
A preliminary rendering depicts the new Cleveland Clinic hospital in West Palm Beach.
DATELINE: FLORIDA
Big Plans for Palm Beach
Cleveland Clinic has launched a campaign to EXPAND INPATIENT AND OUTPATIENT CARE IN PALM BEACH COUNTY and will break ground for a new hospital when $500 million is raised.
“Cleveland Clinic has served the healthcare needs of Palm Beach County residents for many years and is committed to an expansion plan that will transform care for the community,” said Tom Mihaljevic, MD, CEO and President of Cleveland Clinic and the holder of the Morton L. Mandel CEO Chair. “The community’s visionary leaders challenged us to respond to the region’s growing healthcare needs. With the support of the community, we will enhance care through a broad range of specialties and
greater access.”
Elevating the Healthcare Landscape: The Campaign for Cleveland Clinic Palm Beach was launched in February 2025 with a leadership gift of $50 million from Stephen M. Ross.
Plans for the new hospital include approximately 150 inpatient beds, an emergency department and a medical office building. The hospital will be located on newly acquired land next to Clear Lake.
In addition, Cleveland Clinic will lease space for a new 120,000-square-foot outpatient location that will nearly quadruple the square footage of the existing Cleveland Clinic Tomsich Health and Medical Center. Additional services will include chemotherapy and infusion therapy, a concierge medicine program, imaging, endoscopy and specialized surgical services.
The hospital and the outpatient center will be located in downtown West Palm Beach.
“This expansion is special because it is a partnership with the community, which has provided Cleveland Clinic with generous philanthropic support for a very long time,” said Conor Delaney, MD, PhD, President of the Cleveland Clinic Florida Market. “The fundraising campaign will enable us to bring to West Palm Beach the full scale of services that residents have been asking us to offer. The plan is ideal because the hospital and outpatient center will be close together — just a couple hundred yards apart — allowing caregivers and patients to easily go from one location to the other.”
Enhancing patient experience was integral to the design of the new Jeffrey and Patricia Cole Pavilion.
SPOTLIGHT
The Eyes Have It
THE JEFFREY AND PATRICIA COLE PAVILION at Cole Eye Institute is now open on Cleveland Clinic’s main campus. It features 60 outpatient exam rooms, eight operating rooms, procedure rooms and administrative space, with the capacity to increase to meet future needs. The pavilion will allow the institute to meet the growing ophthalmologic needs of the community and provide exceptional clinical, diagnostic and surgical services for the entire range of eye diseases.
“This state-of-the-art facility is a reflection of our ongoing dedication to improving the lives of the patients we serve and furthering advancements in the field of ophthalmology,” said Andrew P. Schachat, MD, interim chair of Cole Eye Institute and holder of the Ed and Joey Story Professor of Ophthalmology Chair.
Large flat-screen monitors in each outpatient room allow providers to directly review enhanced imaging with patients during visits. With dedicated spaces for check-in and discharge, the building design focused on reducing patient wait times and foot traffic between spaces. A three-story atrium awash in natural light connects the 150,000-square-foot pavilion to the original 130,000-square-foot Cole Eye Institute building.
“Having witnessed firsthand the profound difference that vision can make in a person’s life, I truly understand its importance,” said Jeffrey A. Cole. The expansion was made possible in part by a lead gift from him and his wife, Patricia O’Brien Cole. He and his company Cole National also contributed the lead gift that founded the institute in 1999; it now serves almost 400,000 patients annually.
The original building will be redesigned and renovated during the next phase of the overall expansion project, with philanthropy providing critical support.
NOTES FROM ABROAD
On the Road Again
Donors from around the U.S. packed their bags for Cleveland Clinic’s PATRON TRIPS earlier this year. In March, the destination was the United Arab Emirates (top), where travelers attended Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi’s 10th anniversary celebration (see page 3). In addition to taking in the sights of Abu Dhabi and Dubai, they visited Qasr Al Sarab, a resort where the options included camel rides and a sunrise desert walk. In May, patrons went to London (bottom), where tours of Cleveland Clinic London and the National Gallery were on the itinerary. They also enjoyed a private lunch in the Houses of Parliament and a visit to the Chelsea Flower Show. If you’re interested in future travel opportunities with Cleveland Clinic, please contact Sarah Jessie at jessies@ccf.org.
ONLINE
Accuracy Matters
Cleveland Clinic’s Health Library was showcased in a recent New York Times article titled “5 Places to Turn for Accurate Health Information.” The online repository includes thousands of articles about diseases, conditions, treatments and body systems. “Each entry is written by a team of journalists and subject-matter experts from Cleveland Clinic,” noted Times reporter Teddy Rosenbluth, “who draw from peer-reviewed journals, scientific textbooks and organizations like the American Medical Association.” See for yourself at my.clevelandclinic.org/health.